Between 23rd-26th May 2019, citizens in all EU member states will vote in the 2019 European Election, for the candidate they want to represent them in in the European Parliament.
These elections will identify the 705 Members of European Parliament (MEPs) who will work alongside the European Commission and the Council of the European Union over the next 4 years, to shape the future of Europe until 2024.
On this page EASPD has brought together key information on the 2019 European Elections for disability support service providers to help them, and their users, stay informed.
The Right to Vote: EASPD Summary Report
The UN CRPD states that each adult citizen has the right to vote on an equal basis with others. Despite the enshrinement of the right to vote for persons with persons in the CRPD many EU have Member States retained legislation that allows for the right to vote of persons with intellectual or psycho-social disabilities to be restricted if the person concerned has been deprived of his or her legal capacity.
EASPD’s latest report, ‘The Right to vote’ provides an overview of the right to vote for people with disabilities across Europe.
The report provides a comparative summary of five recently published reports in the topic of voting and details the recommendation these reports provide, to support persons with disabilities to enjoy their right to vote:
- The right to political participation for persons with Disabilities: Human Rights Indicators. (2014); A report by the European Fundamental Rights Agency.
- Real rights of persons with disabilities to vote in European Parliament elections A report by the European Economic and Social Committee (2019)
- Elections for everyone, Experiences of people with disabilities at the 8 June 2017 UK Parliamentary general election. (2017); by the Electoral Commission of the United Kingdom.
- Persons with Disabilities and Ensuring their right to Participate in Political and Public Life. (2017); by OSCE office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
- The political participation of disabled people in Europe: rights, accessibility, and representation. (2016); by University of Leeds.
Alongside this summary the report presents a number of models of promising practices from across EU Member States which have promote the rights of persons with disabilities to vote.
Your vote matters!
By voting in the upcoming European elections you help to decide on the future of Europe in the years to come. Find out how your vote can have an impact on the Europe that you live in by clicking here.
Overview of European Parliament Parties
The political parties present in the European Parliament are comprised of national Member State parties and individuals from across the EU. Although national parties are the ones who contest in the European Elections, they are usually associated with a European political party, and after the elections they would join a political group in the European Parliament with like-minded parties from their political family.
In the run-up to the 2019 elections EASPD has provided an overview of the biggest European Political Parties, their chosen Spitzenkandidat (or lead candidate, who will be awarded the Commission presidency if their party wins the most seats in Parliament) and the points of their manifesto which support the provision of high-quality services and the right of persons with disabilities. Find out more by clicking on each of the party ‘fact-sheet’ below.