Brussels, 22/07/2002 (Agence Europe) - By unanimously adopting the initiative opinion of rapporteur Miguel Angel Cabra de Luna (Spain), on the necessity to put into place national and European networks of employers at the plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee has effectively set out a number of practical proposals for integrating disabled people into society.
In an effort to reduce the obstacles confronting disabled people and prevent new problems for them being created, the Committee considers that a major work programme for the disabled in the framework of the European Year of People with Disabilities 2003, would be to adopt a Community directive based on Article 13 on combating discrimination based on aspects of their lives, education, access to goods and services, including accommodation. In an attempt to increase the level of disabled persons in the job market, the Committee is requesting: 1) Member States to monitor the rapid and suitable application of the European Commissioner directive on equal opportunities in employment; 2) The Commission proposes the strengthening of the 7th Employment Guideline for Employment (a reference to the disabled); 3) To European social partners to use Community structures for social dialogue in order to put forward new initiatives for employing the disabled and keeping them in the labour market. The committee also believes it useful, in keeping with the recent European Parliament decision (in its first reading), to amend the directives on public contracts to allow the public authorities to include the employment of the disabled in the criteria for awarding such contracts. The Committee thinks it is necessary to put into place national and European networks of employers and unions to systematically include, in the investigation into the EU labour force, an aspect dealing with the situation of the disabled in the labour market. The Committee considers that: the new co-ordination method in the field of education should make children and the young disabled a key group and that they are taken into consideration when all the indicators and actions are examined: new technologies, whether they are general or ways of helping the disabled in playing an essential role for overcoming obstacles confronting the disabled.
The European Disability Forum (EDF) was very positive to the adoption of this opinion and pointed out that disabled people benefit from the same rights as other citizens but in practice society was organised in such a way that it was almost impossible for the disabled to enjoy these rights. The EDF particularly welcomed the fact that the committee had recognised the need to eliminate the environment obstacles, as well as those involved in communication and attitudes encountered by the disabled in their daily lives in work, education and access to goods and services.