On the 29th of February the Freedom of Movement Campaign are launching the Freedom Guide, in the European Parliament in Brussels.
Freedom of movement between member states by European citizens is one of the cornerstones of the European Union. The Freedom of Movement Campaign seeks to remove the barriers that people with disabilities in Europe face so that we too can fully enjoy and benefit from free movement as European citizens.
The ‘Freedom Guide’ is one of the first outcomes of the Freedom of Movement Campaign. This publication combines information from people in the disability movement, experts from NGO’s and academics in relation to how Europe should be accessible and the way in which to do this. As the European Commission is in the process of working on the Accessibility Act, this Freedom Guide is a great resource of information for the European Union to creative an effective Accessibility Act.
The ‘Freedom Guide’ will be launched during a cocktail reception, organised jointly by the European Parliament Disability Intergroup and the European Disability Forum, on the 29th February 2012 at 19.00hr in the Members Private Salon, European Parliament, Brussels. If you wish to attend this event and need a visitor’s pass to access the parliament, please email aurelien.dayde@edf-feph.org before the Wednesday 22 February 2012 to register your interest.
The ‘Freedom Guide’ will also be presented in Copenhagen at the Presidency Conference on Accessibility which takes place 5th -6th March 2012.
Links:
View the Freedom guide here (or click on the image)
Find out more information about European Disability Forum at their website
Campaigners have handed the government a letter signed by hundreds of user-led organisations and disabled activists, in an effort to save the Independent Living Fund (ILF).
On the 9th February 2012 ENIL and the European parliamentary group GUE/NGL (European United Left/Nordic Green Left) held a hearing in the European Parliament. The purpose of this hearing was to show from a number of perspectives how people with disabilities are being negatively affected by the EU current austerity policies. This is the first time that ENIL has held a hearing in the European Parliament. ENIL presented its ‘Proposal for a European Parliament Resolution’ on the effect of the cuts. The hearing was received positively in the European Parliament and three Members of the Parliament participated in the hearing, Kartika Liotard, MEP, Netherlands, Cecilia Wikstrom, MEP, Sweden and Paul Murphy, MEP, Ireland. The hearing was streamed live and there was up to two hundred people watching online throughout the hearing, with approximately eighty people in the Parliament itself.
Jonas Franksson, 35, actor, journalist and debater, lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with wife and two kids. He works at the assistance cooperative STIL with advocacy and is also member of the board in STIL.
