The
European Disability Forum, which is the voice of 65 million persons with
disabilities and their families in Europe, calls on the European Council,
Commission and Parliament and other European institutions and all the
Governments of Europe to ensure that people with disabilities and their
families do not pay for the developing economic crisis. The crisis is currently
developing in Greece, but already manifest in several countries across the
Eurozone and other parts of Europe.
The
European Disability Forum is extremely concerned and worried that in the
developing economic and political crisis in Europe, women and men with
disabilities of all ages, and their families, pay for the crisis by the
reduction in their income, benefits, and support and employment opportunities
or in cuts in support to our representative organisations.
We
reaffirm the statement we made in November 2008 and we reiterate that the crisis
was caused by irresponsible lending and unacceptable negligence by those in
charge of the financial institutions, government policies and the failure of regulatory
bodies of the world. Governments, as a result of the same financial
institutions and international currency speculators being bailed out by tax
payers, are forcing draconian cutbacks to pay for this greed and negligence. It
is these governments and institutions which are the cause of the crisis, who
should be made to pay for it and not persons with disabilities, other
vulnerable groups or the citizens of Europe generally. EDF expresses solidarity
with all such groups and resolves to work with them to resist the specter of
savage attacks on the living standards of the peoples of Europe designed to pay
for the greed and mismanagement of the financial sector.
The
European Union has only recently agreed to protect and develop the human rights
of all women and men with disabilities of all ages and their families by
adopting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities. Already 15 EU countries have ratified and the rest have signed
the UNCRPD. Measures of social protection and equality that have been achieved
by the struggles of persons with disabilities and other progressive forced
across Europe and which are the corner stone for social inclusion are now
gravely threatened by the financial crisis.
We
call on all Governments and EU Institutions to continue to engage in supporting
and developing policies of inclusion with concrete measures, such as outlined
in the EDF proposal for a European Pact on Disability. Persons with
disabilities and their families must be involved in all discussions about
changes in the provisions for them as they can often come up with much more
cost-effective solutions. This includes building a Europe of all its citizens
where their contribution is rewarded with the development of the best economic,
social and political future for all Europeans.