The EU Strategy on Disability

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The EU Strategy on Disability
Wallis Goelen
Directorate General Employment, Social Affairs
and Equal OpportunitiesHead of Unit Integration
of People with Disabilities Unit (G3) June
2006
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Introduction

• Equal opportunities objective of the EU's
  long-term strategy on disability. Underpins the
  set of common EU social and economic values.
• European Year of People with Disabilities in
  2003 major initiative of the European
  Commission. People with disabilities have similar
  concerns throughout the Union, face same
  obstacles, experience same discriminations, share
  same hopes and fears.
• Disability policies are essentially the
  responsibility of individual MS but European
  community policies and actions impact in many
  ways on situation of people with disabilities.
• December 2003 the European Commission commits
  itself to regularly issue a public report on the
  situation of disabled people in the EU and to
  develop an European Disability Action Plan to
  sustain the long-term effects of the EYPD.
• Council called on MS to take the EU Action Plan
  into account when developing their national
  disability policies

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The four pillars of the EU disability strategy

• EU ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LEGISLATION AND MEASURES
  Providing access to individual rights (Directive
  2000/78/EC, Anti-Discrimination Programme)
• ELIMINATION OF BARRIERS Elimination of
  obstacles preventing disabled people from
  exercising their abilities
• MAINSTREAMING OF DISABILITY ISSUES
  Mainstreaming in order to facilitate active
  inclusion of disabled people
• MOBILISING STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH DIALOGUE
  Nothing about people with disabilities without
  people with disabilities. Dialogue through
  regular meetings with MS, pwd and civil society
  representatives and stakeholders

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Long lasting effects of the European Year of
People with Disabilities

• Commission Communication of October 2003
  "Equal opportunities for people with
  disabilities A European Action Plan"
• A strategic framework principles and concepts
  for the for reinforcement of the disability
  dimension in all relevant EU policies, while
  supporting and stimulating policies at national
  level
• A reference point the EU biennial report on the
  situation of people with disabilities in the
  enlarged Union for all stakeholders involved or
  concerned. To inform policy makers.
• The EU Disability Action Plan to reinforce
  mainstreaming

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Mainstreaming a crucial tool in the EU
disability strategy

• Requires
• Political understanding of its significance
  moving to a full participation model
• Taking into account the needs of people with
  disabilities at all stages of policy development
• Involvement of all relevant actors, including
  NGOs and representative organisations of people
  with disabilities i.e. active participation of
  all stakeholders at every stage of policy making,
  starting at planning and design stage
• Methodological tools, suitable co-ordination,
  adequate monitoring and impact assessment across
  the board

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The European Disability Action Plan

• ROLLING and MULTI-ANNUAL
• TIME HORIZON 2010
• THREE CENTRAL OBJECTIVES
• 1. Achieving full implementation of the
  Employment Equality Directive
• 2. Delivering mainstreaming
• 3. Improving accessibility for all

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Principles and concepts of the second phase of
the EU disability action plan 2006-2007

• Apart from the priorities outlined, the AP is
  guided by following principles and concepts
• Independent living
• Active Inclusion
• Citizenship concept

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The 2005 Communication
MAIN BODY First Biennial Report Provides
overview of the main developments, trends and
analysis recent statistics, mainly within the
area of active inclusion and employment of
disabled people and integration of disabled
people into society in general. EU Disability
Action Plan for 2006-2007Outlines policy
priorities and identifies priority areas for the
forthcoming years. ANNEXESAnnex 1Overview of
the ongoing actions within the framework of DAP
2004-2005Annex 2 Overview of the actions
forecasted within the framework of DAP
2006-2007Annex 3 Examples of mainstreaming of
disability issues in practice in MS
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The 2005 Communication in detail

• Part 1. Biennial Report main findings (1)
• Lack of common EU definition of disability
  constitutes an obstacle for efficient data
  collection and analysis throughout Europe.
• - 44.6 million one in six persons aged between
  16 and 64 report that they have a long standing
  health problem or disability. They represent at
  least 16 of the overall EU working age
  population
• There is a strong correlation between disability
  and increasing aging of the European population.
  
• - Nearly 30 of people in the age group 55-64
  report a disability and 63 of people with
  disabilities are older than 45.
• - Surveys show that disability schemes affect
  early retirement. This development calls for
  further actions to support active aging and
  active labour force participation.

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The 2005 Communication in detail

• Part 1. Biennial Report main findings (2)
• Figures indicate gap between the employment rate
  of disabled and non-disabled people.
• 40 of disabled persons are employed compared to
  64.2 of non disabled persons. The ratio for
  those with a relatively light level of disability
  that does not limit daily life is 50.
• The inactivity rate of disabled persons is twice
  that of non-disabled. 50 of people whose
  relatively light level of disability does not
  hamper their daily activities are inactive as
  compared to 26.9 for non disabled persons.
• Only 15.9 of working disabled persons are
  provided with some assistance to work. At the
  same time, 43.7 of respondents believe they
  could work if they were given adequate
  assistance.
• Correlation between disability and level of
  education.
• Modern technologies (ICT) constitute one of the
  main tools for overcoming environmental barriers

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The 2005 Communication in detail

• Part 2. Priorities of the EU Disability Action
  Plan 2006-2007 Encouraging activity
  Objective is to attract more people into active
  employment in the open labour market (where
  possible). ESF is one of the most important tools
  in this respect.
• Promoting access to quality support and care
  services Commission will, inter alia, present a
  proposal to streamline different Open Methods of
  Coordination in social protection and social
  inclusion and will develop policy cooperation on
  health and long-term care. Commission will also
  issue Communication on Social Services.
• Fostering accessibility of goods and services
  Work on transport services and increased ICT
  accessibility, including access to the new
  generation of assistive technologies.
• Increasing the EU's analytical capacity Quality
  and quantity of disability-related statistical
  data will be increased through cooperation with
  Eurostat and through 7th Framework Programme on
  Research.
• 2.

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The 2005 Communication in detail

• Annexes
• DAP 2004-2005 (examples of actions) - 06.2005
  Commission Discussion Paper Disability
  mainstreaming in the ESS- 12.2005 MS submit
  information on implementation of the
  Anti-Discrimination Directive. Commission will
  analyse the implementation and submit a report.-
  09.2005 Publication of the eAccessiblity
  Communication
• DAP 2006-2007 (examples of actions) - 01.2006
  Seven projects selected and launched within the
  framework of the Pilot Projects on Actions to
  Mainstream Disability (EP)- 06.2006 ESF
  Conference will be organised, focusing on equal
  opportunities
• Mainstreaming of disability issues in practice
  (Annex 3)Contains examples of good practices in
  individual Member States in various areas
  employment, life long learning, public built
  environment, etc. Particular focus is devoted to
  the role of the ESF and other Community
  programmes in promotion of equal opportunities

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Implementation of EU Action Plan

• Through institutional framework
• Disability High Level Group meetings, comprising
  MS and third sector representatives.
• Disability Inter-Service Group meetings,
  comprising civil servants from different
  directorates general.
• Dialogue with the EP, monitoring of
  Parliamentary Inter-Service group activities
• Dialogue with CoR and EESC
• Through other means
• Dialogue with Social Partners and other relevant
  stakeholders
• Establishment of the Action Plan scoreboard
  allowing continual monitoring of the
  implementation process
• Through eventual meetings of MS disability
  ministers