A new mandate, a new year and new challenges offer new opportunities – or set-backs. After encountering several hurdles in the formation of her new cabinet, the von der Leyen II Commission (VDL II) commenced its mandate on 1 December 2024. Six weeks into the 2024-2029 legislative term, the second mandate of Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission President seems a good moment to reflect on her bid for that second term, the new configuration of her cabinet, and its implications regarding disability rights.
Under the banner of ' Europe's Choice ', von der Leyen presented her vision amazon database for the next five years for the EU, highlighting the multifaceted challenges and uncertain future that Europe faces. Compared to her previous political guidelines, ' A Union that strives for more ', seemingly informed by a push for greater integration and stronger commitment to the EU founding values, including developing a ' Union of Equality ', the current political guidelines seem to respond more to external challenges than to the progressive protection and consolidation of fundamental rights and equality in the EU.
This blog post first discusses the impact of the 'Union of Equality' under the von der Leyen I Commission (VDL I – 2019-2024) from a disability rights perspective. Based on this analysis, it moves on to sketch how disability rights might feature under VDL II considering the re-allocation of portfolios and the double mandate of the Commissioner for Equality; Preparedness and Crisis Management . In doing so, it points to the potential risks involved for the advancement of equality as a founding value of the EU, and disability rights in particular.
The vision for a 'Union of Equality' that characterized VDL I manifested most clearly in the establishment of a Commissioner for Equality in 2019. It signified a decisive move to act upon the ambitions of equality and non-discrimination as enshrined in the EU Treaties. Supported by a newly created Taskforce on Equality that worked across all Directorates-General (DGs), the Commissioner for Equality was assigned portfolios that encompassed 'leading the fight against discrimination', the development of new non-discrimination legislation as well as the explicit portfolio of implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which forms 'an integral part' of EU Law ( Joined Cases C-335/11 and C-337/11 HK Danmark , para 30). It further included the development of five strategies to protect the rights of marginalized groups – including the currentStrategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 (Strategy 2021-2030).