election-watch.eu

Brussels, 16 May 2022: Election-Watch.EU (wahlbeobachtung.org), together with the civil society organisation European Disability Forum (EDF) conducted a comparative study about persons with disabilities’ suffrage and accessibility rights in European elections. During an online event on 16 May the main results of this study were presented to more than 200 registered participants.  The President of the European Parliament, the Rapporteur on electoral reforms of the European Parliament, as well as representatives of EDF, Election-Watch.EU, and other civil society organisations and academics addressed the political rights of persons with disabilities. The insightful study especially highlights good practices and recent achievements, as well as short comings pointing to where further reforms at EU and EU Member State level are still needed ahead of the 2024 European Parliament elections. 

The full report can be accessed through this LINK. An easy-to-read versions can be accessed through this LINK.

Election-Watch.EU would especially like to thank all the associated experts who contributed to this comparative study and report at EU Member State level:

The event was live streamed on Facebook and will be made available shortly on the EDF Youtube Channel.

Agenda Study Launch on 16 May 2022

Moderation by Catherine Naughton, EDF Director

• 14:00 – Housekeeping
• 14:05 – Welcome remarks by Pat Clarke, EDF Vice President
• 14:10 – Welcome remarks by Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
• 14:15 – The EU elections and the right to vote and stand for election of persons with disabilities, Armin Rabitsch, Elections-Watch.EU
• 14:30 – Equal access to EU elections. secrecy of the vote, and free choice of assistance, Alejandro Moledo, EDF Head of Policy
• 14:45 – Q&A
• 15:00 – Break
• 15:10 – Irena Moozova, Director for Equality and Union citizenship in the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (DG JUST) and chair of the European Cooperation Network on Elections
• 15:20 – Panel discussion. Cases bringing change
  • Dovile Juodkaite, LNF, Lithuania
  • Cyril Desjeux, Scientific Director Handéo, France
  • Thorkild Olesen, DPOD, Denmark
  • Jurij Toplak, professor at Alma Mater Europaea and visiting professor at the Fordham Law School in New York, Slovenia
  • Rui Coimbras, Cerebral Palsy – European Communities Association (CP-ECA)
• 15:55 – MEP Domènec Ruiz Devesa
• 16:00 – End of the event

accessibility of elections, accessibility rights, comparative study, EU comparative study, persons with disabilities, pwd, suffrage rights