Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002694/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Valentina Palmisano (The Left)
According to the XXVI CNEL Report on the Labour Market (2023) in Italy, only 33 % of people with disabilities of working age are in employment, compared to 62 % of the general population. The gap is even more pronounced among women and young people with disabilities, who experience multiple forms of exclusion. Although Directive 2000/78/EC lays down clear obligations for employers, particularly regarding the introduction of ‘reasonable accommodation’, many Italian companies continue to offer jobs that are clearly inaccessible to the disabled (e.g. crane operators, welders, lift technicians), thereby undermining the principle of equal opportunities.
Besides this, Italian Law 68/1999, which sets mandatory recruitment quotas for persons with disabilities, is often circumvented through legal loopholes and fictitious offers of employment. Collective agreements rarely contain inclusion clauses and lack effective monitoring and sanction mechanisms.
In the light of the above, can the Commission answer the following questions:
- 1.Does it consider that Italy is fully complying with the obligations laid down in Directive 2000/78/EC on employment and disability?
- 2.Will it launch new checks on compliance with the obligation on reasonable accommodation and effective inclusion in the labour market?
- 3.Is it contemplating a reinforcement of the conditions for access to European funds linked to the adoption of inclusive practices?
Submitted: 2.7.2025