FIMITIC Executive Board meeting in Slovak Republic: Implementing rights of participation of disabled people

The FIMITIC Executive Board met on October 3-4, 2003 in Bratislava to reflect the historically achieved during half a century of the Federations´ existence and at the same time to ensure further on that the role and involvement of people with physical disability will be incorporated in any decision on their working and living conditions.It is most essential that the rights of involvement and participation of disabled people are translated into practice if the expanded EU is to form a cohesive entity in a huger area taking into account the variety of their traditions and experiences and adoption of the aquis communautaire, i.e. the EU existing rules and standards, before they can join. The fears of disabled people in the candidate countries can be well understood.

The role of membership and the use of accreditation for the purpose of regular monitoring of designated bodies, the forthcoming Women and Disability Conference 2003 and the policy action towards the European Parliament elections in May 2004 were pooled with forces by the Board.

The Bratislava Board debates have clearly shown that many countries are cutting down heavily on social expenditure, however stating that the difficult general market economy conditions should not be allowed to negatively affecting the life of people with disability. Situation reports demonstrated from Italy and Germany with regard to the crucial social security and health system changes were unanimously leading to the consensus to immediately elaborate a FIMITIC action concept accordingly.

The FIMITIC member associations will be contacted in due course by means of recommendations and clear campaign rules on how to react in the individual member countries during the month to come.

An Italian national campaign with an widest possible political approach towards unfavourable measures in the pension scheme of civil invalids, planned by the government and authorities, was recently started by ANMIC (National Association of Disabled and Civil Invalids). A letter was send to all Italian Parliamentarians showing the significance of the present social welfare in Italy. The action will be followed on October 24, 2003 by a national demonstration of the disappointed disabled people who are not heard so far, underlining the basic regulation needs and with the aim to bolster the information exchange for urgent dialogue and cooperation, organized by ANMIC jointly with the three great Italian Unions.

This procedure experienced in the action field to be positioned first and taken in consideration as one of possible options for the partner associations representing disabled people within the other FIMITIC member countries as well.

More can be read from the ANMIC letter in English language or from the ANMIC website in Italian language