Brussels, 16/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - At the initiative of the Equal Opportunities Commissioner, Anna Diamantopoulou, the European Commission has adopted a communication entitled "Toward a Barrier Free Europe for people with disabilities". It thus sets out a series of guidelines which will contribute, like the work in progress with the Member States and the NGOs, to gradually eliminate the obstacles and strengthen the possibilities, for the disabled, to fully take part in all aspects of life in society. It makes an exhaustive study of the policies and practices in force and recommends measures at the EC level as a whole. The Commission thus considers it necessary to set up a coordinated approach and action covering employment, education and vocational training, transport, the internal market, the information society, the new technologies and consumer policy. The improved conditions for access for the disabled can have but positive repercussions on the European society as a whole, states the Commission, recalling that, at the present time, nearly 37 million Europeans (one person out of ten) suffer from some form of handicap.
The aims given are essentially to:
1) promote the accessibility of means of transport for the disabled, especially public transport vehicles;
2) fill the gaps at intersectorial level, but setting in place a framework allowing examination of questions of accessibility to transport systems, buildings (harmonisation of building norms, the suppression of architectural barriers) and other public sectors, which involves closer cooperation between several policies and levels of administration;
3) place the information society at the service of all, mainly in the context of the e-Europe;
4) establish a sound knowledge base including statistical data on the needs of handicapped persons (state of health, social protection, health and safety at work, employment and education) to allow the elaboration of adequate integration policies;
5) facilitate access to Commission programmes and premises. As a public body providing information to European citizens suffering from disablement and as a body that employs the disabled, the Commission will endeavour to guarantee participation by the disabled in its main programmes and will finalise, where possible, specific measures in order to guarantee true equality of opportunity. It will take the necessary measures to facilitate access by the disabled to the European public function, within the context of its own internal reform, and will ensure that consultation mechanisms are established with the disabled community and with the NGOs who represent the disabled.
The Commission will propose to the Council that the year 2003 should be proclaimed the European Year of Disabled Citizens in order to increase awareness, to provide a catalyst for new policies and for participation, and to strengthen the idea of European citizenship for the disabled. It will also encourage the applicant countries to closely follow the evolution of Community policy in this field. It will address a report to the European Parliament and to the Council updating on the implementation of this communication.
The president of the European Disability Forum (EDF), Yannis Vardakastanis, declared: "this communication is an important step towards a society that is accessible to all. The next stage should be, for the Commission, to propose a directive banning any form of discrimination against the disabled in all European policies".