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A new European Commission Synthesis Reportshows that while legislative progress has been made, practical implementation in everyday life remains the biggest challenge. Independent living, employment and accessibility are the critical areas for the next five years.

The European Commission recently published the summary report of the extended consultation to strengthen the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030. This process, which ran from mid-2025 to early 2026, gathered input from citizens, Member States and representative organisations (NGOs) to adjust the actions of the European Union by the end of the decade. The results show a clear pattern: citizens recognise progress in terms of standards and laws (such as the European Accessibility Act), but feel that these have not translated into structural changes in their lives.

In fact, 52% of respondents negatively assess developments in their own countries over the past five years. According to the contributions collected, the top priorities for future EU action are:

1. Independent Living and Deinstitutionalization: Ensure that European funding supports only community-based services and not segregation models.

2. Quality Employment: Tackling the remaining employment gap, with a focus on the transition from education to the labour market and the provision of reasonable accommodation.

3. Universal Accessibility: Go beyond physical barriers, covering transport, digital services and affordable housing.

One of the highlights of the report, coming directly from the Youth Dialogue, is the vision of political participation as a key prerequisiteThat's where the changes happen. However, serious barriers persist, such as lack of accessibility in electoral processes, manifest in complex formats and challenges to legal capacity. Around 12% of respondents consider that political participation has not improved or even worsened in the last five years.

The motto "Nothing about us, without us" remains the basis of the whole strategy. The report concludes that there is no need for a new policy framework, but rather a more rigorous and monitorable implementation of the current one, with clear targets and direct participation of persons with disabilities in decision-making.

The Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, I.P. will continue to closely monitor these guidelines to ensure that Portugal actively contributes to a fully inclusive Europe.

Consult the report HERE.