Multistakeholder Roundtable on “Inclusion of People with Chronic Conditions in the Workplace and Combatting Discrimination” - event report

The “Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable on the Inclusion of People with Chronic Conditions in the Workplace and Combatting Discrimination” took place on 21 May 2019.

The event brought together 29 stakeholders across the spectrum of employment and social protection, with speakers comprising patients, policy makers, business representatives and researchers.

While some people with chronic conditions cannot continue their professional activity due to their health condition, many continue working or wish to do so. Employment can contribute significantly to well-being, quality of life and inclusion, provided adequate support is received. Discrimination has been identified in many instances as a principal obstacle to employment for people with chronic conditions.

The event produced a report with a number of policy recommendations, which address the different factors that contribute to the occurrence of discrimination.

One of these policy recommendations discusses the need to urgently reconsider the legal definition of disability at EU level and in a number of Member States, as it currently excludes persons living with a chronic condition from social protection in the labour market in many of them.

This report will be circulated to the European Commission and the European Parliament for their consideration, as well as to EPF’s pan-European network of 74 patient organisations and to stakeholders across the spectrum of employment and social protection.

Read the full report here.