Council Resolution of 17 June 1999 on equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities
Date: 1999-06-17
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: disabled person, equal treatment, job access

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 (cid:145)give
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 market(cid:146);

(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:
(cid:145)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.(cid:146);

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 (cid:145)Raising employment
disabilities (cid:151) the common challenge(cid:146), 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,

(cid:151) Convention 159 and Recommendation 168 of the Inter-
national Labour Organisation concerning vocational
rehabilitation and employment
(disabled persons) of
20 June 1983,

(cid:151) the Council of Europe Recommendation No R(92) 6 of
9 April 1992 for a coherent policy for disabled people,
and

(cid:151) 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

(cid:151) workplace accommodation, such as technical equipment
including access to new information and communication
technologies,

(cid:151) access to the place of work,

(cid:151) qualifications and skills required at work, and

(cid:151) 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.