“Persons with disabilities have the right to take part in all areas of life, just like everyone else. Even though the past decades brought progress in access to healthcare, education, employment, recreation activities and participation in political life, many obstacles remain. It is time to scale up European action”. For this very reason, explained in Brussels today, the European Commission presented the “Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030” in order to “ensure their full participation in society, on an equal basis with others in the EU and beyond, in line with the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which establish equality and non-discrimination as cornerstones of EU policies”. The new strategy aims at facilitating the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights “for which an Action Plan will be adopted by the Commission this week, which serves as a compass for employment and social policies in Europe”. The strategy supports the implementation by the EU and its Member States of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at both EU and national levels. The Vice-President of the Commission, Vera Jourová, said: “The protection of the rights of persons with disabilities has to be at the centre of our efforts, including in our response to the coronavirus. People with disabilities have been among those hit hardest by the COVID-19 crisis. We must strive to ensure that people with disabilities’ quality of life improves and their rights are guaranteed”.