News/Press

President of the European Parliament gives his support to citizens with disabilities’ initiative “1million4disability”

President Pöttering supports the initiative of the European Disability Forum to collect one million signatures in favour of a European disability-specific directive

Brussels, 12 July 2007 – The president of the European Parliament officially expressed his support for the “1million4disability” campaign just a few days after the launch of the European Commission’s online consultation on combating discrimination in Member States and at EU level. The European Disability Forum, the European platform representing the interests and defending the rights of 50 million people with disabilities in the European Union, leads this citizens’ initiative. The aim of the campaign is to collect signatures in favour of strong, comprehensive legislation that will be effective in protecting people with disabilities from discrimination in all fields of life, in line with the recently adopted UN Convention on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, which has been signed by the European Community.

Hans-Gert Pöttering has declared with regards to the “1million4disability” campaign: “European values have their fundamental roots in the dignity of the individual. In the dignity of the individual we respect the other, make a commitment, and thus build a system based on responsibility and solidarity. In our practical political activities we should always serve the dignity of the individual, and I would like to encourage all of us to defend human dignity and human rights throughout the world.

The European Parliament has supported the call for disability-specific legislation on a number of occasions. In light of the signature of the European Communities and its Member States of the UN Convention of Persons with Disabilities, the European Parliament would like to renew its commitment to non-discrimination and equality for persons with disabilities in Europe and beyond. I therefore wholeheartedly support this initiative of the united European disability community in favour of the disability-specific directive.”

So far, the 1million4disability campaign, launched in January 2007, has gathered more than 300,000 signatures electronically and manually in the EU-29. On the 4th October, an official gathering of disability delegations from all over Europe will take place in Brussels with the aim of demonstrating support for the adoption of improved European disability legislation.