81 ayuntamientos respondieron al requerimiento del Diputado del Común sobre la aplicación de Planes de Accesibilidad Universal en los municipios del Archipiélago   

El Diputado del Común, Rafael Yanes, abrió una investigación de oficio sobre el cumplimiento por parte de los ayuntamientos canarios de la Ley 8/1995 de Accesibilidad y Supresión de Barreras Físicas y de la Comunicación, así como del Real Decreto 1/2013 por el que se aprueba el Texto Refundido de la Ley General de derechos de las personas con discapacidad y de su inclusión social. Una legislación que es de obligada aplicación en todo el territorio nacional y que garantiza las medidas necesarias para hacer efectivo el derecho a la igualdad de oportunidades de esta parte de la población.

Ante las constantes reivindicaciones del colectivo contra las violaciones de sus derechos por la falta de condiciones de accesibilidad universal previstas en la Ley, el Diputado del Común solicitó informe a los 88 municipios de Canarias. A través de estos se pidió a los ayuntamientos comunicar la existencia o no de diagnósticos específicos de accesibilidad física y cognitiva en los espacios públicos del municipio y, en caso de disponer de estos documentos, facilitar la programación de ejecución de los mismos.

Toda obra nueva debe ser necesariamente accesible y cumplir con las condiciones básicas de accesibilidad y no discriminación. Con respecto a los bienes y servicios de titularidad pública es obligatorio que se den las condiciones adecuadas para que en el plazo de cinco a siete años desde la entrada en vigor de la Ley se adecue el medio para garantizar esa accesibilidad, y de diez a doce años para lo preexistente que no reuniera los parámetros requeridos.

Tras recibir este requerimiento por parte de la Diputación del Común, 81 ayuntamientos han dado respuesta, entre los que 21 han asegurado disponer de un Plan Pormenorizado de Accesibilidad Física en los espacios públicos del municipio, reduciéndose a dos los Planes que también contemplan medidas encaminadas a la accesibilidad cognitiva.

Los datos aportados muestran un escaso cumplimiento de la Ley de Accesibilidad en Canarias, que ponen de manifiesto que tan solo el 24% de los municipios cuenta con un Diagnóstico Pormenorizado de Accesibilidad.

El Diputado del Común insta a los ayuntamientos canarios que carecen de estos Planes al cumplimiento de la legislación y de la accesibilidad universal obligatoria, así como de las condiciones básicas que prevengan o supriman la discriminación de las personas con discapacidad. Asimismo, pide a los municipios que ya cuentan con un Plan seguir trabajando por su efectiva y correcta ejecución.

East Lindsey District Council has been asked to review its housing allocations policy to ensure it meets its equality duties, following an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman looked at the council’s policy after a couple complained they had been barred from joining the housing register because they did not have a connection to the area. This was despite wanting to provide care to an elderly relative who lived there.

The Ombudsman’s investigation found the council’s policy did not meet the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty. This is because the policy does not consider the needs of people with disabilities when excluding caregivers from qualifying for a local connection.

Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

“While councils have some freedom to decide the criteria on who qualifies for their housing register, they must also act in line with legal requirements in the Housing Act 1996, and cannot disqualify whole groups of people who would otherwise have priority.

“In this case the problems I have found meant the couple missed the opportunity to have their application considered properly. And because there is a high number of older people living in the district, this may have also unfairly affected other people too.

“I am pleased the council has agreed to examine its policy in light of my findings and reconsider the couple’s application.”

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s role is to remedy injustice and share learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services. In this case the council should apologise to the couple and reconsider their application.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council should review its allocations scheme. Once it has completed its review it should identify and review those cases since October 2019 where it has refused applications on similar grounds.

Article date: 19 November 2020

“The Hungarian Government bills submitted to Parliament last week comprising proposals to amend the Constitution and other legislative instruments may have serious adverse effects on human rights in the country”, said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović today. “I fear that several proposals contained in the complex legislative package, submitted without prior consultation and relating to matters including the functioning of the judiciary, election law, national human rights structures, scrutiny over public funds, and the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people, could serve to undermine democracy, the rule of law and human rights in Hungary.”

A major reform of the national human rights infrastructure is being examined in Parliament, consisting of a proposal to merge the Equal Treatment Authority with the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman institution). While member states have some discretion to organise their national human rights structures as they see fit, it is crucial that in doing so they respect fundamental principles agreed on at international level, especially the need to guarantee and respect the independence and effectiveness of such bodies. I note that the Equal Treatment Authority is a well-functioning institution, which has rendered important decisions for the fight against discrimination over recent years, whereas the Ombudsman institution’s re-accreditation as a Status A Institution by the UN Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions was deferred in October 2019. Doubts remained about the appointment process of the incumbent and the adequacy of the Institution’s efforts to address all human rights issues and speak out in a manner that promotes and protects all human rights.

Some of the proposed amendments may also further undermine the independence of the judiciary, which has already been eroded over the last decade. The proposal to further enhance the powers of the President of the Kúria, Hungary’s Supreme Court, raises particular concerns, especially in view of recent changes to the appointment procedure. I refer in this context to my earlier recommendation on the need to strengthen collective judicial self-governance in Hungary, including the position and functions of the National Judicial Council.

Lastly, I am alarmed by the apparent escalation of the stigmatisation of LGBTI people and the manipulation of their dignity and rights for political gain. This includes proposals to impose further limitations on the possibility for all single adults or those in registered partnerships to adopt children by making such requests subject to the exceptional authorisation of the Minister for Family Affairs.

Such far-reaching legislative proposals, particularly constitutional amendments, should not be introduced during states of emergency, as was also pointed out by the Venice Commission, because opportunities for meaningful democratic discussion and public scrutiny are restricted during such periods. I therefore call on the Hungarian Parliament to postpone the vote until after the state of emergency is lifted and to engage in broad consultations with the Hungarian public, who will be the first to feel the impact of these changes. I also call for consultation with the Venice Commission prior to a careful reconsideration of the bills to ensure their human rights compliance.

When:18 November 2020

European Council

Website:Online conference "Antisemitism online –The role of prevention and education in tackling anti-Semitic hate speech"

External event

FRA will take part in a session on developing tailored anitsemitism prevention strategies and education offerings for the youth. It is part of a German Presidency of the EU event on the role of prevention and education in anti-Semitic hate speech.

The panel will discuss the importance of educating people and generating awareness around antisemitism. It will also discuss educating about the Jewish contribution to Europe's social fabric. Other panelists include: Marina Chernivsky, Head of the Competence Centre of the Central Welfare Office for Jews in Germany; Paul Nemitz, Principal Advisor in the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, European Commission; and, Daniel Schwammenthal, Director of the AJC Transatlantic Institute. The aims to take stock of the actions of Member States and providers to guarantee a culture of free and open online and offline debate and to protect (Jewish) citizens affected by criminal hate speech. 

Available languages: es de et en fr it lv lt pl

Link: https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2020-11/cp200140en.pdf

General Court of the European Union

PRESS RELEASE No 140/20

Luxembourg, 18 November 2020

Judgment in Case T-814/17

Lietuvos geležinkelai AB v Commission

The General Court upholds the Commission’s decision finding that the national railway company of Lithuania abused its dominant position on the Lithuanian rail freight market

The fine imposed on that company for the infringement in question is, however, reduced from € 27 873 000 to € 20 068 650 Lietuvos geležinkeliai AB (‘LG’), the national railway company of Lithuania, both manages railway infrastructure and provides trail transport services in Lithuania. In its capacity as a provider of rail transport services, LG concluded, in 1999, a commercial agreement with Orlen Lietuva AB (‘Orlen’), a Lithuanian oil company owned by the Polish oil company PKN Orlen SA, to provide rail transport services to Orlen in Lithuania. That agreement concerned in particular the transport of oil products from a large refinery belonging to Orlen located in Bugeniai, in the north-west of Lithuania, close to the border with Latvia, to the Lithuanian seaport of Klaipėda for the purpose of transporting those products to Western Europe.