COFACE Disability Expert meeting 2018 25-26 June 2018, Sitges - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

COFACE Disability Expert meeting 2018 25-26 June 2018, Sitges

Welcome by Chantal Bruno, President, COFACE Disability

Tour de table – Round of introduction

Overview of the day 9.30 – 10.30: Update on EU developments 10.30 – 10.50: Coffee break 10.50 – 11.50: Upscaling the Study on Family Carers and Planning a COFACE Advocacy Strategy 11.50 – 12.50: COFACE’s position on long-term care: the family dimension 13.00 – 14.00: Lunch 14.00 – 15.00: Exchanges between members on training programmes for family carers 15.00 – 15.30: Any other business, Next meeting, potential hosts

Update on EU developments 1. European Accessibility Act 2. EEG/DI, next EU Multi-Annual Financial Framework 3. EU Disability Strategy 4. European Pillar of Social Rights (ECEC, inclusive education, disability, long-term care, childcare etc.)

European Accessibility Act

European Accessibility Act – State of Play Background • The European Commission published the draft text of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) on 3 December 2015. Link to the text of the EAA: • http://eur-lex.europa.eu/procedure/EN/2015_278 • Article 9 of the UN CRPD on accessibility (ratified by the EU and almost all Member States, except Ireland) • Adoption of the EAA follows the recommendation of the UN CRPD Committee during the 2015 periodic review (Para 90 of the Concluding Observations calls for the EU to adopt the European Accessibility Act within 12 months after the publication of the Concluding Observations

European Accessibility Act – State of Play Potential • The proposed Accessibility Act is an essential piece of legislation with the potential to improve the inclusion of persons with disabilities and older people in society by ensuring their access to important goods and services across the EU • Relevance for families: the lack of accessibility of goods and services has a negative impact and hinders the participation of the whole family in society if a family member is facing burdens in accessing goods and services (e.g. train stations)

European Accessibility Act – State of Play Proposed Scope • The legal basis of the proposed legislation is Article 114(1) of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). This means that the act has an internal market basis, instead of a non-discrimination approach. The purpose of the act is therefore to ‘contribute to the proper functioning of the internal market and remove and prevent barriers for the free movement of accessible products and services’. The EEA aims to harmonise currently existing accessibility legislation and policies in the EU Member States to ensure the free movement of goods and services. The Directive discusses in detail the obligations on different economic actors: manufacturers, importers, distributors and service providers.

European Accessibility Act – State of Play The following selected products and services are covered in the EAA: Products: • General purpose computer hardware and operating systems; • Self-service terminals (Automatic Teller Machines, ticketing machines, check-in machines); • Consumer terminal equipment with advanced computing capability related to telephony services; • Consumer terminal equipment with advanced computing capability related to audio-visual media services.

European Accessibility Act – State of Play Services: • Telephony services and related consumer terminal equipment with advanced computing capability; • Audiovisual media services and related consumer equipment with advanced computing capabiliity; • Air, bus, rail and waterbone passenger transport services; • Banking services; • E-books, E-commerce; • Certain EU Public contracts and consessions; • The Preparation and implementation of Programmes under Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 including the European social and Cohesion Fund.

European Accessibility Act – State of Play • On-going negotiations: Parliament position, Council position • There have been three trilogue meetings (March 5, April 12 and May 15) • Aim: finalising negotiations under EU Bulgarian Presidency (end of June) • Two more trilogues: 12 June, 26 June 2018 • If there is no agreement, the file will pass on to the next Presidency (Austria)

Preliminary agreements so far: • Exemptions based on disproportionate burden and fundamental alteration • Use of European standards and technical specifications to prove compliance with the Accessibility Act • Annex I • Enforcement mechanism

Topics with no agreement reached so far: • Emergency services. The Parliament aims at covering them fully, whereas the Council excludes the call centres. • Self-service terminals. The Parliament covers them, but the Council limits them to only those used in the provision of the covered services. • Transport services, particularly urban modes of transport. The Parliament wants to cover them more broadly. • Accommodation services, only proposed by the Parliament.

Topics yet to be discussed: • The link of the Accessibility Act with other Union acts, such as Public Procurement or the EU Funds Regulations, supported by the Parliament and rejected by the Council. • The inclusion of built environment in the provision of certain services as proposed by the Parliament. • The exemption of microenterprises, a red line for the rapporteur. The Council proposed to cover them when these microenterprises work with products. • The use of the CE-marking, supported by the Council and rejected by the Parliament.

What to do?

EEG/DI, next EU Multi-Annual Financial Framework #EUBudget • In 2014-2020 programming period, the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) have provided a valuable addition to poverty reduction and social inclusion measures, including deinstitutionalisation (through the ex- ante conditionalities) • EU has limited competence on social policy – change to be made through funding (e.g. European Social Fund)

EEG/DI, next EU Multi-Annual Financial Framework #EUBudget • Transition from institutional to community-based care is key to create inclusive societies and to close down segregating institutional care facilities in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities • May 2018: European Commission has proposed the EU Budget 2021-27 • June 2018: European Commission proposes regulation of the Funds – generally positive with specific mentions of DI • 2018-2020: Negotiation on the future EU Budget • COFACE is co-leading the Task Force on Funding Post-2020 in the European Expert Group on the Transition from Institutional to Community- based Care

Some of the claims of the EEG for the next EU Multi- Annual Financial Framework #EUBudget • Further increase of the 25% of ESF+ allocated to social inclusion • Ensure that the positive incentive and negative obligation for investing in deinstitutionalization reforms are mentioned in both the proposed ESF+ and ERDF regulations • Maintain the proposed enabling condition 4.3 mentioning the shift from institutional to community based care • Strengthen the Partnership Principle and the European Code of Conduct on Partnership • More information available at: https://deinstitutionalisation.com/

EU Disability Strategy • Disability Strategy 2010-2020 : Accessibility, Participation, Equality, Employment, Education and training, Social protection, Health, External Action • Challenges: not linked to CRPD Articles, no indicators/benchmarks • 2017: Mid-term evaluation report published • European Commission assessment how to proceed Post-2020 with the Disability Strategy, commitment to implement the CRPD Committee’s Recommendations • There will be a public consultation on the future Disability Strategy

European Pillar of Social Rights (ECEC, inclusive education, disability, long-term care, childcare etc.) • Social policy framework for the EU: 20 principles to function as a compass for EU policy-making • November 2017: Proclamation of the Pillar • Concrete proposals so far: Work-Life Balance Package (legislative and non- legislative elements), Directive Transparent and predictable working conditions, EU Labour Authority • May 2018: European Commission adopted a proposal for a Council Recommendation on high quality early childhood education and care systems – strong on inclusive ECEC systems • Funding of the Pillar? – prerequisite for successful implementation • Future packages? E.g. on Childcare, Long-term care etc.

Coffee break

Upscaling the Study on Family Carers and Planning a COFACE Advocacy Strategy 1. Background to the stocktaking study on the challenges and needs of family carers 2. Study questions and data collection 3. Findings of the study 4. Main problems faced by family carers 5. Recommendations to policy makers

1. Background for the Stocktaking Study • Current social and demographical changes • European Commission’s Work -Life Balance package proposal • Lack of comprehensive data on the needs and challenges of family carers • Concerning trends and challenges reported from COFACE members • COFACE’s work in the European Expert Group on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care (EEG)

European Reconciliation Package (R-S-T) • Resources • Services • Time arrangements