Doc. 9362

5 February 2002

Access to jobs at the Council of Europe for people with disabilities

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mr Michel Dreyfus-Schmidt and others

      Our Assembly has always sought to ensure equality of opportunity for the citizens of the forty-three member states.

      Implementation by the Council of Europe of a policy of priority access to certain posts, as they become vacant, would have two advantages:

-       it would show the importance of an active policy of vocational integration of people with disabilities, who cannot be expected to make do with financial allowances alone;

-       it would demonstrate the feasibility of such integration through employment.

      People with disabilities should therefore be paid special attention and, where appropriate, be given the benefit of positive discrimination so as to restore genuine equality of opportunity.

      There are any number of jobs which people with disabilities can do: for instance, people whose sight is impaired are able to work as switchboard operators, and most specialised institutions in fact give special training in this work.

      Similarly, hearing impairment is no barrier to entering bibliographical data in computer systems.

      The Assembly accordingly resolves that, notwithstanding any provision on the organisation's current conditions of recruitment, access to jobs with the Council of Europe should be facilitated, as posts become vacant, for people with a disability that does not prevent them from performing the relevant duties.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed : ¹

Dreyfus-Schmidt, France, SOC

Durrieu, France, SOC

Alís Font, Andorra, SOC

Arnold, Denmark, LDR

Briane, France, EPP/CD

Brînzan, Romania, SOC

Clerfayt, Belgium, LDR

Debarge, France, SOC

Dedja, Albania, SOC

Ehrmann, France, LDR

Evin, France, SOC

Galoyan, Armenia, EPP/CD

Gierek, Poland, SOC

Glesener, Luxembourg, EPP/CD

Grignon, France, EPP/CD

Grzesik, Poland, EPP/CD

Henry, Belgium, SOC

Hunault, France, EDG

Janowski, Poland, EPP/CD

Jaskiernia, Poland, SOC

Jung, France, SOC

Kestelijn-Sierens, Belgium, LDR

Le UELn, France, SOC

Legendre, France, EDG

Lemoine, France, SOC

Mariot, France, SOC

Markowski, Poland, EPP/CD

Masson, France, EDG

Mattei, France, LDR

Mikkelsen, Denmark, SOC

Mitterand, France, SOC

Naudi Mora, Andorra, LDR

Neguta, Moldova, UEL

Olteanu, Romania, SOC

Pasternak, Poland, SOC

Pintat Rossell, Andorra, LDR

Podgórski, Poland, SOC

Prisăcaru, Romania, SOC

Roudy, France, SOC

Tepshi, Albania, EPP/CD

Wielowieyski, Poland, EPP/CD

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group