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EUOBSERVER The disability community needs to see themselves reflected in our elected representatives. A disabled woman voting in Cyprus. Source: Maria Trikouppi ability between EU countries (albeit the card will only work in a limited set of circumstances). It is a start, but persons with disabilities need more. We need to feel as part of the European project, as fully-fledged citizens of the European Union. This means having the possibility to move, work and live abroad and have immediate access to the support we need. It means being able to receive our disability allowances even if we move to another EU country. But more, it means knowing that the EU is actively working to improve our lives. The European disability movement has continuously provided answers. The EDF manifesto for the European Elections 2024: “Building an inclusive future for persons with disabilities in the EU”, includes concrete demands, such as improving our ability to travel without discrimination by revamping passenger rights regulations, or creating a Disability Employment and Skills Guarantee to facilitate our access to quality employment. It also makes an essential call to ensure women and girls with disabilities, and persons with disabilities part of other marginalised groups, are not left behind in initiatives. The right to run Finally, the disability community needs to see themselves reflected in our elected representatives. But, for that, we need to have equal opportunities to stand as a candidate – and be elected. That starts with having the right to run. Only 10 countries allow all persons with disabilities to stand as a candidate without restrictions: Austria, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Luxembourg and Slovenia. And even when we can run for office, we not only face ‘double the challenges’ due to our inaccessible societies, which make it more difficult to campaign, but also ‘double the mental load’ due to bias, harassment and discrimination – and for women with disabilities running for elections, the cost more than doubles. EU citizens with disabilities deserve to be part and parcel of the European project. We deserve to fully participate in it. And we can. We provided the solutions. Now, if leaders truly want a European Union for all citizens, they need to turn our demands into reality. ◄ About Ioannis Vardakastanis Ioannis Vardakastanis is the president of the European Disability Forum and of the National Confederation of Disabled People (NCDP) of Greece. He is also president of the Economic and Monetary Union, Economic and Social Cohesion (ECO) section of the European Economic and Social Committee.
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Page 3 and 4: EUROPEAN ELECTIONS An introduction
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