On 5th May, disabled people, friends and allies across Europe will be marking the 7th European Independent Living Day. This year’s theme, proposed by the European Network on Independent Living, is LIBERTY. By choosing LIBERTY as the 5th May theme, we want to raise awareness about the fact that disabled people are often deprived of…
The European Network on Independent Living is deeply concerned about the continued institutionalisation of disabled people in Hungary, and the Government’s plans to build new institutions. MEOSZ – the National Federation of Associations of Persons with Physical Disabilities, a member of ENIL, set out a list of current problems in the country, with regard to…
On 20th February, our Petition in relation the use of Structural Funds in Bulgaria was discussed by the Petitions (PETI) Committee in the European Parliament. The petition was submitted in 2018 by our member, the Centre for Independent Living (CIL) Sofia in Bulgaria, and has been supported by ENIL, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee and the…
Traditionally, Independent Living, Personal Assistance or even De-institutionalisation were not among the priorities of the governments and the “official” disability movement in Greece. Last years, these issues started to be slowly addressed, because of the pressure by Greek and international disabled Independent Living (IL) activists, as well as because of the UN Convention on the…
The 2019 Freedom Drive, organised by the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL), took place on 1 – 3 October in Brussels, under the motto “Loud and Proud”. The 9th edition of ENIL’s main campaigning event was special in two respects – it marked the 30th Anniversary of the European Independent Living movement and attracted…
Independent Living means freedom of choice. This includes the right to travel freely, regardless of your access needs. Unfortunately, disabled people still face many barriers and challenges when using the transport in European cities. Inaccessible transportation makes it more difficult for all people with access needs to go to work, go to school or just…
My name is Laura Alčiauskaitė. I have just joined the ENIL team as a coordinator of TRIPS project. The main idea of this project is to make the urban transport more accessible for everyone. People with disabilities are the ones facing challenges while travelling, so they will be actively involved in the project by sharing…
21-28 June 2020, European Youth Centre Strasbourg, France The study session will take place in Strasbourg, France from the 21st to 28th of June 2020. This includes 6 full days of programme (22-27 June 2020) and two travel days (21st and 28th June 2020). Coordinated by European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) Youth Network and…
It is morning in the special residential home ‘Michel Chapuis’ near Lyon, brand new and run by the association OVE; it was opened only a year ago (9 years after France ratified the UN CRPD). Tom (modified name) is a young autistic man who was placed in this institution without being asked what he actually…
Time to celebrate or to take to the streets? 20 years since the closure of Sweden’s larger institutions for disabled people. It has been 20 years since Sweden’s deadline for the closure of country’s larger institutions, on January 1, 2000. People who have spent a short time or up to a whole lifetime, sometimes 70…
On 16th January, the European Expert Group on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care (EEG) marked 10 years of its work by organising a conference on deinstitutionalisation, supported by the European Commission. ENIL (with the European Coalition for Community Living) has been a member of the EEG since the very beginning, when it was…
In its recent board meeting, the new Board of the ENIL Youth Network elected its new chair and vice-chairs. As the new chair, it decided to elect Fatma Bulić (Bosnia and Herzegovina), while for the position of vice-chair it decided to appoint both Miroslava Ivanović (Montenegro) and Charlie Willis (United Kingdom). Below you can read…
Last week, Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli announced that a new Disability Equality Strategy will be put in place, replacing the one that expires in 2020. The work to shape the new strategy has begun and today, the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL Committee) debated a draft resolution on the EU disability…
As we schedule our ‘out of office’ replies at the European Network on Independent Living and start counting down to the end of yet another year, I would like to briefly reflect on 2019 and what it meant for us. Firstly, we will remember this year by turning 30 and taking the first steps into…
On 2 December, the European Network on Independent Living, Disability Rights International (DRI) and the Validity Foundation organised an event in the European Parliament entitled ‘Group Homes – A Defensible Investment?’. The event was hosted by MEP Julie Ward (Socialists & Democrats) and took place in the framework of the European Disability and Development Week,…
This December, the ENIL Youth Network elected its new Board, for the second time after its establishment. They have replaced the previous Board, composed of Rados Keravica (Serbia – chair), Rebecca Farren (UK – vice-chair), Andrey Sosnov (Russia), Beyza UnaI (Turkey), Marijeta Mojasevic (Montenegro) and Kamil Goungor (Greece – only for the first year). The…
Being a member of ENIL for four years, and half of that time using the chance to be part of ENIL Youth Network Board gave me the opportunity to become its representative at Advisory Council on Youth of Council of Europe. It is a privilege and an honor for one disability rights activist. My mandate…
In Brussels, 10 December 2019 – To mark the International Human Rights Day, the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL is launching its second Myth Buster, this time on “EU Funds and Independent Living”. Illustrated by our European Solidarity Corps volunteer, Hatiye Garip, and published as part of the “EU Funds for Our Rights”…
Today, disabled people all over the world celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Just one day after the new European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, takes office, the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) highlights five key demands of Europe’s Independent Living movement for the new Commission. Rather than the usual…
On behalf of the newly elected Board of the European Network on Independent Living, we would like to say hi to all our members and Newsletter subscribers, and thank our members for trusting us to lead the organisation in the next two years. As newly elected Co-chairs, we wish to tell you a bit about…
