Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, our guests from the organisations who are taking their seats in the public gallery, forgive me if I am speaking somewhat slowly, but today is the first time that our debate will be interpreted using sign language, and I would like to inform the Commission that I have also had this report translated into Braille, and this is the first time that a parliamentary assembly has done this. The report will be sent by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs to all the organisations in all our countries. It is a joy and a source of satisfaction to me to present this evening to the European Parliament the report written in response to the Commission’s communication. It also gives me grounds for hope. It is a joy because I am aware that this report has perhaps more influence than others, or at least in a more direct manner, in bringing about the Europe that I have been hoping and praying for, a humane Europe in which we are all involved and which we all hope to achieve, since we are well aware that, having achieved the single market and monetary union, the 21st century will have to try to bring about a humane European Union. Drafting this report has only served to strengthen my belief that we can only make the future of Europe attractive if we start working on a basis of solidarity, justice and respect for others. This occasion also provides me with a source of satisfaction because, although my name is on the report, it is above all the product of a new working method in which many useful contacts were fostered with the organisations for people with disabilities, which helped me to write it, particularly the European Forum for Disabled People, and I would like to acknowledge here their extremely valuable contribution to this matter. I also derive satisfaction from the high level of interest shown by my fellow Members, since they tabled over 100 amendments to the original draft. In this respect, I would like to say that out of the amendments that were recently tabled, I shall accept two amendments from the Socialist group. I would also like to thank the Commission’s Directorate-General for Education and Culture for taking part and the European Agency for Special Needs Education, which is based in Copenhagen. Lastly, the report fills me with hope because, if it is adopted by the European Parliament, it will enable many doors to be opened to the 37 million citizens who live with a disability. This report will be considered from four perspectives: firstly, ‘mainstreaming’ and the right to be different, secondly, ‘family and disability’, because it is true that a disabled person, whether an infant or an old person, is nonetheless someone’s child or parent and it is within this family environment that the most support can be found. The third perspective is to overcome obstacles and access problems. The fourth perspective is that of consultation and information. On the basis of these perspectives, we put together a number of proposals. The first is, of course, to start working on the year 2003, which is to be named the European Year of the Disabled Citizens, as announced at Nice. Secondly, we believe that it is important that a number of measures be taken in terms of access to benefits. If Italian, French, Belgian or Greek workers leave their own country to work elsewhere, they should continue to receive the benefits to which they are entitled as a disabled person. This also involves mutual recognition of cards carried by people with disabilities throughout the Union. The issue of access should also be extended to education. We all know that disabled people are not fully or properly integrated into school life. That is why I can announce now that on 26 November 2001, the first European meeting dedicated to teaching and disabilities will be held at the Senate in Paris, in conjunction with the European Academy of Medicine. The issue of access also includes transport and public buildings. We heard a speech made by Brian Crowley at the inauguration of this building. In this respect, we can announce a forthcoming directive, for example with regard to lifts. I hope that, in this directive, mandatory standards can be specified for disabled people. That is what I wanted to tell you very briefly, by pointing out that the report that is presented to you today is both a culmination and a point of departure. At a time when we often speak about ‘lobbying’, I hope that, in view of the year 2003, along with all the organisations, we can use our influence on all the Commission and Council bodies to translate these recommendations – or at least some of them – into directives, so that a European disability policy can be developed in Europe.

Political group: PPE-DE