WRITTEN QUESTION E-2333/99

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(13 December 1999)

Subject: Measures for the benefit of disabled people who practise sport and use IT networks

In view of the fact that the process of European unification and cooperation must not exclude any social group, such as the disabled, that there are 37 million disabled people in the European Union, according to figures supplied by the European Disability Forum, and that recreational sport and IT networks such as the Internet offer the disabled great opportunities to socialise and communicate, can the Commission say what initiatives to promote the practice of sport and the use of IT networks it has organised to date to enable disabled people to communicate and socialise?

What initiatives is the Commission considering promoting in the next few years?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(28 January 2000)

The Commission agrees with the Honourable Member that people with disabilities must have access to the same opportunities in order to be able to participate fully in all aspects of society, including sporting activities and new technology. This is the objective of the Community disability strategy as identified by the Communication of the Commission of 30 July 1996(1) on equality of opportunity for people with disabilities.

Organisations involved in sports for people with disabilities had an opportunity to take part in the call for proposals published at the beginning of this year to grant funding for transnational measures to combat discrimination against disabled people. Similarly, in the proposal for a Community Action Programme 2001-2006 to combat discrimination, which was adopted by the Commission on 25 November 1999(2), sport is recognised as a fundamental vehicle in promoting equal opportunities for people with disabilities. Finally, in future, as far as legal and budgetary conditions permit, the Commission intends to devote particular attention to the promotion of sport with a view to the integration of the disabled.

As far as new technology is concerned, the Commission has launched calls for proposals in the area of information technology (IT) applications and services for elderly and disabled people. The legal basis for this is TIDE (Technology Initiative for Disabled and Elderly People, 19911992), TIDE Bridge Phase (19931994), the 4th (19941998 with a budget of EUR 60 million) and 5th (19982002 with a budget of EUR 40 million) framework programmes for research and technological development (RTD). The proposals selected include RTD projects to promote independent living and better integration of elderly and disabled people into society. Some accompanying measures such as Impact also provide tools to establish and assess the best assistive technology device which can support access by elderly and disabled people to IT networks or help them to handle daily activities within the work or home environment. This also includes leisure activities.

On 8 December 1999, the Commission launched an initiative entitled e-Europe An Information Society for All(3), which proposes ambitious targets to bring the benefits of the information society within reach of all Europeans. The initiative focuses on ten priority areas, one of which is e-Participation, which aims to ensure that the development of the information society takes full account of the needs of disabled people. One of the objectives of this initiative is to make the web pages of European and national administrations accessible to disabled people.

(1) COM(96) 406 final.

(2) COM(1999) 564 final and COM(1999) 567 final.

(3) COM(1999) 687.