Council Resolution of 17 June 1999 on equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities
2. 7. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 186/3 COUNCIL RESOLUTION of 17 June 1999 on equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities (1999/C 186/02) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, (1) an essential objective of the Community, as identified in the coordinated European employment strategy, is to promote a high level of employment; (2) in the 1999 employment guidelines (1), guideline 9 acknowledges the need for the Member States to ágive the disabled, ethnic special attention to the needs of minorities and other groups and individuals who may be disadvantaged, and develop appropriate forms of preventive and active policies to promote their integration into the labour marketí; (3) in its recommendation of 24 July 1986 (2), the Council the integration of people recognised the key issues of with disabilities in vocational training and employment; (4) the Community Charter on the fundamental social rights of workers of 9 December 1989 stipulates in point 26: All disabled persons, whatever the origin and nature of their disability, must be entitled to additional concrete measures inte- aimed at gration. These measures must concern, in particular, according to the capacities of the beneficiaries, vocational training, ergonomics, accessibility, mobility, means of transport and housing. í; improving their social and professional (5) in their resolution of 20 December 1996 on equality of opportunity for people with disabilities (3), the Council and the Member the representatives of States meeting within the Council reaffirmed their commitment to the principle of equality of opportunity in the development of comprehensive policies in the field of disability; the Governments of (6) the Commission of the European Communities formulated fundamental policy issues concerning the disabled and in a document of 22 September 1998 employment levels of people with entitled Raising employment disabilities - the common challengeí, taking into account the European employment strategy and the analysis of some key elements of the 1998 national action plans; the Commission also concluded that there must be a move initiatives and that a coordinated away from piecemeal strategy must be established; (7) in order to establish equal opportunities for people with disabilities with regard to securing, retaining and advancing in employment, - Convention 159 and Recommendation 168 of the Inter- national Labour Organisation concerning vocational rehabilitation and employment (disabled persons) of 20 June 1983, - the Council of Europe Recommendation No R(92) 6 of 9 April 1992 for a coherent policy for disabled people, and - the standard rules on the equalisation of opportunities for persons with disabilities which were adopted in a United Nations General Assembly resolution on 20 December 1993, call upon the Member States to develop, evaluate and review support programmes for the integration of people with disabilities in various ways, in particular in the field of employment; (8) people with disabilities, despite individual successes and improvements, are still more likely to face barriers and disadvantages suitable employment and in fully participating in the economic and social life of their communities, and maintaining finding in HEREBY ADOPTS THIS RESOLUTION: (1) OJ C 69, 12. 3. 1999, p. 2. (2) OJ L 225, 12. 8. 1986, p. 43. (3) OJ C 12, 13. 1. 1997, p. 1. 1. The Council acknowledges and welcomes the serious efforts made and planned by the Member States to develop and implement policies integrating people with disabilities into the labour market, in particular within the aimed at C 186/4 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 2. 7. 1999 framework of welcomes employment guidelines. equally the European employment the new impetus by strategy; the it annual goal of equal employment opportunities by sharing and exchanging their experience with all those involved in the labour market. 2. The Council underlines that the national action plans for employment provide a comprehensive platform within which the abovementioned policies should be strengthened. Member States are therefore called upon: 5. The Council encourages the Community Institutions to promote equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities within their own services, by enacting rules while taking full advantage of existing legal instruments and practices. (a) within the framework of to place particular their national employment policies, and in cooperation with the social partners and non-governmental organisations for people with emphasis on the disabilities, promotion of employment opportunities for people with disabilities and to develop suitable preventive and active policies for the specific promotion of their inte- gration into the labour market in the private sector, including self-employment, and in the public sector, 6. The Council calls upon the Commission to work together with the Member States, in particular within the framework of the European employment guidelines and in accordance with the mainstreaming principle, to monitor and analyse the development of the employment of people with disabilities on the basis of comparable data and to develop taking into consideration new strategies and campaigns, national, regional and local differences. (b) to make full use of the existing and future possibilities of the in particular the European Structural European relevant Community Fund, initiatives, to promote equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities, Funds, and Social (c) also in the above context, to attach particular attention to the possibilities offered by the development of the information society for opening new employment for people with opportunities but also challenges disabilities. 3. The Council welcomes the initiative of the social partners at European level to identify good practices and invites the social partners at all levels to play an increasing role in creating improved employment opportunities and negotiated work organisation changes in cooperation with people with disabilities. 7. The Council affirms that, in the framework of a coherent global policy, equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities will be enhanced if specific attention is given employees, to promotion, life-long learning and development, and protection against unfair dismissal, and appropriate support provided in areas such as: recruitment training, retention and of - workplace accommodation, such as technical equipment including access to new information and communication technologies, - access to the place of work, - qualifications and skills required at work, and - access to vocational guidance and placement services. 4. The Council invites people with disabilities themselves and their organisations to make their contribution towards the 8. The Council notes the Commission’s intention to make a proposal for a legal instrument covering equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities