It is also relevant to recognize the effect of the increasing interaction between the EU equality and other human rights frameworks, and the human rights frameworks of the United Nations.
The United Nations’ latest international convention to be agreed was the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). This provides disabled persons with comprehensive protection of a wide range of human rights in the fields of civil, political and socio-economic rights. These include rights relating to non-discrimination, freedom from torture or inhumane and degrading treatment, freedom from violence and exploitation, respect privacy, respect for the home and family, education, health, and an adequate standard of living.
The CRPD entered into force on 3 May 2008 and the EU ratified the Convention on 23 December 2010. This is the first time the EU has ratified an international human rights convention (as described above the EU also plans to ratify the ECHR). It means that all the EU institutions and Member States must consider and comply with the Convention in developing and implementing EU law and policies. This will have a significant impact on the interpretation and application of the EU Framework Directive relating to disabled persons as well as other relevant EU legislation and policies affecting disabled persons. For further discussion of the effect of the CRPD see module 6.
You may access previous seminar papers on this subject matter here.