In recent years the European Union (eu) has sought to develop a far-reaching policy regarding persons with disabilities. However, to date, eu non-discrimination legislation does not provide any clear legal definition of what constitutes a disability. The Court of Justice of the European Union (cjeu) has attempted to fill this gap and, in several decisions, has elaborated on the concept of disability and its meaning under eu law. The cjeu, with reference to the application of the Employment Equality Directive, has explained the notion of disability mainly by comparing and contrasting it to the concept of sickness. Against this background, this article critically discusses recent case law and attempts to highlight that, even though the Court has firmly embraced the social model of disability envisaged by the un Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the boundaries between the concepts of sickness and disability remain blurred.
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M. Leonardi, ‘Defining disability — Re-defining policy’, International Journal of Integrated Care (2009), 22June2009, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2707551/, retrieved 14 April 2015.
Amongst others, L. Waddington, From Rome to Nice in a Wheelchair. The Development of a European Disability Policy (Maastricht: Europa Law Publishing, 2006); L. Waddington, ‘The European Union and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: A Story of Exclusive and Shared Competences’, Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law 18(4) (2011) 431-453; D. Hosking, ‘Staying the Course: The European Disability Strategy 2010-2020’, in: L. Waddington, G. Quinn and E. Flynn (eds.), European Yearbook of Disability Law 4(2013) pp. 73-99; D. Ferri, ‘Is there a ‘Cultural Dimension’ of eu Disability Policy? New Perspectives after the Accession to the un Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’, in: L. Zagato, D. Costantini, F. Perocco (eds.), Trasformazioni e crisi della cittadinanza sociale (Venice: Venice University Press, 2014) pp. 241-268.
D. Mabbett, ‘Some are More Equal Than Others: Definitions of Disability in Social Policy and Discrimination Law in Europe’, Journal of Social Policy 34 (2005) 215-233, p. 216. In particular, Mabbet argues that ‘it may not be possible to promote sufficient substantive equality without treating some people differently on grounds of disability. If so, it is necessary to have an idea of what constitutes a fair basis for ‘differential treatment’.
M. Oliver and C. Barnes, The New Politics of Disablement (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012) p. 14.
C. Woodhams and S. Corby, ‘Defining Disability in Theory and Practice: A Critique of the British Disability Discrimination Act 1995’, Journal of Social Policy 32(2) (2003) 159-78.
Drum, ibid., p. 28.
V. Perjul, ‘Impairment, Discrimination, and the Legal Construction of Disability in the European Union and the United States’, Cornell International Law Journal 44 (2011) 279-348, p. 290.
F. Seatzu, ‘La Convenzione delle Nazioni Unite sui Diritti delle Persone Disabili: i Principi Fondamentali’, Diritti umani e diritto internazionale 3 (2008) 535-559, p. 535.
M. Oliver, Understanding Disability: From Theory to Practice (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1996), p. 35.
C. Barnes, Disabled People in Britain and Discrimination (London: Hurst and Co., 1991).
G. Quinn, ‘A short guide to the United Nations Convention on the right of persons with disabilities’, European Yearbook of Disability Law 1 (2009) 89-114.
Perjul, supra note 21, p. 290.
Commission Communication of 30 October 2003, Equal opportunities for people with disabilities: a European Action Plan, com (2003) 650 final.
Commission Communication of 15 November 2010, European Disability Strategy 2010-2020: A Renewed Commitment to a Barrier-Free Europe, sec (2010) 1324 final.
V. Bongiovanni, ‘La tutela dei disabili tra Carta di Nizza e Convenzione delle Nazioni Unite’, Famiglia e Diritto, 3(2011) 310-320, also available online: http://www.iusme.it/contributi/04%20-%20Veronica%20Bongiovanni.pdf, retrived 14 April 2015, M. Olivetti, ‘Uguaglianza. Art. 26 Inserimento dei disabili’, in: R. Bifulco, M. Cartabia, A. Celotto (eds.), L’Europa dei diritti. Commentario alla Carta dei diritti fondamentali dell’Unione Europea (Bologna: Il Mulino, 2001) pp. 202-209; C. Hanau, ‘Handicap’, in: Digesto delle Discipline Pubblicistiche, viii (Turin: Utet, 2003) p. 67.
S.L. Greer and T. Sokol, ‘Rules for Rights: European Law, Health Care and Social Citizenship’, European Law Journal 20(1) (2014) 66-87.
L. Waddington, ‘Case C-13/05, Chacón Navas v. Eurest Colectividades sa, judgment of the Grand Chamber of 11 July 2006’, Common Market Law Review 44(2) (2007) 487-499.
Para. 43 C-13/05, supra note 70.
F. Evangelista, ‘Malattia e handicap, distinte le tutele Ue’, Diritto e giustizia, 34 (2006) 100-101; G. Giappichelli, ‘La Corte di Giustizia si pronuncia sulla nozione di handicap: un freno alla vis espansiva del diritto antidiscriminatorio?’, Riv. it. dir. lav. 4 (2007) 758-775.
Para. 56, Case C-13/05, C-13/05, supra note 70.
Waddington, supra note 75, pp. 487-499.
Case C-303/06, supra note 55.
L. Waddington, ‘Case C-303/06, S. Coleman v. Attridge Law and Steve Law, Judgment of the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of 17 July 2008’, Common Market Law Review 46(2) (2009) 665-681. With reference to the implications of Coleman on the topic of discrimination of association in eu, see C. Karagiorgi, ‘The Concept of Discrimination by Association and its Application in the eu Member States’, European Anti-discrimination Law Review (2014) 25-37; D. Venturi, ‘Effettività della Tutela Comunitaria contro la Discriminazione Diretta Fondata sull’Handicap ed Estensione dell’Ambito Soggettivo della Tutela: il Caso Coleman’, Diritto delle relazioni industriali, 3(2008) 849-854.
In his Opinion of 31 January 2008, Advocate General Maduro highlighted that the Directive was adopted under former Article 13 ec and must be interpreted in light of the objectives of that Article. He referred to equality, human dignity and personal autonomy as underlying values. He stated that directly targeting someone who is disabled is one way of discriminating against him, but it is not the only way. He noted that ‘the person who is the immediate victim of discrimination not only experiences a wrong himself, but also becomes the means through which the dignity of the person belonging to a suspect classification is undermined.’ He stated that a ‘robust conception of equality entails that these subtler forms of discrimination should also be caught by anti-discrimination legislation’.
Case C-303/06, para. 46, supra note 55.
Venchiarutti, supra note 18, p. 416.
Case C-356/12, supra note 51.
Case C-354/13, para. 52, supra note 106.
Case C-354/13, para. 59, supra note 106.
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In recent years the European Union (eu) has sought to develop a far-reaching policy regarding persons with disabilities. However, to date, eu non-discrimination legislation does not provide any clear legal definition of what constitutes a disability. The Court of Justice of the European Union (cjeu) has attempted to fill this gap and, in several decisions, has elaborated on the concept of disability and its meaning under eu law. The cjeu, with reference to the application of the Employment Equality Directive, has explained the notion of disability mainly by comparing and contrasting it to the concept of sickness. Against this background, this article critically discusses recent case law and attempts to highlight that, even though the Court has firmly embraced the social model of disability envisaged by the un Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the boundaries between the concepts of sickness and disability remain blurred.
All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
---|---|---|---|
Abstract Views | 575 | 120 | 15 |
Full Text Views | 267 | 5 | 0 |
PDF Views & Downloads | 98 | 9 | 0 |