FIMITIC

Brussels, 30 May 2012 - The Vodafone Foundation has today launched the Smart Accessibility Awards, 2012. The competition calls for developers across Europe to design smartphone applications which take into consideration the needs of older people and people with disabilities.

Copenhagen, 27 May 2012 - The 15th annual general assembly of the European Disability Forum (EDF) brought the whole disability movement in Copenhagen. Among all the crucial topics, the 170 participants focused on how to make sure that the EU will deliver results on the disability strategy 2010-2020.

Copenhagen, 6th March 2012 /// The leaders of the European Disability Forum gathered on the 3^rd and 4^th of March in the capital of Denmark for their board meeting.

14 March 2012 /// During the past three months, the European Commission ran a public consultation “with a view to a European Accessibility Act”. It is important for the disability movement to express the vision of all persons with disabilities on such an important legislation. A wide consultation has been set up within EDF membership and the final details of our answer have been discussed by the leaders of the disability movement during EDF board meeting earlier this month.

20 April 2012 /// Under the auspices of the upcoming Cyprus EU Presidency, starting in July, EDF together with the Cyprus Confederation of Organisations of the Disabled, met Ms Sotiroula Charalambous the Cyprus Minister of Labour & Social Insurance in order to discuss the priorities of the disability movement. Ms Charalambous expressed her strong interest in disability issues.

> CYPRUS EU PRESIDENCY

On the eve of the launch of the European Year on Active Ageing and solidarity between Generations, the EY2012 Coalition presents its joint Manifesto and Road Map and urges all relevant actors at local, national and European level to seize the momentum of the European Year 2012 to commit to creating an age-friendly European Union that will allow everyone to live, learn, work and age with dignity.

On 12th of January, a French court found the British low-cost airline Easyjet guilty of discriminating against three disabled passengers in 2008 and 2009. The French organisation representing people with disabilities Association des Paralysés de France (APF) and the European Disability Forum (EDF) as well as the French National Disability Council (CFHE) welcome this important decision taken by a French court and based on the EU regulation.

6th December 2011 - Today, the first State of the Union on Disability was organised in Brussels. This historic meeting hosted by President José Manuel Barroso gathered Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament, Herman Van Rompuy President of the European Council, and Yannis Vardakastanis President of the European Disability Forum: the representative organisation of disabled people in Europe. Together, they discussed how to improve the lives of 80 million Europeans with disabilities and to guaranty their rights and freedom of movement.

Brussels, 1 December 2011 – The Austrian city Salzburg today won the Access City award 2012, the European prize for making cities more accessible to people with disabilities. The annual honour aims to award efforts to improve accessibility in the urban environment and to foster equal participation of people with disabilities. The European Commission commended Salzburg's long-standing commitment, coherent approach and excellent results in improving accessibility, achieved with the direct participation of people with disabilities.

The Symposium entitled “Equitable Health Services for People with Disabilities with a Focus on Low and Middle Income Countries” is being co-organized by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on 8 November 2011.