The European Union policy for disabled people guarantees governmental responsibility for all disabled people in all of the EU's 27 member states. This policy operates in the framework of the subsidiarity principle: if possible, one should improve at the national level, though in principle the EU will refrain from setting hefty laws in this area. Through the activities of the Council of Europe and the United Nations, the EU disability policy has since been in effect in many EU countries for years.
During World War I, the disability protection system in Europe covered only war veterans and soldiers, based on the conviction that people are owed this protection when they have sacrificed for their country. This principle is also referred to in terms of a Quid pro quo duty, as the soldiers should receive something in exchange for their service.
After World War II, attitudes changed towards disability, in part because of the millions of people injured in its aftermath. Furthermore, there existed a high level of unemployment among disabled people throughout Europe. Therefore, after 1945, European states responded to this situation by forcing employers to recruit disabled veterans and this policy was later extended to cover disabled civilians.
From the beginning of the European Community (EC), the process of lawmaking within the union was subject to the conventions and declarations of the United Nations. Eventually, the EC made its own laws regarding disabled people before transitioning into the European Union (EU) in the early 1990s. Below is a timeline of legislation regarding disabled people established by the EU, or through its predecessor bodies, split into two periods, from 1945 to 1992 and from 1992-present. The first period guaranteed broad rights to persons with disabilities and non-disabled people alike, though during the second period, treaties and policies came into force which specifically focused on the rights of disabled people.
The Maastricht Treaty formally established the European Union in 1992 as the successor of the European Community.
The EU established the year 2003 as the European Year of People with Disabilities. Following the success of this event, the European Commission introduced the Equal opportunities for people with disabilities: a European action plan for the years 2004-2010. It aimed to develop a sustainable-operational approach to the case for disabled people in the extended Europe, finding out and protecting the rights of disabled people. [12]
The European Union policy for disabled people guarantees governmental responsibility for all disabled people in all of the EU's 27 member states. This policy operates in the framework of the subsidiarity principle: if possible, one should improve at the national level, though in principle the EU will refrain from setting hefty laws in this area. Through the activities of the Council of Europe and the United Nations, the EU disability policy has since been in effect in many EU countries for years.
During World War I, the disability protection system in Europe covered only war veterans and soldiers, based on the conviction that people are owed this protection when they have sacrificed for their country. This principle is also referred to in terms of a Quid pro quo duty, as the soldiers should receive something in exchange for their service.
After World War II, attitudes changed towards disability, in part because of the millions of people injured in its aftermath. Furthermore, there existed a high level of unemployment among disabled people throughout Europe. Therefore, after 1945, European states responded to this situation by forcing employers to recruit disabled veterans and this policy was later extended to cover disabled civilians.
From the beginning of the European Community (EC), the process of lawmaking within the union was subject to the conventions and declarations of the United Nations. Eventually, the EC made its own laws regarding disabled people before transitioning into the European Union (EU) in the early 1990s. Below is a timeline of legislation regarding disabled people established by the EU, or through its predecessor bodies, split into two periods, from 1945 to 1992 and from 1992-present. The first period guaranteed broad rights to persons with disabilities and non-disabled people alike, though during the second period, treaties and policies came into force which specifically focused on the rights of disabled people.
The Maastricht Treaty formally established the European Union in 1992 as the successor of the European Community.
The EU established the year 2003 as the European Year of People with Disabilities. Following the success of this event, the European Commission introduced the Equal opportunities for people with disabilities: a European action plan for the years 2004-2010. It aimed to develop a sustainable-operational approach to the case for disabled people in the extended Europe, finding out and protecting the rights of disabled people. [12]