EU pushes for European card to make travel easier for people with disabilities 

11-09-23

The European Commission is pushing ahead with a legislative proposal to facilitate the right to free movement for people with disabilities. One of the star measures is the creation of a European disability card to guarantee their rights when travelling within the EU.

The card is expected to give them preferential treatment in public and private services, transport, cultural events, museums, sports centres, amusement parks and so on.

"The rights of people with disabilities should not stop at national borders. We want people with disabilities to travel more easily and we want some of the obstacles to disappear thanks to the European Disability Card and the improved European Parking Card," stressed Vera Jourova, European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality.

This could be an incentive to activate an important latent tourist market. According to the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), the potential market for accessible tourism is estimated at 58.11 million European travellers. These figures include people with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant women, families with young children and people with chronic illnesses or other temporary disorders.

What are these cards?

The card will serve as a proof of disability status across all EU countries.

It will grant cardholders equal access to special conditions and preferential treatments anywhere in the EU.

The special conditions apply when using public transport, attending cultural events and visiting museums, leisure and sports centres, amusement parks, and more.

They can take the form of, among others:

• free entry

•  reduced tariffs

• priority access

• personal assistance

• mobility aids

The European card will complement national disability cards, which will continue to be awarded by national authorities, based on their own criteria.

European parking card for persons with disabilities 

The improved version of this card will guarantee use of parking spaces and facilities reserved for persons with disabilities in all EU countries.

It will replace national parking cards.

When will the cards be available?

On 6 September 2023, the Commission made a proposal to create these 2 cards.

This will now be negotiated by the EU Council and the European Parliament, and a legal act will be passed, requiring EU governments to implement the cards for their nationals within 2,5 years.

What is in the proposal?

The proposal sets the rules for both cards, concerning:

• the physical format

• the process for agreeing on the digital format

• the conditions, rules, and procedures for issuing or withdrawing cards

• accompanying information to be provided on the special conditions and preferential treatments

All of the above must be accessible for persons with disabilities.

Background

This initiative is built on the experience of the ongoing EU disability card pilot project in 8 EU countries and based on Council Recommendation 98/376.

A public consultation on the European disability card initiative was held in February-May 2023.

The proposal for the 2 cards delivers on a commitment made by the Commission in the EU’s Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030.