CELEX: 51997PC0076
Language: en
Date: 1997-03-04
Title: Amended Proposal for a COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION on a parking card for people with disabilities

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                    Brussels, 04.03.1997
                                    COM(97) 76 final
                                    95/ 0353 (SYN)
                 Amended proposal for a
            COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION
                          on a
      parking card for people with disabilities
(presented by the Commission pursuant to Article 189 a(2)
                    of the EC Treaty)
 ---pagebreak---  ---pagebreak---                         EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
Following the opinion of the European Parliament at the first reading on 13
December 1996, the Commission presents to the Council, pursuant to article 189A
paragraph 2 of the EC-Treaty, an amended proposal for the recommendation. The
amended text covers in principle the following types of amendments:
       - throughout the whole text the term "disabled people" or disabled persons"
       has been replaced by "people with disabilities" in order to conform with the
       terminology used by the Commission since the adoption of the
       "Communication on Equality of opportunity for People with Disabilities"
       (COM(96) 406 final of 30 July 1996);
       - some amendments or additional texts aim at clarifying the text;
       - one amendment makes explicit the use of the European model parking card
       in relation to the already existing parking cards;
       - some amendments concern the indications to be put on the reverse side of
       the parking card;
       - due to the lengthy nature of the co-operation procedure the dates of
       application and information have been amended to facilitate Member Sates;
Nevertheless, the amended proposal of the Commission keeps to the structure and
the objectives of the initial proposal, but develops and clarifies some of the
provisions.
                                           /-
 ---pagebreak---        ORIGINAL PROPOSAL                                       AMENDED PROPOSAL
                                                            (The original text remains unchanged
                                                           unless there is an entry in this column)
Draft Council Recommendation on a parking               Proposal for a Council Recommendation on a
card for disabled persons                               parking card for people with disabilities
The Council of the European Union,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the
European Community, and in particular Article
75(1 )(c) thereof,
Having regard to the draft for a recommendation         Having regard to the proposal for a
submitted by the Commission,                            recommendation submitted by the Commission,
In co-operation with the European Parliament1,
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic
and Social Committee2,
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of
the Regions3,
Whereas the reciprocal recognition of a parking         Whereas the reciprocal recognition of a parking
card for disabled persons based on a standardised       card for people with disabilities based on a
Community model was advocated by the                    standardised Community model was advocated by
Commission in its communication on a medium             the Commission in its communication on a
term social action programme (1995-1997),               medium term social action programme (1995-
forwarded to the Council, the European                  1997), forwarded to the Council, the European
Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee           Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee
and the Committee of the Regions on 12 April            and the Committee of the Regions on 12 April
 19954, and also in its report of 26 November           1995, and also in its report of 26 November 1993
 1993 to the Council on the measures to be taken        to the Council on the measures to be taken in the
in the Community regarding the accessibility of         Community regarding the accessibility of
transport to persons with reduced mobility5;            transport to persons with reduced mobility;
Whereas it is stated in Title I, section 26 of the      Whereas it is stated in Title I, section 26 of the
Community Charter of the Fundamental Social             Community Charter of the Fundamental Social
Rights of Workers that all disabled persons,            Rights of Workers that all people with
whatever the origin and nature of their                 disabilities, whatever the origin and nature of
disablement, should be entitled to additional           their disablement, should be entitled to additional
concrete measures aimed at improving their              concrete measures aimed at improving their
social and occupational integration; whereas such       social and occupational integration; whereas such
measures should concern, in particular, according       measures should concern, in particular, according
to the capacities of the beneficiaries, accessibility,  to the capacities of the beneficiaries, accessibility,
mobility and means of transport;                        mobility and means of transport;
4
     COM(95) 134
5
     COM(93) 433
                                                       i 6
 ---pagebreak---  Whereas a private car constitutes, for many         Whereas a private car constitutes, for mimy
disabled people who are unable to use public        people with disabilities who are unable to use
transport, the only means of getting about          public transport, the only means of getting about
independently for purposes of occupational and      independently for purposes of occupational and
social integration; whereas, in certain             social integration; whereas, in certain
circumstances and with due regard to road safety,   circumstances and with due regard to road safety,
it is onlyrightthat disabled persons should be      it is onlyrightthat people with disabilities should
enabled, by means of a designated parking card,     be enabled, by means of a designated parking
to park their car as near to their destination as   card, to park their car as near to their destination
possible; whereas disabled people should thus       as possible; whereas people with disabilities
have the opportunity to avail themselves of the     should thus have the opportunity to avail
facilities provided by the said parking card        themselves of the facilities provided by the said
throughout the European Community in                parking card throughout the European
accordance with the national rules applying in      Community in accordance with the national rules
the respective countries;                           applying in the respective countries;
Whereas, in view of the fact that parking cards     Whereas, in view of the fact that parking cards
for disabled persons may come within the remit      for people with disabilities may come within the
of regional authorities, the Committee of the       remit of regional authorities, the Committee of
Regions should be consulted;                        the Regions should be consulted;
Whereas, in accordance with the principle of        Whereas, in accordance with the principle of
subsidiarity, Community action is necessary to      subsidiarity, Community action is necessary to
ensure that parking cards for disabled persons are ensure that parking cards for people with
readily recognised on a reciprocal basis and to     disabilities are readily recognised on a reciprocal
facilitate freedom of movement for disabled         basis and to facilitate freedom of movement for
people enabling them also to participate in tourist people with disabilities enabling them also to
activities, thereby avoiding the practical problems participate in tourist activities, thereby avoiding
which divergent national models may present for the practical problems which divergent national
disabled people and supervisory officials;          models may present fat people with disabilities
                                                    and supervisory officials;
Whereas, for the purposes of the common             Whereas, for the purposes of the common
transport policy and with a view to helping to      transport policy and with a view to helping to
improve road traffic safety, which includes car     improve road traffic safety, which includes car
parking, it is desirable that there should be a     parking, it is desirable that there should be a
Community-model parking card for disabled           Community-model parking card for people with
persons recognised reciprocally by the Member       disabilities recognised reciprocally by the
States,                                             Member States,
                                                    Whereas the ECMT is a wider framework than
                                                    the Union within which positive action has
                                                    already been taken to encourage the provision
                                                    and reciprocal recognition of parking cards for
                                                    people with disabilities (ECMT-recommendation
                                                    of 6 December 1977); whereas the progress
                                                    report relating to this recommendation and many
                                                    other reactions are in favour of further
                                                    promotion and reciprocal recognition ofnational
                                                    parking cards for persons with reduced mobility;
                                                    Whereas there must be full information provided
                                                    to cardholders on facilities available for them in
                                                    Member States;
Hereby recommends the Member States to:             Hereby recommends the Member States to:
 1.      introduce a national parking card for       1.     introduce a parking card for people with
 ---pagebreak---        disabled persons, issued in accordance             disabilities, issued in accordance with the
       with the respective national provisions, on        respective national provisions, on the basis
       the basis of the standardised Community            of the standardised Community model
       model described in the Annex;                      described in the Annex, which may be
                                                          used in parallel with the existing national
                                                          or regional parking cards within a
                                                          transition phase to be fixed by the
                                                          Member States;
       recognise reciprocally the parking cards    2.     recognise reciprocally the parking cards
       for disabled persons introduced by each            for people with disabilities introduced by
       Member State in accordance with the                each Member State in accordance with the
       standardised Community model, so that              standardised Community model, so that
       the holder of the card may benefit from the        the holder of the card may benefit from the
       associated parking facilities available in         associated parking facilities available in
       the respective countries;                          the respective countries;
       issue the parking card only to disabled     3.     issue the parking card only to people with
       persons with reduced mobility;                     reduced mobility resulting from physical
                                                          (including sensory), mental or
                                                         psychological impairments;
                                                   3a     issue an overview of the national parking
                                                          concessions of the EU Member States
                                                          when issuing a parking card;
       take the necessary steps to ensure that the 4.     take the necessary steps to ensure that the
       parking cards for disabled persons based           parking cards for people with disabilities
       on the standardised Community model,               based on the standardised Community
       and the arrangements for reciprocal                model, and the arrangements for
       recognition, are introduced by 1 January           reciprocal recognition, are introduced by 1
        1998 at the latest;                               January 1999 at the latest;
       inform the Commission, by 1 March 1998, 5.         inform the Commission, by 1 March 1999,
       of the measures taken pursuant to this             of the measures taken pursuant to this
       recommendation.                                    recommendation.
Done at Brussels,
For the Council
                      ANNEX
Provisions concerning the community-model          Provisions concerning the community-model
parking card for disabled persons                  parking card for people with disabilities
A.     The overall dimensions of the parking       A.     The overall dimensions of the parking
       card for disabled persons as per the               card for people with disabilities as per the
       Community model shall be:                          Community model shall be:
       - height: 106 mm,                                  - height: 106 mm,
       - width: 148 mm.                                   - width: 148 mm.
B.     The colour of the parking card shall be
       light blue, except for the white
       wheelchair-user symbol which shall have
       a dark blue background.
       The parking card for disabled persons       C.     The parking card for people with
 ---pagebreak---    shall be plastic-coated, with the exception       disabilities shall be plastic-coated, with
   of the space reserved for the holder's            the exception of the space reserved for the
   signature on the left-hand side of the            holder's signature on the left-hand side of
   reverse.                                          the reverse.
D. The parking card for disabled persons          D. The parking card for people with
   shall be divided vertically into two halves       disabilities shall be divided vertically into
   on both the front and reverse.                    two halves on both the front and reverse.
   The left-hand side of the front shall             The left-hand side of the front shall
   contain:                                          contain:
       the wheel-chair user symbol in white              the wheel-chair user symbol in white
       on a dark blue background;                        on a dark blue background;
       the period of validity of the parking             the period of validity of the parking
       card;                                             card;
       the serial number of the parking card;            the serial number of the parking card;
       the name and stamp of the issuing                 the name and stamp of the issuing
       authority/organisation;                           authority/organisation;
       optional: the vehicle registration
       number.
   The right-hand side of the front shall            The right-hand side of the front shall
   contain:                                          contain:
       in capital letters, the words "Parking            in capital letters, the words "Parking
       card for disabled persons" in the                 card for people with disabilities" in the
       language(s) of the Member State                   language(s) of the Member State
       issuing the card. After a suitable space,         issuing the card. After a suitable space,
       the words "Parking card" shall appear             the words "Parking card" shall appear
       in capital letters/small type in the other        in capital letters/small type in the other
       languages of the European Union;                  languages of the European Union;
   -   the words "European Communities
       model" in the language(s) of the
       Member State issuing the card;
   - as background, the distinguishing code
     of the Member State issuing the parking
      card, as follows:
   B: Belgium             I:      Italy
   DK: Denmark           L:       Luxembourg
   D: Germany            NL:      Netherlands
   GR: Greece             A:      Austria
   E: Spain               P:      Portugal
   F: France             FIN:     Finland
   JUL: Ireland           S:       Sweden
                         UK:      United
                                  Kingdom
   surrounded by the ring of 12 stars
   symbolising the European Union.
   The left-hand side of the reverse shall            The left-hand side of the reverse shall
   contain:                                           contain:
    1. the holder's surname:                          1. the holder's surname:
    2. the holder's forename(s);                      2. the holder's forename(s);
    3. the holder's date of birth;                    3. the holder's signature or other
 ---pagebreak--- 4.    the holder's address;                      authorised mark;
5.    the holder's signature.                 4. the holder'sphotograph.
Theright-handside of the reverse shall
contain:
1. the statement:
    "This card gives entitlement to the
    special local parking facilities
    available in the Member State
    concerned";
2. the statement:                             2. the statement:
    "When in use, the card is to be affixed      "When in use, the card is to be
    to the inside of the windscreen or, in       displayed at the front of the vehicle in
    the absence of a windscreen, to the          such a way that only the front of the
    front of the vehicle in such a way that      card is clearly visible for checking
    the front of the card is wholly visible".    purposes".
With the exception of theright-handside
of thefront,entries shall be shown in the
language(s) of the Member State issuing
the parking card.
If a Member State wishes to make the
entries in a national language other than
one of the following : Danish, Dutch,
English, Finnish, French, German, Greek,
Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, it
shall draw up a bilingual version of the
parking card using one of the eleven
aforementioned languages, without
prejudice to the other provisions of this
Annex.
 ---pagebreak--- c ---pagebreak---                                                                    ISSN 0254-1475
                                                             COM(97) 76 final
                                              DOCUMENTS
EN                                                                             05
                                    Catalogue number : CB-CO-97-068-EN-C
                                                             ISBN 92-78-16252-3
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
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