Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1421642
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 OCTOBER 2021 OPINION I believe that the European Commission should strengthen the role of the Child Guarantee in ensuring inclusion of children with disabilities and the ability to provide high-quality inclusive education for all learners Alex Agius Saliba is a Labour MEP (S&D) Alex Agius Saliba I can think of no better way of putting it, than as a case where- by the Electoral Commission somehow sees its own role as a 'defender of the political sta- tus quo'; and that, on this ba- sis alone, it feels almost duty- bound to make the emergence of new parties as difficult as it possibly can… But in the case of ABBA, in particular… it may have taken that 'self-appointed mission' a couple of paces too far. Leaving aside the small mat- ter that – if successful – this bid to prevent a political par- ty from contesting an election would almost certainly have been ruled 'unlawful' and 'un- democratic' (not to mention a human rights violation) by any court in the Democratic Uni- verse… … but it would also have disen- franchised a minority – no mat- ter how small; and not matter how far-removed from my own worldview, or opinions – who clearly no longer identify with either of the two mainstream parties (if, at least, only on mat- ters concerning religion). And what is that, if not an- other way to 'coerce' people, into either voting for a party that they don't actually identify with… or else, not voting at all? And in any case: since when is it part of the Electoral Com- mission's mandate, to set limits on the electoral options avail- able to voters in this country? (And even then, limits which go well beyond what is already established at law: i.e., against parties which 'promote hatred or violence'?) Above all, however, it just adds yet another reason – on top of all the others I listed above – why electoral reform has be- come so urgent in this country. Oh, wait, that reminds me… … what ever happened to that Parliamentary debate we were supposed to be having on that very subject: you know, the one that came to a stalemate recently, because the two par- ties proposed a system which would have made it easier for small parties to get elected, yes… but then, impossible to ever form part of a governing coalition? Kind of defeats the whole pur- pose of multi-party representa- tion, doesn't it? (Leaving aside that the shortfall in votes would have to be compensated by yet another 'Constitutional top-up mechanism'… so that our al- ready unwieldly 69-seat Parlia- ment would just keep growing and growing: to 73, 87, 113, and beyond…) But in any case: I suppose there is one reason we should actually be grateful to the Elec- toral Commission, for its latest attempt to stifle true demo- cratic representation in this country. It has once again re- minded us all of precisely how unfair, and undemocratic, our electoral system really is… … and with another election now only a matter of weeks away: maybe we did need re- minding, after all. So all together now, folks: "Thank you for the music! The songs you're singing…" It is time to turn declarations on disability rights into concrete action IN my work as an MEP on the Committee on Petitions in the European Parliament, I come face to face with many realities that European citizens must experience every day. Sending a petition to the European Parliament is a right that allows citizens to voice their concerns in the hope that we, the MEPs can help them enact a change for the better. The Committee on Peti- tions plays a crucial role as a bridge be- tween citizens, Parliament, and other EU Institutions. Over the years, the Petitions commit- tee has received many important pe- titions on protection of persons with disabilities in the EU. The petitioners raised obstacles that persons with disa- bilities face in various fields, such as access to public transport, built environment, use of sign languages, financing or access to education and voca- tional training. There are approx- imately 87 million persons with disa- bilities in the EU. Their situation may vary from one Mem- ber State to another, but they are general- ly more likely to be exposed to social ex- clusion, poverty, and unemployment. De- spite of all our com- mon agreed values, people with disabili- ties continue to face multiple obstacles and discrimination in everyday life, which prevent them from enjoying fundamental freedoms and rights. This past Wednesday, MEPs voted convincingly on my repot entitled "The protection of persons with disabilities through petitions: lessons learnt" with 84.7% of all MEPs, meaning 579 MEPs voting in favour of the report. It high- lights the petitions that we have re- ceived and the actions we must now take to tackle these issues. This report is very timely, considering the recent launch of the new disability strategy 2021 - 2030 by the European Commission which aims to improve the lives of persons with disabilities in a barrier-free Europe and promote inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities in society. One of the main issues is the mutual recognition of disability status between EU Member States, the lack of which hinders freedom of movement with- in the EU for persons with disabilities. The Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 proposes an EU-wide Disability Card by end of 2023. This card will be a very important instrument to help persons with disabil- ities to exercise their right to free move- ment therefore it should be mandatory in all Member States. It is very important that the Europe- an Parliament leads by example, and we must finally complete the work on a petition which allows the tabling of pe- titions in all international and national sign languages used in the EU and thus make the fundamen- tal right to petition more accessible for sign language users. My report also fo- cuses on barriers that children with disabil- ities encounter when it comes to inclusive education. I believe that the European Commission should strengthen the role of the Child Guarantee in ensuring inclusion of children with disa- bilities and the ability to provide high-qual- ity inclusive educa- tion for all learners. The creation of an EU Agency on ac- cessibility will give EU institutions and Member States specialist information on accessibility, including policy recom- mendations based on scientific evidence and on input from the most vulnerable groups. The report also highlights the importance of prioritising the appoint- ment of persons with disabilities to the role of disability coordinators. It is our duty to keep in mind that per- sons with disability have the same rights as persons without disability and we must respond to our citizens' concerns and to improve the lives of persons with disabilities in a barrier-free Europe. We must promote social and economic in- clusion and participation of persons with disabilities in society, free from dis- crimination and in full respect of their rights on an equal basis with others. We must act now!