The new year has well and truly started, and we are busy preparing new activities. This article provides a glimpse of what we have planned.
- Freedom Drive: If you haven’t already, save the date and join us in Brussels on 23 – 25th September for 3 days filled with workshops and events. We will, as usual, be out in the streets, making sure that the newly elected Members of the European Parliament and the European Commission hear our demands. You will be able to access the first version of the programme in March, and we expect to start registration in April.
- 35th Anniversary: This year, ENIL is celebrating its 35th Anniversary. As part of marking it, we will look deeper into the history of ENIL, speak to some of our founders and explore the key moments for the movement. We hope to celebrate with many of you in person, during the Freedom Drive.
- European Elections: With the European Elections coming up in June, we want to make sure that Independent Living is high on the agenda of candidates for the European Parliament. We also want to make sure that disabled people – young and old – vote. We will be updating our Toolkit on EU Elections and publishing an Independent Living manifesto. We will use the European Independent Living Day on 5th May to engage with the general public and those standing for elections, to make sure that our voice is heard.
- Personal Assistance: In March, we will present our report on Personal Assistance commissioned by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). We will also be starting Personal Assistance Watch – a series of meetings providing a space to learn and discuss different aspects of PA. Details of the first meeting in February will be shared soon.
- European Disability Rights Strategy 2021 – 2030: This year, the European Commission will publish the long-awaited Guidance on Independent Living. Last year, we published our proposal for this document and provided input through the Disability Platform, among other. We will see how much of that has been taken into account. Other policy files we will be focusing on are the European Disability Card and the European Framework for Social Services of Excellence. Our proposal will be published and presented soon.
- International cooperation: We look forward to working more actively with the Global Coalition on Deinstitutionalisation this year and will be holding webinars to unpack the Guidelines on deinstitutionalisation, including in Emergencies. We will continue working with partners in Ukraine, the World Independent Living Network, the International Disability Alliance, the International Disability and Development Consortium and others. The UN Care Agenda will remain on our radar, and we will focus on forging new partnerships to ensure alignment with Article 19 CRPD.
- Misuse of EU funds for institutionalisation: We are coming up to the middle of the current financing period 2021 – 2027, which means it is time to take stock. Are the Member States investing EU funds to support access to Independent Living, or to maintain or expand their institutional care provision? We will be collecting data, making complaints, providing recommendations, with a view to ensure that only those investments in line with the CRPD go ahead. We will continue looking into the role of state aid in maintaining institutions.
- Independent Living Survey: To keep abreast of access to Independent Living in Europe, we will launch a new series of questions and share with key contacts in those countries where we have members.
- Youth Network: Together with CEJI, our volunteers are already preparing a study session that will take place in June in Strasbourg. The Youth Network will run additional activities and help us plan the Freedom Drive. We will also welcome two new ESC volunteers – Francesca from Italy and Michael from Ireland – who will stay with us for 6 months.
- Strategic Planning: We will be speaking to our members about our new strategy, 2026 – 2029, through a series of consultations. This will help us prepare a good draft for our General Assembly, which will take place online, in the first half of 2025. A call for new Board members will also be launched at the end of the year.
- Deinstitutionalisation: In addition to activities already mentioned above, look out for the European Coalition for Community Living webinars. We will also start working on an open online course on DI, which we plan to launch next year.
For information about other activities and to sign up for our events, please make sure to subscribe to our Newsletter (at the bottom of our website) and to follow us on social media. We are active on Facebook, Instragram, X, LinkedIn and YouTube. If you are a member and are not already receiving our monthly Members’ mailing, please write to michael.goossens@enil.eu and he will add you to the list.
We look forward to seeing you at our events and hearing from you during the year!
