Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-04-03-Speech-2-277"
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"en.20010403.11.2-277"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to start by congratulating Mrs Hermange on her work on achieving a barrier-free Europe for people with disabilities. I believe it is necessary to complete the strategy for integrating the rights of people with disabilities into Community policies, particularly the transport sector, access to buildings, the information society and consumer policy. However, I am convinced that the issue of practically integrating people with disabilities will depend not only on traditional obstacles, such as the physical barriers enclosing public areas and transport, being overcome, but, above all, on the general public taking a new approach to the everyday situation of people with disabilities. It is clear that, in these cases, psychological factors and people's prejudices may be much greater obstacles than those created by physical barriers.
Another important point to stress, which also featured in the Stockholm Presidency Conclusions, is that of the integration of people with disabilities into the world of work. We must work towards a situation where companies employ more than the obligatory number of people with disabilities, making things easier for companies by consistently reducing or abolishing both the contribution and tax burdens. This would have the positive effect of using this social potential, which is currently only partially exploited, and would benefit the entire economy. Currently, 37 million European citizens suffer from some form of disability and the unemployment rate for this category is over three times higher than average. Moreover, let us not forget that the quest to achieve full employment in the Union does not mean concentrating solely on job creation but involves providing better jobs for all people, including those with disabilities.
Lastly, I consider it essential for research in Europe to play a fundamental role, through its centres, in the development of technologies intended to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. In this way, we would be able to close the gap between Europe and the United States of America.
Finally, may I emphasise the role that the Member States must play in improving the skills and promoting the specific professional training of people who cooperate within voluntary associations and the social cooperatives, in order to provide adequate professional training which is suited to the different forms of disabilities."@en1
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