Brussels, 30/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - On Anna Diamantopoulou's initiative, on 30 October the European Commission approved a communication on the theme: "Equal opportunities for the disabled: a European action plan". The communication describes several initiatives aiming for improved integration of disabled people in economic life and in the enlarged EU society as a whole. It sets up a multi-annual action plan with moving horizons whose objective will be to integrate disability issues in relevant community policies for 2010 and to implement concrete actions in key areas, with a view to improving integration of the disabled.
The first phase of this action plan will begin at the end of the European Year of People with Disabilities 2003 and will last two years (2004-2005). It will concentrate on promoting employment of these people and on their autonomy. This first phase will therefore centre on four priority measures linked to employment: 1) access to employment and maintaining disabled people in work, including the fight against discrimination; 2) lifelong education and training favouring insertion capacity, capacity for adaptability, personal development and active citizenship of disabled people; 3) exploitation of the potential of new technology which is a determining factor in equal opportunities for disabled people and their mobility within the economy; 4) access to public buildings.
Regarding monitoring procedures, the communication insists on the need to: 1) optimise cooperation with other international organisations and agencies (ILO, WHO, OECD); 2) broaden cooperation with NGOs (particularly the European Disability Forum) and inviting social partners to contribute to promoting equality for disabled people. The Commission also wants to further integrate disability issues in all relevant community policies and it will publish a biennial report on the general situation of disabled people in the EU (the first, it hopes, on 3 December 2005).