Brussels, 12/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - The second European Conference of Ministers Responsible for Integration Policies for People with Disabilities, held in Malaga (Spain) on 7 and 8 May (see EUROPE of 3 May p.17) to set the cornerstones for a European Action Plan to be developed in the months to come and to be implemented in the next decade, ended in the adoption by ministers from 45 European countries responsible for integrating disabled people, and also by the heads of various intergovernmental organisations, of the Malaga Ministerial Declaration, entitled "Progressing towards full participation as citizens".
In this political declaration, the ministers pledge to "promote citizenship and full participation by developing effective legal and policy provisions to ensure equality of opportunities for people with disabilities", and "to progress with the integration of people with disabilities into the labour market by moving the focus to assessing abilities, in particular vocational abilities".
It recommends that a Council of Europe Action Plan for Disabled People be drawn up to constitute a new European policy framework for the next decade.
It would be based on human rights and partnership between the various players and would set strategic targets and priorities to ensure that disabled people enjoy full citizenship and fully participate in the life of the community thanks to realisable policies that are financially affordable and sustainable". (For the full Declaration see: http: //coe.int/malaga)