Demands of the European Network on Independent Living to the budget expenditure tracking and performance framework

Until the end of 2027 the national governments and the European Parliament will decide on the 7 year EU-Budget which might have a budget of EUR 1,98 billion at its disposal. The outcome of this process will determine how nearly €2 billion are invested — and whether this money supports segregation or Independent Living.

ENIL’s objectives:

1. Cut finding to institutions

2. Increase funding to personal assistance

ENIL regularly monitors the fundamental rights compliance of the EU-Budget. In the last two funding periods the European Union spent at least EUR 105,54 Million on the construction or renovation of 23 institutions.

However, EU funds can also make Independent Living a reality when invested correctly. Until 2028 Portugal will be receiving EUR 36 million from the European Social Fund Plus to provide personal assistance to disabled people.

For the next EU Budget, we demand making the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) and the European Commission Guidance to Member States on Independent Living a legal and policy priority.

Implementing these documents means to cut funding to institutions and increase funding to community based services, most importantly personal assistance.

Improving the expenditure tracking and performance

As part of the legislative package for the next EU-Budget, the European Commission is proposing a Budget Expenditure Tracking and Performance Framework. The objective is simple: Establish indicators to regular monitor the budgetary performance in key areas.

The European Commission is proposing to monitor spending on:

Climate and biodiversity
The ‘do no harm principle’ to environmental objectives
Social policies with a focus on employment
Gender equality

Demand of the European Network on Independent Living:

Track the budgetary allocations and performance in the area of disability equality!

ENIL welcomes the proposal to track the budgetary performance on the mentioned policy areas. It is not acceptable that disability equality has not been included!

The EU Treaties establish the fight against discrimination as a guiding principle.

The European Union is part of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). The UN CRPD is part of the EU legal order. The EU Institutions and all its member states are obliged to implement the Convention and follow its rules.

In 2025, the European Commission adopted the “Guidance on independent living and inclusion in the community of persons with disabilities in the context of EU funding”.

The equal treatment of disabled people is a core objective of EU policy making.

In its Concluding Observations to the periodic report on the European Union, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, urged to stop spending on institutions and to improve the monitoring of EU funding going into disability services.

At the moment there is no regular data collection on:

The amount of EU funds going into institutions
The amount of EU funds going into personal assistance
The number of disabled people confined to institutions
The number of personal assistance beneficiaries

It is thus clear that the proposed Budgetary Tracking and Performance Framework needs to be amended. We need indicators on disability equality!

We are urging the European Commission, National Governments and the European Parliament to amend the regulation and introduce disability equality indicators.

To this end, we are proposing detailed amendments.

The amendments to the Budgetary Tracking and Performance Framework are available as a word file here and as a pdf here.

About the European Network on Independent Living

The European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) is a disabled-led, cross-disability network of disabled people and their representative organisations. ENIL promotes the right to independent living, as set out in Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), its General Comments and the Guidelines on deinstitutionalisation, including in emergencies. ENIL’s work is guided by the CRPD and the Independent Living principles, enshrined in the Independent Living Pillars. ENIL is active at the European level, and internationally, through cooperation with Centres for Independent Living from around the globe. ENIL’s actions and activities are based on the social and the human rights models of disability, and on the principles of inclusive equality, self-determination, solidarity and intersectionality.

ENIL has participatory status with the Council of Europe (i.e. is a member of the Conference of INGOs) and consultative status with ECOSOC.

Contact us

European Network on Independent Living (ENIL)

6thFloor – Mundo J

Rue de l’Industrie 10

1000 Brussels

Belgium

E-mail: secretariat@enil.eu

Website: www.enil.eu

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.