incluD-ed expressed its opinion on the Europe 2020 strategy
Sat, 01/11/2014
The European Network on Inclusive Education & Disability, incluD-ed, expressed its opinion during the European Public Consultation on the Europe 2020 strategy open until 31 October 2014, especially in the key areas of education and employment, following its mission to promote equal opportunities in the educational context for people with disabilities, with the aim of improving their employability and work inclusion.
- > Context
In May 2014, the European Commission (EC) opened a public consultation on the Europe 2020 (EU2020) strategy with the aim to inform about its review in 2015 and to get views and evidence of all of those involved in the implementation of the strategy including social partners, stakeholders and civil society and to learn from their experiences and best practices.
Launched in 2010, the EU2020 strategy is the Commission’s answer to cope with the economic crisis and to prepare the EU economy for the future promoting ‘smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’. The strategy conceived as a partnership between the EU and its Member States (EU MS) “aims to achieve a knowledge-based, competitive European economy while preserving the EU's social market economy model and improving resource efficiency” (EC 2014a). The EU2020 strategy identified five headline targets in the areas of employment, research and development, climate and energy, education and the fight against poverty and social exclusion as well as seven main action programmes, called "flagship initiatives", that address the “key drivers for growth, namely innovation, the digital economy, employment and youth, industrial policy, poverty and resource efficiency” (EC 2014b).
- > incluD-ed’s contribuition to the Europe 2020 strategy
incluD-ed welcomes this review of the EU2020 strategy as an opportunity to put more emphasis on inclusive education that benefits all learners in the EU and strengthens social cohesion. Several EU MS have already experienced positive results from implementing inclusive education systems for students with special educational needs. incluD-ed calls the Commission to make inclusive education an EU priority from 2015 to 2020 (and beyond) and to define clear targets related to the education, employment and social situation of people with disabilities.
incluD-ed is convinced that to advance the vision of ‘Europe 2020’ and achieve a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy in coming years, inclusive education systems need to be promoted, developed and established throughout the EU. High levels of employment, productivity and social cohesion - priorities of EU2020 - cannot be achieved without establishing inclusive education systems.
> Key messages of incluD-ed
- Given that 16% of the EU population has a disability, the EU2020 targets regarding education and employment will only be met if people with disabilities are adequately brought into the equation.
- Efforts have to be made to make the education and training systems as well as labour markets more accessible and inclusive.
- In particular, the revised Europe 2020 strategy should incorporate sub-targets specifically looking at education and working inclusion of people with disabilities.
- Those targets should be precise, compulsory and elaborated together with disability stakeholder organizations.
- Doing so will foster the collection of data on the work and educational inclusion of people with disabilities at local, regional, national and European level allowing EU comparisons and adequate policymaking.
- The revised EU2020 strategy should provide more funding and resources to improve the situation of people with disabilities ensuring their educational, working as well as social inclusion
Read the full Contribution by the European Network on Inclusive Education & Disability, incluD-ed, to the European Public Consultation on the Europe 2020 Strategy (31.10.2014) http://includ-ed.eu/resource/contribution-european-network-inclusive-education-disability-includ-ed-european-public-cons
