France was reviewed by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Committee) in August 2021. Meetings with the French DPOs took place at the beginning of August. Our French members, Coordination Handicap et Autonomie – Vie Autonome France, submitted a written contribution prior to the review. In its Concluding Observations (COs), the…
The Freedom Drive began in Strasbourg in 2003, at the initiative of late Martin Naughton, the Irish Independent Living pioneer. Every two years, it brought together Independent Living activists and allies from across Europe, first in Strasbourg, then in Brussels. In 2019, when the last Freedom Drive took place, over 200 people came together for…
The year 2021 is named as the EU Year of Rail, and this shows the importance of rail for the European Union and its future. Train is one of the most sustainable modes of transport, responsible for only 0.4% of transport emissions in the EU (being in the epicenter of the EU Climate Pact and…
Hello everyone, my name is Michael Goossens and I am the new Human Rights Officer at ENIL. I am happy to be part of the team, which has welcomed me and is helping me to integrate well and have the best tools to work and advance the fight for Independent living across Europe and beyond….
Vienna and Brussels, 22 September 2021 – In July 2020, Independent Living Austria (ILA) and the European Network for Independent Living (ENIL) submitted an official complaint to the European Commission, challenging the segregation and social exclusion of disabled people in facilities co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). At the heart of…
The European Network on Independent Living – ENIL has been commissioned by the European Disability Forum (EDF) to draft a report on deinstitutionalisation and independent living in EU global actions. We are looking at how funding provided by the European Union to other countries supports or hinders progress towards the right to independent living and…
On 21 – 23 September, the European Network on Independent Living will hold its first Freedom Surf. This three-day online event will be held instead of the Freedom Drive, which was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic for 2022. The Freedom Surf will consist of a series of events, some of which are being organised…
ENIL recently started a new project called “Entrepreneurship for All”, funded by the European Union under Erasmus+. “Entrepreneurship for All” will be implemented until the end of 2022, and we are working together with organisations from Turkey and Bulgaria. The project will promote inclusive entrepreneurship, as well as inclusive learning and training methodologies on entrepreneurship…
The 12th of August is celebrated as the International Youth Day and below you can read the messages* of some of the board members of the ENIL Youth Network: Nora Eklöv: “Today it’s the International Youth Day! Children and youth are the future. I want to highlight some challenges that children and young persons with…
The European Network on Independent Living – ENIL and i-living, the Independent Living Organization of Greece, welcome the Greek Deinstitutionalisation Strategy, Action Plan and other accompanying documents, published by the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) last month. The Strategy is an important step in recognising the need to move away…
On 16- 17 September, the Committee on the Rights of the Child is holding a Day of General Discussion (DGD) on “Children’s Rights in Alternative Care”. The purpose of the DGD is to look at the situation of children in alternative care, to discuss areas of concern, to review implementation of relevant international standards, including…
Earlier this month, we started a new project – “Entrepreneurship for All” – funded by the European Union under Erasmus+. Entrepreneurship is defined as “the activity of setting up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit”. “Entrepreneurship for All” will be implemented until the end of 2022, and we…
The European Network on Independent Living – ENIL invites its member organisations, other disability rights groups, NGOs, activists, academics and others to support the Call to Action to Protect the Right to Family Life and Prevent Institutionalisation for All Children. UPDATE: The Call for Action is now available in Easy Read. Download it here. The…
At the end of May, the Director of the Cercibeja institution for disabled people, in the Portuguese region of Alentejo, was arrested after the sexual assault allegations of a 26 year-old disabled woman. In addition to the allegations of sexual violence, the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL and Centro de Vida Independente Portugal…
On Thursday, 17th June 2021, the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL and the Validity Foundation hosted a side event as part of the 14th Session of the Conference of States Parties (COSP) to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The event, entitled “Impunity for Investments in Disability Segregation…
Are you a web development agency with experience in designing beautiful and accessible WordPress websites? Are you based in Europe? Have you worked with advocacy NGOS before? If so, the European Network on Independent Living would love to hear from you. We are redeveloping our website in the second half of 2021 and invite you…
For disabled migrants and those living between cultures, too often our stories and rights are invisible in immigration conversations, and invisible in disability conversations. Moving and living between places and cultures can be exhilarating and overwhelming, fruitful and stressful. When we add disability to the mix, it’s even more complex. My name is Áine Kelly-Costello….
Celebration of the European Independent Living Day was organized through a set of different activities which started before this day and lasted during May. Topic of this year celebration was Mobility, which includes right to personal mobility (freedom of movement) of persons with disabilities, therefore it was set as a key topic of organized activities….
The European Network on Independent Living – ENIL is looking for a 3 months European Solidarity Corps volunteer, from 1 October 2021 to 31 December 2021. As a European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteer, you will work in the ENIL Brussels office and gain experience in advocating for changes in European laws and policies, as part…
On 14th June, the World Independent Living Centre Network (WIN) organised its first joint side event, with a commitment to strengthen the global Independent Living Movement and to play a role in the COVID-19 recovery. The event was organised during the 14th session of the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention on the…
