Brussels, 29/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - On 31 January, the European Commission is expected to approve a communication on the development of a legally binding international instrument intended to promote the rights of the disabled. The Commission calls on the Council to authorise it to negotiate, on behalf of the European Commission, in the context of the future sessions of the special committee of the United Nations created with a view to developing an international global and integrated convention for the promotion and protection of the rights and the dignity of disabled persons. The Commission recalls that Article 13 of the EC Treaty allows the Community to take initiatives to fight against discrimination based on handicap. The Commission recalls that the EC has already had recourse to these provisions, mainly in the fields of employment and labour.