Reducing exclusion” “

There are over 50 million disabled people in the Europe of the Twenty-Five; and one disabled person out of 10 encounters situations of difficulty such as architectural barriers or social discrimination: the European Union dedicated 2003, European Year of the Disabled, to them. But the difficult battle being waged by the disabled for the recognition of their rights continues without stop, thanks also to the support of many associations. DISABLED PEOPLE AND MOBILITY. “Discrimination against the disabled is contrary to every ideal of the European Union”, declared Jacques Barrot, Vice-President of the European Commission in Brussels on 16 February. Barrot announced “important social measures” to address the problem. The occasion for his announcement was the presentation of the new Regulation of the rights of disabled air passengers. “We don’t ask airline companies for the impossible – said Barrot – but only quality of service for all passengers”. News of the new Regulation was welcomed by the European Disability Forum (representing 50 million disabled European citizens), which pointed out that the “draft regulation is the first in this field at the European level”. “It’s not – commented the chairman of the Forum, Yannis Vardakastanis – just a law from which 10% of European passengers will benefit, but the recognition by the European Union that disabled persons must, each day, cope with forms of discrimination also in other fields of life, as well as in employment”. “The proposal – in the view of the Forum – provides for a high level of protection for all those in need of assistance when travelling, as well as the creation of independent structures to respond to complaints. Disabled persons will be able to receive assistance in airports and on board planes without any additional cost. It is a service that will be centralized in each airport so as to guarantee a common standard of quality. To prohibit anyone from boarding a plane due to disability will be illegal”. The contents of the draft regulation were confirmed by Barrot himself, who pointed out that “the costs of assistance to the disabled incurred by the airline companies are insignificant and that the new system will permit a reduction of costs. Assistance will in fact by organized by the airports and debited to the companies that will divide the total costs between them”. The draft Regulation now passes to the scrutiny of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, for the procedure of co-decision. Maximum priority has been invoked for its discussion. GREATER ATTENTION TO THE MENTALLY DISABLED. An “open letter” has been sent to the President of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell, to request precise and concrete “ethical and social” measures in favour of the mentally disabled. The letter is the brainchild of the association “Christians for serving”, which has long campaigned for legislative measures in favour of mental disability. Signed by the chairman of the association Franco Previte, the letter laments “the inadequate attention of the European Constitution to the question of mental handicap” and asks for “a specific regulation or resolution on those suffering from this illness that strikes ever increasing numbers of citizens of the European Union”. According to data of the ESEMD (European Study of Epidemiology of Mental Disease), cited by Previte, “1 citizen in 3 in Europe suffers from a mental disorder and 1 in 7 from depression or anxiety” confirming the words of the European Commissioner for Health, Markos Kyprianou, according to whom “mental illness is the invisible killer of Europe”. In Previte’s view, “it is not enough to promote mainly legislative and constitutional solutions of attention to physical disability, unless they are complemented by suitable ethical and social measures to respond effectively also to the needs of a psychological nature that progressively weaken the resistance of the sick, their families and European society as a whole”. “The European Ministers of Social Affairs and Labour who recently met in Luxembourg – writes Previte – invited member states of the EU to take measures to reduce the risks of social exclusion of these mentally ill and to gather data on the social, economic and public-health consequences [of mental disability]”. To this end, he concludes, “it is desirable that unity of intentions be realized, aimed at concepts of human and legislative solidarity, because the psychologically ill person is not just that, but also a citizen, a European citizen”.