2018 was a difficult year for ENIL – just before the year began, we learnt that we had lost the European Commission operating grant, which we had for a number of years. So, at the beginning of the year, we had to say goodbye to our Director Zara Todd, who had joined us just a…
In the November issue of the Newsletter we wrote about the protest of Eduardo Jorge in front of the Portuguese Assembly on 3 December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Eduardo, who lives in a nursing home, is fighting for his right to choose where and with whom to live. During the protest, he…
With Christmas around the corner, the disability community has gathered in Brussels for the European Disability and Development Week (from 3 December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities until 7 December, Human Rights Day). For ENIL, the week started on the 2nd of December, when some of the ENIL members, staff and Board came…
Throughout the world, children with disabilities are separated from families due to stigma, discrimination, and economic marginalization. Children with disabilities are more at risk of being placed in institutions than other children, and they are often left out of deinstitutionalization and community programs. Without community-based supports to help families keep their children with disabilities, children…
This week, ENIL was contacted by Eduardo Jorge, a disabled activist from Portugal, who asked us to share information about his protest in front of the Portuguese Assembly on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, on 3 December. Eduardo lives in a nursing home and decided to protest in order to…
According to the OHCHR, General comments are a treaty body’s interpretation of the provisions of its respective human rights treaty provisions and thematic issues. As such, the purpose of a General comment is to interpret and clarify substantive provisions, not only with regard to the reporting duties of State parties but also when it comes to…
Between the 25th and 27th of September, Nadia Hadad (Board member) and Zara Todd (Senior Advisor) attended the EU Fundamental Rights Agency’s Fundamental Rights Forum in Vienna. Both Nadia and Zara are members of the EU FRA’s Fundamental Rights Platform Advisory Panel. The Forum bought together over 650 human rights champions from civil society, business,…
On 29 and 30 May, the European Commission published its proposals for the European Social Fund+ (ESF+), and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund, for the new programming period 2021 – 2027. The two legislative proposals, as well as the Common Provisions Regulation, will be negotiated with the European Parliament and…
In cooperation with Inclusion Europe, we drafted a Fact sheet on Independent Living for People with Intellectual Disabilities. The new fact sheet covers the questions of whether people with intellectual disabilities can benefit from independent living, personal assistance, and how they can be supported in making decisions and being in control of their life. Download…
On 8th June, ENIL, the Center for Independent Living Sofia and the European Disability Forum organised a conference on “Investing in Independent Living” in Sofia, Bulgaria. We decided to organise the event for several reasons – the fact that Bulgaria is holding the EU Presidency until the end of this month, to coincide with the publication…
ENIL has been busy with the EU Funds for Our Rights’ Campaign, as we mark the middle of the current programming period and more NGOs come forward with concerns about the use of EU Funds in their countries. On 11 June, we attended a Roundtable Discussion on the Deinstitutionalisation of Social Care in Croatia. The…
This year, Sumero from Bosnia and Herzegovina became an associate member of ENIL. In this article, they share information about their work. Sumero promotes human rights, advocacy and self-advocacy of intellectually disabled people to achieve social inclusion through deinstitutionalization, including the implementation of comprehensive community-based services and housing. This consists of giving disabled people the…
On 14th June, ENIL participated in the plenary meeting of the EU High Level Group on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and other forms of intolerance, organised by DG Justice at the European Commission. ENIL is part of the Facing All the Facts Project, coordinated by CEJI – A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe. The aim…
After co-hosting a seminar on the topics of the UN Open Ended Working Group on Ageing in April and ENIL’s submission to the working group, AGE Platform Europe continued the conversation at their Annual Conference on June 6th. ENIL was again represented by EVS Volunteer Miriam Graute and Advocacy Officer Frank Sioen to ensure that…
The Centre for Independent Living Sofia (CIL Sofia), the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) and the European Disability Forum (EDF) are organising a conference on investing in Independent Living, to encourage Bulgaria and other Member States to redirect funding from ‘special services’ towards individualised support and mainstream options that facilitate social inclusion and active…
ENIL continues its campaign activities and is monitoring issues related to the use of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) in several Member States: Hungary, Slovenia, France, Portugal and Romania. This involves working together with national NGOs and with representatives of the European Commission (DG EMPL and DG REGIO). New countries are being added…
In cooperation with our French members and with the support of MEP Pascal Durand, ENIL helped organise a conference earlier this month to raise awareness about the situation of disabled people and advocate for the right to independent living in France. Last year, France was visited by the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of…
On 23 – 26 July, the Ninth Working Session of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWGA) will take place at the UN headquarters in New York. OEWGA was established by the UN General Assembly in 2010, in order to look at the existing international framework on the human rights of older persons and identify…
On 16th March, the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) took part in a roundtable in the Croatian Parliament, organised by Platform 112 and hosted by the Member of Parliament Bojan Glavašević. Platform 112 is a coalition of civil society organisations – among them the Association for Self-Advocacy – focused on promoting the rule of law.
Towards the end of last year, ENIL, in cooperation with Nic Crosby (GatherBuildWork), decided to relaunch and reinvent the European Coalition for Community Living (ECCL), as an open platform and a resource for supporting independent living and the closure of institutions for disabled people.
