The European Forum on Disability, an organization that defends the interests of 50 million disabled persons in Europe, has expressed satisfaction about the approval of the European Constitution that reaffirms the principle of non-discrimination as one of the objectives of the European Union. The Forum shares the recent statements of the incoming President of the European Commission Josè Manuel Durao Barroso concerning his project to “place the European Commission in the vanguard in the promotion of freedom, civil rights and non-discrimination”. As already expressed in a letter sent to Barroso on 22 October, the European Forum on Disability regards with extreme favour the proposal “to establish a special Committee of EU Commissioners that would specifically deal with questions of discrimination and fundamental rights”. “We believe that a cross-party approach at the highest political levels says the European Forum is the best way to combat discrimination, in conformity with article 13 of the European Constitutional Treaty”. Moreover, the Forum insists, “the direct involvement and consultation of the organizations that represent those who have direct experience of discrimination, must also be a key element of this future strategy, so as to make the work fruitful at all levels”. The European Forum also calls for the adoption of new European legislation to combat discrimination against the disabled.
