Brussels, 20/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - The Employment and Social Policy Council on 17 June adopted conclusions in support of the implementation of the EU 2020 strategy with regard to people with handicaps. These conclusions will shortly be published in the Official Journal of the EU. Progress has been made on the draft text, said Council President Sandor Czomba after the meeting. In particular, the conclusions invite member states and the Commission to adopt all “necessary and adequate steps” in general policy, accessibility, participation, equality, employment, education and training, social protection, health and external action. Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding welcomed what these conclusions bring to the new EU 2020 strategy for handicapped people: helping them to play a full part in civil society and in the economy and removing the obstacles the handicapped encounter in their daily lives, thereby giving them access to the environment, transport and means of communication. In her view, this can happen through very close cooperation between civil society and service providers.
During the debate, Italy repeated its “full and unreserved” commitment to the eight points in the conclusions. It highlighted, however, participation and training as being crucial to real social inclusion. Belgium, too, fully backed the conclusions which give handicapped people the chance to play a full role in society. Belgium, however, spotlighted a specific issue: the political rights of handicapped people, who must be able to exercise their right to vote, meaning that disabled access had to be ensured. Austria, which is drafting an action plan for the next 10 years, said that its objectives were in line with those of the conclusions. Sweden gave a warm welcome to the proposal that the United Nations Convention on disability rights be ratified.
Czomba also spoke of the progress made on the draft directive on implementing the principle of equality irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. He highlighted the need to “improve legal certainty and to make a clearer distinction between those areas for which the EU has responsibility and those which are matters of national sovereignty”. (G.B./transl.rt)