European Year of People with Disabilities 2003

PURPOSE : to establish a European Year of People with Disabilities in 2003. COMMUNITY MEASURE : Council Decision 2001/9103/EC on the European Year of People with Disabilities 2003. CONTENT : the Decision aims to designate the year 2003 as the 'European Year of People with Disabilities'. With a budget of EUR 12 million for 2002-2003, the objectives of the European Year of People with Disabilities shall be the following: - to raise awareness of the rights of people wth disabilities to protection against discrimination and to full and equal enjoyment of their rights; - to encourage reflection on and discussion of the measures needed to promote equal opportunities for people with disabilities in Europe; - to promote the exchange of experience of good practice and effective strategies devised at local, national and European level; - to reinforce the co-operation between all the parties concerned, namely government, the social partners, NGOs, the social services, the private sector, communities, voluntary sector groups, people with disabilities and their families; - to improve communication regarding disability and promote a positive image of people with disabilities; - to raise awareness of the heterogeneity of people with disabilities and of the various kinds of disability; - to raise awareness of the multiple discrimination facing people with disabilities; - to pay special attention to awareness of the right to equality in education, so as to encourage and support their full integration in society and to promote the development of European cooperation between those professionally involved in the education of children and young people with disabilities, in order to improve the integration of pupils and students with special needs in ordinary or specialised establishments and in national and European exchange programmes. These measures are detailed in the Annex to this Decision. Community-wide measures (organisation of meetings at Community level, information and promotional campaigns - the development of a logo) may be subsidised up to 80% or give rise to procurement contracts financed from the general budget of the European Communities. With regard to measures at national level such as dissemination of best practice, the organisation of awards and campaigns, these may be co-financed from the general budget of the European Communities up to a maximum of 50% of the total cost. With regard to actions for which no financial aid from the Community is available, these include the Community offering moral support, including written authorisation to use the logo and other material associated with the European Year of People with Disabilities, etc. Each Member State shall be responsible for the coordination and implementation at national level of the measures provided for in this Decision. Global grants shall be awarded to only public-law bodies or bodies which have a public-service mission guaranteed by the Member States. The European Year of People with Disabilities shall be open to the participation of the following countries: EFTA/EEA, the candidate countries, Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, the latter'sparticipation being funded by additional appropriations in accordance with procedures to be agreed with those countries. The Commission shall submit, by 31 December 2004 at the latest, on the implementation, results and overall assessment of the measures provided for in this Decision including an assessment of the long-term effects of the measures. ENTRY INTO FORCE : 19.12.2001.�