The ministers and representatives of the employment and social affairs ministers of the 27 EU Member States met in Brussels on Tuesday 16 July to discuss the integration of people with disabilities into the labour market. This meeting is part of the 2021-2030 strategy for the rights of people with disabilities.
The Hungarian Minister Delegate for Social Policy, Attila Fülöp, who chaired the discussions, highlighted the role of active labour market policies in encouraging the unemployed and promoting social enterprises and sheltered employment. He stressed the need for physical accessibility, information and communication technologies, flexible arrangements and reasonable adaptations.
The ministers shared their national initiatives. The Spanish minister, Yolanda Díaz Pérez, mentioned a reform of Article 49 of the Constitution, which has increased recruitment of disabled people by 70% and reduced the rate of temporary work by 23 points.
The Lithuanian minister, Justina Jakštienė, spoke of a reform introduced in January 2024 with measures such as employment assistance and subsidies for adapting workstations, aiming for an employment rate of 38% by 2025.
The Greek minister, Sofia Zacharaki, detailed the 2024-2030 national strategy, aligned with the European strategy, including accessibility, independent living, active healthcare, education and inclusive employment. Greece has invested €140 million to ensure quality services and digital training programmes.
France highlighted its efforts to improve the professional integration of disabled people, with a policy based on compulsory employment quotas, the development of accessible companies and financial aid for adapting workstations.
Sweden has announced that it is focusing on inclusive education, individualised support and partnerships with businesses to create accessible working environments.
All the ministers were keen to illustrate the diversity and commitment of the Member States in order to reiterate the need to set concrete national targets and to value the skills of people with disabilities rather than focusing on their limitations. In addition to being a legitimate requirement, this was seen as an opportunity to mobilise significant human potential for the European economy. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)