At their EU Council meeting in Brussels on Monday 2 December, the EU Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs approved conclusions aimed at promoting the social inclusion of persons with disabilities. These measures, which focus on employment, reasonable accommodation and rehabilitation, are based in particular on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the EU Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 (‘EU Disability Strategy’), the latter being a concrete implementation of the principles of the former at European level.
In particular, the aim is to reduce the persistent gap of 21.5 percentage points between the employment rates of disabled and non-disabled persons. In 2021, only 50.9% of disabled people aged between 20 and 64 were employed, compared with 74.8% of the rest.
The text calls on the Member States to adopt ambitious national targets to increase the employment rates of persons with disabilities and to promote a non-discriminatory approach in public policies, taking account of individual needs. Improving access to social and support services and promoting employment in the open labour market are also among the objectives.
The conclusions also encourage equal treatment, the development of flexible working arrangements and the strengthening of national frameworks for reasonable accommodation, in line with Directive 2000/78/EC on the creation of a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation.
The Member States are also called upon to develop and improve rehabilitation services, which are essential for entering or re-entering the labour market, and to promote successful transitions from education or sheltered employment.
Member States are also invited to strengthen data collection and the exchange of best practice between countries in order to assess and share progress more effectively.
Finally, the conclusions call on the European Commission to publish a report on the implementation of the EU disability strategy and to closely monitor the employment situation of people with disabilities in the EU.
To see the conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/ej6 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)