Brussels, 01/09/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament will on Tuesday discuss the initiative report by British Liberal Elizabeth Lynne on the Commission communication entitled: "Towards a legally binding United Nations instrument to promote and protect the rights and dignity of the disabled". In order to observe the right of the disabled to be informed about a text which concerns them, the debate on the Lynne report will be interpreted into sign language (French and English), and the resolution to be adopted by the EP will be available in Braille in the 11 official languages of the EU.
In the report adopted by the social affairs committee on 9 July, the MEPs are insisting that "the EU shows the way, whatever the result of measures taken by the UN, by introducing a directive on disabled rights". They call upon the Member States to include in the future Constitution of the EU, within an article on Union objectives, a specific mention of "the protection of the rights of the disabled". They also stress the fact that the result of this process should be a legally binding convention, accompanied by an effective monitoring mechanism, like those for the six conventions on human rights which have already been adopted by the UN.
According to the MEPs, a future convention on the rights of disabled persons is to be founded on the following principles: 1) an approach founded on civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights already set out in the various treaties but adapted to the needs of the disabled; 2) full participation of disabled persons and their organisations in the establishment of policies concerning them, and their presence in relevant national and international bodies; 3) the recognition of reality, namely multiple discrimination that many disabled suffer from.
MEPs proposes that nine categories of rights should be specified in the future Constitution: right to quality of life, access to employment, access to education and vocational training, right to social inclusion, civil and political rights, access to financial support, access to health care, access to culture and leisure, equality before the law and the right to sue and be sued.
A Parliament press release notes that MEPs are critical toward the Commission as it has still not provided a timetable for a future global EU directive on the disabled and has still not taken any concrete commitments for integrating the principle of rights for the disabled in development cooperation policy.