On 17 June 1999, the Council adopted
a Resolution put forward by the German Presidency on equal employment
opportunities for people with disabilities
The Presidency had tabled this Resolution as part of its global
proposal for an Employment Pact and had laid the groundwork for this at the
Conference it organised in Dresden on February 24/25. The text also draws
on the conclusions of the Commission services document
"Raising employment levels of people with
disabilities - the common challenge", issued on 6 October last
year.
The Resolution underlines that the National Action Plans for Employment provide for a comprehensive platform within which disability employment policies should be strengthened. Member States are therefore called upon, within the framework of their national employment policies and in co-operation with the social partners and non-governmental organisations for people with disabilities, to place particular emphasis on the promotion of employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
The Resolution stresses the need to make full use of the existing and future possibilities of the European Structural Funds, in particular the European Social Fund, and relevant Community Initiatives, to promote equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities,
The Council also calls upon the Commission to work together with the Member States, in particular within the framework of the European Employment Guidelines and in accordance with the mainstreaming principle, to monitor and analyse the development of the employment of people with disabilities on the basis of comparable data and to develop new strategies and campaigns.
The Resolution affirms that equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities will be enhanced if specific attention is given to some critical issues such as recruitment and retention of employees, promotion, training, life-long learning and development, protection against unfair dismissal and workplace accommodation
Finally, the Council finally takes note of the intention of the Commission to propose a legal instrument to promote equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
