The European Disability Card
The law for the European Disability Card and European Parking Card is currently being finalised. The Card will provide an easy way to give proof of your disability status when visiting another EU country– and receive associated special conditions or preferential treatment in a wide range of existing services, including culture, leisure, sport, transport or commercial discounts.
The final text of the legislation was provisionally agreed early 2024. We estimate the Card will be fully functional by 2028.
What are the next steps?
The EU Institutions approved the political content of the text. 2 phases are missing:
Final approval
- Translation of the law into the official languages.
- Formal approval of the translations by EU Institutions.
- Publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
Transposition and Implementation
- Transposition: EU countries need to adapt the new law to their national laws. They have a maximum of 30 months to do this.
- Implementation: EU countries have to apply the law and start issuing the Card. They have a maximum of 42 months from the publication in the official EU journal to do this.
It is important to note that EU countries can implement the laws in a shorter amount of time, the indicated durations are maximum amounts. We expected the final deadline for implementation to be in 2028.
What will the European Disability Card be like?
The agreed-upon text focuses on ensuring that non-nationals with disabilities who are EU citizens as well as Third Country Nationals who have permanent residence have access to the same special conditions and “preferential treatments” as nationals when temporarily visiting other EU countries. Read the provisionally agreed text (PDF – not final text). The law will not create any new advantages or benefits.
Temporary travel
The Card facilitates benefits and support mainly for persons who are temporarily staying abroad (usually for a duration of less than 3 months), such as tourists, and people on short stays (for work or helping friends or family, for example). If you move abroad permanently, the rules of the new country of residence apply. However, Member States can decide to accept the Card for longer stays as well.
Same special conditions and “preferential treatments”
The Card will allow persons with disabilities to access the same discounts, preferential access and other support as nationals with disabilities. The Member States are not obliged to create any new advantages.
Support when participating in EU Mobility programmes
The Card will allow persons with disabilities to access support when taking part in EU Mobility Programmes, such as ERASMUS+ or the European Solidarity Corps, even if they stay abroad for more than 3 months.
Physical and digital
The Card will be available in both physical and a digital versions. How exactly the digital version will look like is still to be decided.
Free of charge
The Card will be issued and renewed free of charge.
Distinct Cards
The EU Parking Card and the European Disability Card will remain two separate Cards.
EU Parking Card
The proposal also reinforces the existing EU Parking Card. For example, it now stipulates a maximum amount of time in which your local authority has to process your application for the Card. Who is eligible for a Parking Card and how it is issued still depends on your local authority.
EU-level website and national websites
There will be official websites that will provide information about the European Disability Card.
Pilot project
Note that 8 EU countries (Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Malta, Romania, and Slovenia) participated in an EU pilot project and therefore already have a Card.
The Pilot Projects
A pilot version of the Card currently exists in 8 EU Countries – only people residing in these countries can get them, and they are only valid in the 8 countries. These Cards are still valid but operate under different conditions than the future Crads.
The countries are:
The Card is voluntary and meant to ensure equal access for persons with disabilities in the areas of culture, leisure, sport and transport. It is likely that the Card schemes in the pilot countries will also be adapted to the new law.
History of the Card
- 2011: We started campaigning for the introduction of a European Disability Card (then known as “European Mobility Card”). The core demand of our campaign was to establish a Card recognized throughout the EU that gives its holders the same disability-related rights and discounts as a national of the Member States that the person is visiting.
- 2015: we came closer to putting the idea of a European Disability Card into practice when the European Commission published a call for proposals for a pilot project.
- 2016 to 2019: 8 EU Member States implemented the pilot project – Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Malta, Romania, and Slovenia. The European Commission indicated that the following areas can be included: Culture, Leisure, Sport, and Transport (as previously agreed by the preparatory Project Working Group, where interested Member States representatives together with the European Commission and EDF were discussing the pilot project).
- 2021: The European Commission published a positive evaluation of the pilot projects.
- 2021: the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-30 was published. It mentioned that a legislative proposal for a European Disability Card will be adopted by 2023.
- 2022: The programme of the State of the European Union established the Card as a flagship initiative for 2024.
- 6 September 2023: The European Commission presented a legislative proposal for the European Disability Card and European Parking Card.
- October 2023: The European Commission presented a complementary proposal to extend the Cards to third-country nationals residing in EU Member States
- December 2023: The Council of the EU agrees on their negotiating position (General Approach), an unusually fast agreement.
- January 2024: The European Parliament agrees on their negotiating position (Report), also an unusually fast agreement.
- 8 February 2024: A provisional agreement is reached for the Directive on the European Disability Card and European Parking Card
- 16 February: The Council of the EU formally approves the provisional agreement
- 4 March 2024: An agreement to extend the Cards to third-country nationals is reached.
- 24 April 2024: European Parliament approves the political text of the Directive – final approvals pending the translation of the text.
Our efforts in the news
- Euronews: Will the new EU disability card guarantee freedom of movement for everyone?
- Euronews: How do the EU’s new disability cards facilitate cross-border travel?
- Euronews : EU Policy. First European disability card coming, slowly
- Euronews: European Commission unveils plans for EU-wide disability card
- Politico Europe: EU’s disability card needs to go beyond good intentions, say activists
- Politico Europe Living Cities: Disability Card Update
- Euractiv: EU Disability Card goes some way to improving accessibility across the bloc
- Euractiv: EU disability card proposal welcomed but disability organisations want more
- Euractiv : EU Parliament endorses new bloc-wide Disability Card
- DeutscheWelle: Unijna karta osoby z niepełnosprawnością ułatwi podróżen
- Euroefe: Bruselas propone una tarjeta europea para personas con discapacidad
- AgencEurope (paywall): European Commission proposes to create a European Disability Card
- EUObserver: MEPs demand fewer barriers for disabled people moving in the EU
- EUObserver (paywall): EU’s new disability card — a hit for trips, ‘insufficient’ for moving
- EUObserver (paywall): Burdens hindering 87m disabled citizens moving within EU
- Politico Europe Morning Mobility (paywall): commission pitches ‘disability card’ to ease travel
- The Europeans (Podcast) : Greece’s elections, whales, and disability rights
- STA (Slovenia): Začenja se generalna skupščina Evropskega invalidskega foruma
- Handicap.fr: Carte européenne du handicap : c’est décidé, pas avant 2028!
- Handicap.fr: “Carte européenne du handicap : nouvelle étape “cruciale” »
- Handicap.fr: Carte européenne du handicap : nouvelle étape “cruciale”
- Superando.it : Approvata la Carta Europea della Disabilità: ora diventi rapidamente realtà
Our member' reactions
- Belgian Disability Forum: La proposition de directive EDC est connue
- European Blind Union: Free movement for disabled citizens: the European Commission puts its cards on the table
- EURORDIS: Commission’s Disability Card plans are promising, but implementation will be key
- Österreichischer Behindertenrat: Richtlinienvorschlag für europaweiten Behindertenausweis veröffentlicht
- ENIL: Statement of the European Network on Independent Living on the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities
Documents and information
Related documents
- EDF’s response to the call for Feedback on the adoption of the European Disability Card Directive (external)
- EDF analysis of the Commission proposal for a European Disability Card
- EDF’s proposed amendments on the proposal for a European Disability Card and a European Parking Card
- EU Disability Card – EDF Response’s to European Commission’s Call for Evidence
- EDF Position on the EU Disability Card (2022)
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Read moreSome experiences
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“The application for the European Disability Card was very easy. I just had to send an email to the disability service with my name and national registry number and the card was sent to my home address.
Shortly after receiving my EDC, I got a message from my home region that I had to renew my regional pass for reductions to cultural activities. So, I called the regional service to ask if I could use the EDC from now on, instead of the regional pass, as this would simplify things for me and reduce the number of cards I have to keep in my wallet.
Unfortunately, they recommended to keep both cards, as the regional pass grants free entrance for a PA, but does not give any reductions for me personally, while the EDC could potentially provide other reductions for me, but will not apply to my PA.
After this first set back, I decided to try it the other way around. I looked through the list of partners on the Belgian EDC website and saw that a theatre where I sometimes go to watch plays was listed as a partner. I called the theatre and asked if I could get the same reduction I usually get for me and my PA with the European Disability Card. The person on the phone was not aware of the EDC and the colleague who usually dealt with questions in the area recently retired. So, once again, the advice was to keep my regional disability pass.
After establishing that the EDC wouldn’t be of great use to me yet in Belgium, I thought let’s try to use it for travel. I went to the Estonian EDC website and browsed through the different possible reductions for hotels. I noticed to my surprise that I could indicate if I was looking for EDC benefits for Estonians or foreigners. In the end, I randomly called one of the listed hotels and I was not really surprised to find out that, while their hotel was accessible to wheelchairs, they had never heard of a European Disability Card.”
Frank, a Card holder from Belgium -
“I live in Slovenia and I was very happy to get the EU Disability Card. On the Slovenian web and facebook page, I found many addresses where people with disabilities are offered benefits and discounts in Slovenia. That’s a very big advantage for us persons with disabilities.
Several other EU members joined this project too. There are no contacts, even not at our Ministry of Labour, […], where we could get the addresses of the providers of benefits for the disabled, who are associated in the EU Disability Card.
I think that the Card would have a real meaning if we all have the information who are the suppliers in other Member States, as the purpose of the Card is to use these services in all member states.”
Marko, a Card holder from Slovenia -
A family with two children from Ireland was planning on travelling to Finland. Both children have hidden disabilities, autism and dyspraxia, which can make travelling more difficult. Every time they travel, they have to get a note from their doctor because the note cannot be older than 3 months. On top of that, the doctor’s note has to be translated into the language of the country where they are travelling which is also at personal cost of the family. If they travel without the note, they are always uncertain if they will receive the reasonable accommodation they require, or they have to make lengthy explanations which can be tiring. A common European Disability Card would make travelling much easier for them.
Children with invisible disabilities -
I am not going to say that with the European Disability Card is all much easier for us, but it really helps. In Belgium, my beloved country of residence, I successfully used it in cinemas, concerts, and museums – at the end of the day, this was an idea from the Belgian disability movement, and is the only disability card in Belgium. Still, much more places in Belgium should recognise it.
And in Italy (my last trip before the pandemic), I used it even in places in which they did not know about its existence! With a big exemption though: transport services. Even if the railway company had discounts for Italians and Swiss with disabilities, they could not recognised I had a disability – I even tried with the Spanish one too, just in case!
Alejandro Moledo, Spanish card-holder living in Belgium
Contact
Marie Denninghaus – Senior Policy Coordinator: marie.denninghaus@edf-feph.org