Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-02-Speech-2-287"
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"en.20030902.11.2-287"2
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".
Mr President, I should like in particular to thank Mrs Lynne and the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs for drafting this report.
To conclude, the Commission has undertaken to participate actively with the Member States in the negotiations on the United Nations Convention. Participation in these negotiations will also continue after the European Year of Disability within the framework of continuing action here, because our objective is to present an action plan at European level at the end of 2003, at the end of the Year of Disability, which will be the result of all the work carried out in all the Member States during this year, so that we have commitments on the part of the Member States at legislative, budgetary, policy and programme level.
This report confirms that the issue of disability is an issue with political, social and economic aspects. It is an issue which horizontally touches all European Union policies. In particular within the framework of the European Year of Disability, this report sends a clear message to the European Union and to the Member States, making Parliament’s commitment known in the clearest of terms.
The first point which I should like to raise is the future UN Convention, which is expected to be a very important document of historic significance. Your report will be useful and will play an important role for the Commission services during the discussions being held with the Member States, on the one hand, and the UN, on the other hand, on this future Convention. It is well in keeping with the Commission proposals and communication. We share the same principles and the same objectives. In particular, I should like to comment on the core political aspect on which we agree, namely an approach based on human, social and political rights. It is worth noting that the UN Convention is further recognition of the fact that it is not the individual’s disability that needs to be corrected, it is the restraining environment that must adapt so as to safeguard full participation and equal opportunities for the individual. The emphasis has shifted from the medical model to the so-called social standard, to building a policy based on fundamental human rights, on the one hand, and on social rights and guaranteed equal opportunities on the other.
In issuing this communication, the Commission has made clear its intention to promote this rights-based approach at European level and to rely on the European experience obtained to date from combating discrimination. In addition, the Commission is insisting on an approach based on the social integration of the disabled and has tabled the issue of disability as one of the basic elements in the national action plans drawn up for social integration and combating poverty.
The Commission has requested negotiating instructions due to the fact that part of the Convention concerns the issue of ‘non discrimination’, which now comes under the jurisdiction of the European Union following the Treaty of Amsterdam. Discussions with the Council have continued up to today, while at the same time the Commission is working closely with the Presidency on the pre-preparatory work for the Convention.
Mrs Lynne referred to the specific issue of developing countries and to the policy for development cooperation, which so far has been limited to drafting an explanatory memorandum on disability and development. This memorandum, which is addressed to the representations and services of the European Union, was drafted in close cooperation with non-governmental organisations representing the disabled. This document, which has been distributed to the representations of the European Union in developing countries, has had positive reactions at both government level and at the level of civil society organisations and it is important that, for the first time, we have an approach to the issue of disability in relation to development policy and development aid. Although it is difficult in the initial stage to call for disability to be incorporated into the central body of development aid policies, this is a clear declaration that disability must be included and dealt with in the policies of every state in all sectors.
My final comment concerns the possible disability directive. As Mrs Lynne has already said, the European Union has had a general directive on non-discrimination in the field of employment which also relates to the disabled since 2000. This directive, which really was a big step for Europe and was accepted by all the Member States, has not progressed as we would have expected. Most countries have not yet presented even a preliminary bill for transposing this directive, even though the final deadline is December 2003.
Despite repeated efforts during discussions in the Employment Councils, my letter to all the ministers and the mobilisation of European and national organisations, it would appear that the Member States have serious difficulties of a political and economic nature. I call here on Parliament to also play an important role in exerting pressure on the Member States to get them to adopt this directive in principle. However, I believe that it is clear from the situation today that it is premature to promote a new directive which would extend the scope of policies beyond the field of employment to all policy sectors overall. I think that this would create a difficult situation in the Council and it would perhaps make it even more difficult to adopt the first directive, which has come up against the difficulties I referred to earlier.
At the same time, however, the Commission has proposed that the Member States examine and decide themselves if Community legislation should be used to combat discrimination on the grounds of disability in sectors other than employment in a report on the application of the directive on equal opportunities. This will give us a first official reaction on the part of the Member States to this second, important step which, politically, is clearly a step which the European Union needs to take, but which it needs to take at the right time, with important preconditions to success, both at the decision-making level and at the level of practical implementation."@en1
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