ENIL has published its Annual Report 2025, looking back at a year marked by advocacy, political work, member cooperation, youth activities, research, and public action for Independent Living.
The report opens with a tribute to John Evans OBE, one of ENIL’s founders and a key figure in the Independent Living movement in Europe. John’s work helped shape the demand that disabled people must have the support, resources and freedom to live in the community, not in institutions or segregating settings. That demand runs through the whole report.
In 2025, ENIL worked on some of the biggest issues affecting disabled people in Europe. This included the EU’s implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the use of EU funds, legal capacity, housing, personal assistance, state aid for sheltered workshops, employment in the open labour market, and deinstitutionalisation.
A major part of the year was ENIL’s work around the CRPD review of the European Union. ENIL submitted evidence, worked with partners, spoke to the CRPD Committee, and followed the review in Geneva. Many of ENIL’s points, especially on Article 19 and Independent Living, were reflected in the Committee’s recommendations to the EU.
The report also shows how ENIL pushed the issue of public money being used for segregation. ENIL challenged the use of state aid for sheltered workshops and institutions, and argued that public funding should support disabled people to work in the open labour market and live in the community.
The numbers tell part of the story. In 2025, ENIL organised 27 public events, reached just over 1,000 participants, attended 162 events, published 20 statements and position papers, produced 12 reports, and ran 3 campaigns. Behind those numbers are meetings, protests, webinars, policy papers, videos, consultations, trainings, and many conversations with members and partners.
Capacity building remained central to ENIL’s work. The report includes activities on personal assistance, Centres for Independent Living, peer support, deinstitutionalisation, and the Independent Living Pillars. ENIL also held a regional members’ meeting in Sarajevo, bringing together members from the Western Balkans and the Caucasus to share experiences and discuss common challenges.
Young disabled people were also active throughout the year. The ENIL Youth Network organised summer schools and activities on media representation, political participation, and the rights of disabled women and girls. Their work shows why young disabled people must not only be invited into the movement later. They must shape it now.
The Annual Report 2025 is not only a record of activities. It is also a reminder of what ENIL exists to do: defend the right of disabled people to live independently, with choice and control, in the community.
Read the full Annual Report 2025 here: https://shorturl.at/vzJnO
