FIMITIC

With the Executive Board meeting two days ahead, at the beginning of October 2003 in Bratislava representatives of FIMITIC and its Slovak member association, the Slovak Federation of Physically Disabled People, met to discuss the present situation of disabled people in Slovak Republic and to agree on the common first steps to be taken by disabled people on their way the country will join the European Union in May of next year.

Besides official talks with the State Secretary of the Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs, Mr. Michal Horvath and members of the Disability Unit on the social policy in the Slovak Republic, especially on the social security field with view to the existing and new laws to be introduced and implemented, the dialogue between the Boards of both Federations was reopened to improve and clarify a limited number of action areas.

Among those reflections was the proposal made by FIMITIC to take stock of what has been achieved so far in the employment field, paying special attention to specific examples of good practice and to analyse what remains to be done to achieve integration of people with disabilities with possible expertise offered from the FIMITIC member countries, either by bilateral, regional or multilateral projects.

The Slovak member association organized a well visited and well run press conference, attended by interested journalists. The principle of the awareness raising mission was successfully reached.

On the occasion of its 50th Anniversary - on October 4, 2003 - FIMITIC pointed out the active role of the Slovak representatives within the international community since 1962 already, the support given in many common convictions and the challenge to serve establishing a forward looking disability strategy on the wave of a historically very important moment such as the European Year of People with Disabilities 2003.

Deliberations were led by the Presidents of the Slovak Federation of Physically Disabled People, Ing. Monika Vrablova, and the FIMITIC President, Marija Stiglic. Present was as well the Chair of the Slovak Alliance of People with Disabilities, Dr. Maria Orgonasova, and Peter Body, Member of the Slovak Parliament.