Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-11-17-Speech-1-052"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2003-11-17"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:European Year of People with Disabilities (2003)2
dcterms:Language	"el"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20031117.5.1-052"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2003-11-17-Speech-1-0532
lpv:speaker	lp:Ioannis Koukiadis2
lpv:spokenAs	substitute; EMPL (2002-02-05--2004-07-19)3 vice-chair; Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market (2002-01-21--2004-07-19)3 member; PETI (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 member; PES (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 vice-chair; Delegation to the EU-Kazakhstan, EU-Kyrgyzstan and EU-Uzbekistan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees and Delegation for relations with Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Delegation to the EU-Bulgaria Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3 unknown; Panellinio Socialistiko Kinima (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, Commissioner, opportunity has been taken of the European Year of People with Disabilities to express numerous proposals and to formulate interesting ideas. Generally speaking, we have a wealth of material before us which, however, needs to be mastered if we want to have an integrated policy on people with disabilities. This is the most difficult point of the entire strategy. If we want to be efficient, we need to focus our policy on three objectives. First, we need to persuade the constitution writers that it is high time we moved on to a new generation of rights which are recognised in the countries' constitutions as an integral part of fundamental rights, because only if people with disabilities are recognised as having special rights will they too be able to enjoy the fundamental rights which are generally recognised for all citizens. Secondly, we need to persuade finance ministers to recognise that expenditure on people with disabilities should be seen not as consumer spending, but as an investment in human potential and, consequently, as productive expenditure. This will pave the way for taking the measures needed to stop the exclusion of these people. Finally, but equally importantly, we need to introduce a strategy to convince the rest of the population that the problems of people with disabilities relate not to a specific category, but to society as a whole, if we want to have a society with cohesion and superior living standards. In other words, the indifference or even, on numerous occasions, the negative attitude of our fellow citizens towards the special characteristics of these people needs to be overcome. Only if the problem of people with disabilities becomes a common problem will it have an auspicious outcome. In particular, as far as the employment sector is concerned, we need to persuade businessmen that they stand to gain a great deal from becoming involved in measures to support these people and make use of their potential in undertakings because, as experience to date has shown, these people are the most loyal of employees. To close, I should like to congratulate you on the initiative which you have taken and on the programme which you have announced; however, both I and my fellow Members would say that, if it is to be successful, it needs to be integrated straight away and to include legislative measures."@en1

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