Congress is preparing to approve the reform of the Constitution that will eliminate the term "disabled"

PP and PSOE have agreed not to accept amendments to other articles, although Sumar will present at least two

MADRID, 14 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Congress will approve this week, in two plenary sessions, the reform of article 49 of the Constitution agreed upon by PP and PSOE to eliminate the term "disabled" and replace it with "person with disabilities." As agreed by Pedro Sánchez and Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the modification will be carried out by express means and without accepting changes in other articles, although Sumar has already announced at least two amendments.

The bill was registered on December 29 by the two major parties and last week it received the Government's approval for its processing, given that the Executive has the possibility of vetoing initiatives by the groups if it considers that they imply an increase in spending. or a loss of income.

The initiative will be the subject of a first debate next Tuesday to take it into consideration and approve its processing through the single reading procedure, without going through a presentation or commission. and two days later, on Thursday the 18th, it will be the time to debate the amendments that have been presented, whether in their entirety with alternative text or partial ones to modify the articles, and to approve the initiative and send it to the Senate. Of course, given the works in the Congress chamber, these two plenary sessions will be held again in the Upper House.

A constitutional reform of this type requires a minimum support of three-fifths of each of the Chambers (210 deputies and 159 senators), which makes the presence of the major parties essential. And Sánchez and Feijóo have already agreed that the initiative will be approved as is, without accepting any foreign amendments or modifications that do not have the support of both parties.

Despite this warning, in Sumar they have already announced two amendments: one from Compromís to recover Valencian Civil Law by recognizing it in the Magna Carta and another from Mès so that Formentera has its own senator and does not have to share it with Ibiza, as currently stated. the Constitution.

Other Government partners could take the opportunity to raise more modification proposals with their classic demands, but the PP and PSOE have agreed that no amendment will succeed. In fact, they have already notified Compromís, which was the first party to announce its amendment.

In addition, Feijóo also obtained a commitment from the PSOE that its Sumar partners will not support holding a constitutional referendum to ratify the reform, since it could be organized with the signature of 35 deputies and the position of Yolanda Díaz's deputies would be decisive if someone I would propose it.

This constitutional reform was promoted by the Committee of Representatives of People with Disabilities (CERMI) in 2018 and, together with the support of the then vice president of the Government, the socialist Carmen Calvo, it reached Congress with a unanimous agreement to replace the article with a new one. text "more in line with the new times."

Currently, article 49 of the Constitution is worded in this way: "The public powers will carry out a policy of provision, treatment, rehabilitation and integration of the physically, sensorially and mentally handicapped, to whom they will provide the specialized attention they require and will protect them. especially for the enjoyment of the rights that this Title grants to all citizens."

What is intended is to change the wording, stating that "people with disabilities exercise the rights provided for in this Title in conditions of real and effective freedom and equality." "The special protection necessary for said exercise will be regulated by law," it is added.

And the second point will state: "The public authorities will promote policies that guarantee the full personal autonomy and social inclusion of people with disabilities, in universally accessible environments. Likewise, they will encourage the participation of their organizations, in the terms established by law. establishes. The specific needs of women and minors with disabilities will be particularly addressed."

In 2018 there was a first attempt at reform that had the support of the Commission of all the parliamentary groups that then made up Congress, but the call for elections for 2019 prevented its processing from continuing.

In the following legislature it was resumed and the PP and PSOE managed to discreetly leave an editorial closed, but there was no climate or time to carry it out. The 'popular' claimed that they had no guarantees that the constitutional reform would be limited exclusively to article 49 and they did not see the risk of some group forcing the holding of a constitutional referendum to have dissipated.

The objective of the PP and the PSOE is for the reform to be approved unanimously and even Compromís has guaranteed its support even if they do not accept its proposal for Valencian civil law. But the key is Vox, which in previous attempts refused to give its support for political reasons, the alliance of the PSOE with the independentists, a distancing that has worsened this term after the amnesty law.