No C 272/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 25. 10. 89 
Proposal for a Council Decision concerning the further development of the Handynet system in 
the context of the Helios programme 
COM(89) 450 final 
(Submitted by the Commission on 3 October 1989) 
(89/C 272/13) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Articles 128 and 
235 thereof, 
Having regard to Council Decision 88/231/EEC of 18 
April 1988 establishing a second Community action 
programme for disabled people (Helios) ('), and in 
particular Article 4 (2) thereof and the provision 
contained in point 2 (d) of the Annex thereto, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Whereas the resolution of the Council and of the repre­
sentatives of the governments of the Member States 
meeting within the Council of 21 December 1981 on the 
social integration of handicapped people (J) sets out to 
promote the development and availability of technical 
aids, the pooling of information and experience in the 
field and the application of new technologies, so as to 
facilitate the communication, mobility and employment 
of handicapped people; whereas the Commission was 
invited to continue its efforts by pooling the information 
and taking into account the existing national information 
systems and ensuring an exchange of information 
between the services involved in framing and 
implementing social integration measures, including 
representatives of handicapped people; 
Having regard to the opinion of the European 
Parliament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, Whereas the Council Recommendation 86/379/EEC of 
24 July 1986 on the employment of disabled people in 
the Community (4) advocates the development, for the 
benefit of disabled people, their families and the 
professionals concerned, of a system of information and 
advice covering technical aids an other questions of 
importance to disabled people; 
Whereas the principal objective of the Helios programme 
is to develop, in the fields of vocational training and 
rehabilitation, economic integration, social integration 
and independent way of life for disabled people, a 
Community approach based on the best innovatory 
experience in the Member States; whereas one of the 
general measures intended to achieve that objective 
consists in developing the European Community compu­
terized information system on disability questions in the 
official languages of the Community, referred to as 
Handynet, using new information technologies for the 
collection, updating and exchange of information; 
Whereas, in its resolution of 27 June 1974, establishing 
an initial Community action programme for the voca­
tional training of handicapped persons (2), the Council 
states that the aim is to improve the general level of 
information on the problems of handicapped persons and 
invites the Commission to implement measures, seeking 
in particular, the assistance of associations for handi­
capped persons; Whereas, in its conclusions of 12 June 1989 on the 
employment of disabled people in the Community (s), 
the Council considers that one of the main aspects of the 
policy of occupational integration of disabled people is 
to inform all the parties involved and invites the Member 
States and the Commission to develop measures to 
achieve a better knowledge of the social realities of 
disabled people and of their situation in relation to 
employment; 
Whereas, in a more general field than that of the inte­
gration of the disabled, the Council advocates, by means 
of Decision 88/524/EEC of 26 July 1988 concerning the 
establishment of a plan of action for setting up an infor­
mation services market (6) the establishment of a 
European information market observatory in order to 
keep the Commission informed in drawing up its policy, 
the improvement of the conditions for transmitting and 
accessing information services, in particular, through 
greater standardization and simplification and the 
(') OJ No L 104, 23. 4. 1988, p. 38. 
(2) OJ No C 80, 9. 7. 1974, p. 30. (3) OJ No C 347, 31. 12. 1981, p. 1. 
(4) OJ No L 225, 12. 8. 1986, p. 43. 
(5) OJ No C 173, 8. 7. 1989, p. 1. 
(') OJ No L 288, 21. 10. 1988, p. 39. 
25. 10. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 272/11 
launching of pilot and demonstration projects which will 
act as catalysts for the development of a European 
market, and, by means of its resolution of 19 June 1989 
on the implementation of a plan of priority actions in the 
field of statistical information: Statistical Programme of 
the European Communities (1989 to 1992) (*), the 
accomplishment, in the short term, of progress in 
connection with the European social area, in order to 
provide the statistical back-up for programmes to 
improve the living and working conditions of citizens; 
Whereas the Commission's consultations with the 
members instituted by Article 7 of Decision 88/231/EEC 
of the Advisory Committee (Helios) and the Liaison 
Group (Helios) as well the cooperation with the repre­
sentatives of users and suppliers of information as well as 
with international experts have made it possible to 
define, in the light of studies and the experience of 
existing data bases in certain Member States, the general 
design of the Handynet system and to resolve the 
complex technical problems connected in particular with 
its multilingual nature; 
Whereas, during the initial phase relating to the coordi­
nation and further development of the Handynet System 
(May 1988 to end of 1989), the Commission has, in 
accordance with the Helios programme, applied priority 
to the further development and updating of 'Handyaids' 
as the first module of the Handynet system; whereas the 
Council has agreed to review this system and to take a 
decision concerning the terms for its continuation by 
1 January 1990, on the basis of the report submitted by 
the Commission; 
Whereas the first module of the Handynet system will 
have implications on the social level insofar as it will 
make a considerable contribution towards improving the 
fundamental conditions for the integration of the 
disabled, technical aids constituting a primary 
consideration in the training and vocational rehabili­
tation, employment, education, and autonomous living 
of persons in this category, in particular from the point 
of view of their mobility, and their return home; 
Whereas, on the economic level, it is recognized that 
information plays a fundamental role in the development 
of commerce and industry by contributing to the vigour 
and coherence of the European economy as a whole; 
whereas this first module of the Handynet system will 
ensure transparency in a specific sector of the European 
market and will doubtless have many beneficial effects 
for the disabled in terms of quality and price of products 
by stimulating consumption, production and competition, 
thus giving rise to economies of scale at the level of both 
production and distribution; whereas the effects of the 
transparency of the Community market will also serve 
the interests of those in charge of social policy who, at 
national, regional or local level, assume a considerable 
part of the burden of financing technical aids; 
(') OJ No C 161, 28. 6. 1989, p. 1. Whereas, owing to the economic and social importance 
of information, the European dimension of the 
Handynet system is a consideration which cannot be 
divorced from the completion of the internal market by 
the end of 1992; 
Whereas the development of the Handynet system, 
described in the Commission report submitted to the 
Council and highlighted in two demonstrations in 1988 
and 1989, justifies the further development of this system 
at European level in the various fields of integration on 
the basis of modules relating respectively to prevention, 
functional rehabilitation, technical aids, education and 
training, employment, mobility and transport, creativity, 
sport and other leisure activities, in order gradually to 
satisfy the needs, aspirations, and potential of more than 
30 million people affected by serious handicaps caused 
by physical or mental impairment in the European 
Community; 
Whereas, with a view to ensuring efficiency, the fields of 
the Handynet system to be implemented by way of 
priority in the years 1990 and 1991 should be defined; 
whereas the first step therefore should be the finalization 
and entry into operation of the Handyaids module 
during first half of 1990; whereas, in accordance with 
the invitation from the Council of 12 June 1989, work 
should begin on the implementation of another module 
of the Handynet system so as to achieve a better 
knowledge of the social realities affecting disabled 
people and of their situation in relation to employment; 
Whereas the amount necessary for carrying out the 
priority activities provided for under the Handynet 
System in the years 1990 and 1991 is comprised in the 
amount estimated necessary for the activities of the 
Helios programme as a whole, 
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 
Article 1 
The European Community computerized information 
system on disability questions, known as Handynet shall 
be continued under the Helios programme for the period 
1 January 1990 to 31 December 1991. 
Article 2 
Within the amount estimated necessary for the Helios 
programme, priority shall be given to the following acti­
vities : 
— completion and putting into operation of the 
Handyaids module on technical aids intended for 
persons affected by impaired motor, visual, hearing, 
mental or communication faculties, 
— development of a new module relating to the 
employment of the disabled in the free economy or in 
protected jobs on the basis of data bases existing in 
the Member States.