EureWelcome

The Eurocard disability pass is a service card that entitles disabled people to avail of several offerings and concessions in the tourism, cultural and sports sectors.

The aim of the Eurocard is to off-set, at a cross-border level, the disadvantages disabled people face.

In Germany for instance, the Eurocard is regarded as an additional piece of identification to the pass for severely disabled people.

With the card it is possible for all eligible people from both administrative districts of Bitburg-Prüm and Daun in the Rhineland-Palatinate and from the catchment area of the Aachen public support institution in North Rhine Westphalia to benefit from the concessions and facilitation provided for people with a disability in the other regions of the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion (i.e., the Liege, Dutch Limburg and Belgian Limburg regions in addition to the German-speaking Community of Belgium).

The aim is to use this pass in particular for cultural, sports or tourist offerings or to access disabled-friendly infrastructure.

Those in possession of a Eurecard who have the status of disabled person in accordance with applicable national law should be granted the same possibilities in the corresponding areas during their stay on the German side.

The Eurocard does not replace what is provided for in terms of ascertaining disability in the home region. It does not entitle one to concessions related to the place of residence on the grounds of legal provisions (either fiscal or social law provisions) or to claim medical care services.

Examples:

The types of concessions can be free membership or reduced membership dues to associations/clubs or discounted rates to all types of events (e.g., trade fairs, sports fixtures, entertainment events or shows), to museums and exhibitions or to swimming pools for example.

If a municipal authority already allows for disabled people to get the entrance fee to a swimming pool with a pass for instance, or grants them a discount, then it is not only German disabled people who benefit from this with their pass, but also disabled people from Belgium and the Netherlands, if they are in the possession of a Eurecard and the owner of the swimming pool has voluntarily decided to take part in the Eurecard project.

The people in possession of a Eurecard can then also for instance claim the provisions for off-setting disadvantages, concessions or reductions that are valid in the regions taking part in the project if local service providers are voluntarily taking part in this scheme.

The “Euregio for All” project was a project in the form of a contest in the Euroregion. The aim of the project was greater participation of disabled people in all facets of social life in towns and municipalities.

The project is sub-divided into the areas of the areas of work, housing, leisure and tourism, education, accessibility and mobility, participation (co-creation, co-determination and co-responsibility). Towns and municipalities were asked to send in their applications, i.e. projects and plans, by mid-2007.

A jury was put together in October 2007 made up for 2 representatives (eligible people and experts) per region. The project “Euregio for all” was drawn to a close at the final event in the Eurogress in Aachen on 12 June 2008, during which Best Practice projects were awarded a prize.

These projects were presented in a catalogue that can be used by all social groups and people in charge as a valuable source of suggestions, ideas and specific implementation steps.