FIMITIC

European Disability Forum participated in the meeting about the situation and future of the collective campaign on the Equal Treatment Directive. The other organizations present were ILGA-Europe, the Social Platform, the European Youth Forum, the European Network Against Racism, the European Women’s Lobby, and the AGE Platform Europe. The report covers the work of the day, the main ideas floated, and conclusions.

2 September 2010 - All 147 countries who signed the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities are meeting once a year to exchange views on how to put it into practice. The 3rd Conference of State Parties since the Convention entered into force in 2008 is held in New-York from 1 to 3 September 2010. EDF is proud to announce that two of its executive members are now part of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

09 June 2010 - The European social affairs Ministers met 7-8 June in Luxembourg and adopted a resolution on the new European disability framework. Although the Council is calling for the inclusion of persons with disabilities by mainstreaming disability issues, the European Disability Forum (EDF) urges the Ministers to define concrete indications, targets and commitments to concretely improve the life of 65 millions Europeans with disabilities.

EDF President met the European Ombudsman on 28 May in Athens to discuss possible ways of cooperation.

More issues were on the agenda of the meeting, among which the Article 33.2 of the CRPD and the relations with the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA).

The complete minutes of the General Assembly will be soon available on the Members’ Only website. In the meantime, here there are a few highlights of this year’s AGA.

16 April 2010 - The European Disability Forum EDF, the voice of 65 million European citizens with disabilities, met the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy to ensure that the strategy Europe 2020 will include the Disability Pact in its flagship priorities.

On 16 April 2010 Herman Van Rompuy received the leaders of the European disability movement Yannis Vardakastanis, EDF President, and Pierre Gyselinck, President of the Belgian Disability Forum. The new permanent President of the European Council stressed “I understand the necessity of a new approach to disability policies in the EU.”

21 March 2010 - The European Disability Forum (EDF), the voice of 65 million European citizens with disabilities, met in Thessaloniki, Greece and adopted the Disability Pact declaration. This is to ensure that the strategy EUROPE 2020, to be embraced by the European Council next week, will include the Disability Pact as one of its flagship priorities. Yannis Vardakastanis, President of EDF, stressed that: “The Disability Pact is the best policy instrument to ensure real mainstreaming of disability in the European Union by promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and by developing a strong agenda engaging both the EU Institutions and Member States”.

29 January 2010 /// On 27 January 2009, the renewed Disability Intergroup of the European Parliament and the European Disability Forum toasted the New Year in Brussels at a very well-attended event. The new President of the Intergroup - for the first time a person with a disability himself, - and the disability movement presented the Disability Pact to a hundred of activists and 20 MEPs from various political groups and nationalities.

“The historic day for persons with disabilities”

18 January 2010 /// Last Friday, Emil Boc, Prime Minister of Romania received the European Disability Forum to exchange views on how to reinforce the participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations in the decision-making process at the national level.

Europe celebrates the Day of Persons with Disabilities – Creating conditions for independent living.

To mark the European Day of People with Disabilities, the European Commission organized in cooperation with EDF a conference in Brussels on 3 and 4 December. Representatives from the disability movement and decision-makers focused on "Creating conditions for independent living". The Conference's goal was to contribute to a better understanding of issues related to independent living, in particular economic autonomy, community services and assistive technologies.