Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, in a written answer to a parliamentary question on 20 July 2026, signalled that existing EU funding instruments already allow Member States to support model communities for children with disabilities and their parents, but did not announce new dedicated financial programmes. The reply, addressed to Greek MEP Georgios Aftias (EPP), directs parents and national authorities to cohesion policy funds – the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) – as the primary vehicles for financing community-based care, personal assistance, and inclusive education for persons with disabilities.
Fitto’s answer is a response to a question from Aftias, who had asked whether the Commission would provide financial support for model community centres, education centres for parents, personal assistants, and so-called 'European villages' where parents can live with their children as workers or volunteers, and whether it would greenlight Member State use of European funding for these purposes. The Commissioner also proposed establishing 14 May as a Europe-wide day celebrating mothers of children with disabilities.
Rather than committing to new EU-level spending, Fitto’s reply reaffirms the existing framework: the EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030, the Commission’s 2024 Guidance on independent living, and the 2021-2027 cohesion policy regulations. He noted that during the current programming period, the ERDF supports in Greece targeted interventions to strengthen community-based care, including projects promoting the integration of children with disabilities, provided they are part of the national deinstitutionalisation strategy and comply with the principle of non-segregation under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Looking ahead, Fitto pointed to the Commission’s proposal for National and Regional Partnership Plans for 2028-2034, under which Member States and regions could continue supporting family- and community-based services. The answer thus offers continuity rather than a new policy departure: it confirms that the Commission views the existing funding architecture as sufficient to address the concerns raised, while leaving the concrete design and financing of model communities to national and regional authorities.
The reply is expected to inform the European Parliament’s ongoing scrutiny of disability policy and the upcoming negotiations on the post-2027 cohesion framework. Stakeholders – particularly parents of children with disabilities and disability advocacy groups – may see the answer as a missed opportunity for a dedicated EU initiative, while national administrations gain flexibility to tailor investments to local needs. The Commission’s position also reinforces the deinstitutionalisation agenda, which could limit funding for residential models that do not meet community-based criteria.