Anna Diamantopoulou : "People with
disabilities have a right to full and inclusive European
citizenship"
Brussels, September 1. Anna Diamantopoulou, Commissioner for Employment
and Social Affairs, spoke to disability NGOs at a conference organised by
the European Disability Forum in Crete. She stressed the right of people
with disabilities to contribute fully and equally to society, including the
right to be creators, not only passive recipients, of policies. She also
underlined the importance of education, training and employment as essential
tools for shaping an inclusive Europe.
She noted that :
- As many as 17% of the working age population in the EU have some form of disability ;
- More than 50% of people with disabilities are out of the labour force compared with less than 25% of the remainder of the population ;
- Of those in the labour force, people with disabilities are 50% more likely to be unemployed, and to remain unemployed for longer periods, than the working population as a whole ;
- Of those who do find employment, many people with disabilities have limited career paths and options, largely due to their more limited access to education and training opportunities.
Based on the provisions of the Amsterdam Treaty the Commission has
taken important steps with a view to promote the rights of disabled people,
as shown by :
- the proposal for an antidiscrimination package including legally enforceable rights for fair treatment of the disabled at work ;
- the co-ordination of national employment policies in a way that redefines mainstream labour market policies to ensure they are more inclusive.
Anna Diamantopoulou will also point to the financial support available
from the EU budget in order to promote access of people with disabilities
to work :
- the European Social Fund will be re-directed to focus on removing obstacles to labour market integration in the new programming period 2000-2006 ;
- the new EQUAL initiative will encourage new approaches to deal with discrimination on the labour market.
Anna Diamantopoulou will present her wider vision for a rights-based, barrier-free Europe for people with disabilites based on the Commission policy paper adopted in May this year. 1 This new and broader EU strategy covers more than the world of work alone. It proposes better links between policies on employment, education and vocational training, transport, the internal market, information society, new technologies and consumers. It points to the economic cost to society of barriers to full participation of the disabled. New technologies can now empower people, encouraging self-directed learning and fostering independence and autonomy.
She will also announce that the Commission intends to propose to Council that 2003 be declared European Year of Disabled Citizens.
1 "Towards a barrier-free Europe for people with disabilities", COM(2000)284 final of 12.5.2000
