The European Duty to Provide Reasonable Accommodation for People with Disabilities. Reflections Regarding the Duties’ Role in the Extinction of Employment Contracts

Abstract

The duty to provide reasonable accommodation is one of the most important measures to achieve equal opportunities of people with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation recognises the relevance of 'impairment', and it is designed to inter alia increase the employment of people with disabilities. The importance of this duty was such that it was configured in article 5 Directive 2000/78 and as a key measure in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Thus, the duty to provide reasonable accommodation has become both a European and an International norm. In light of this, this working paper aims to analyse the European configuration of the duty to provide reasonable accommodation in the workplace of People with Disabilities, and its role in the extinction of an employment contract. Specifically, this contribution seeks to assess the current configuration and effectiveness of reasonable accommodation, in light of the legal framework (Directive 2000/78) and its interpretation by the Court of Justice of the European Union. Therefore, it will examine, at a European level, the possibilities offered by the configuration of reasonable accommodation, as a mechanism for the maintenance of employment and an obstacle to termination of employment contracts of people with disabilities.