The Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Brankica Janković, sent an initiative to the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure to amend the Law on Planning and Construction so that all citizens with disabilities can have unhindered access to their apartments. The initiative requested that the Law be amended so that, in the future, for the execution of works on construction land or a building owned by several persons, certified consent of the owners is not required if the works relate to achieving accessibility and overcoming architectural barriers for the movement of persons with disabilities.

The Commissioner said that citizens with disabilities repeatedly addressed the Institution because their neighbors did not give their consent to work being carried out on the common part of the building, adding that it is incomprehensible and that there is no justification for individuals not to respect the rights of people with disabilities, even though those ramps do not affect the quality of their own life. She pointed out that for people with disabilities accessibility of the facilities in which live is of vital importance and a necessary condition for normal, everyday functioning and full social inclusion.

Removing physical barriers on residential buildings would also have multiple benefits for other tenants, for example, people with difficulty moving, the elderly, but also for parents with small children, tenants who bring in and/or take out heavy and large loads from the building, etc. The Commissioner said that she expects the Ministry of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure to show understanding for the problem faced by people with disabilities.