On 17 September 2020, the European Commission published the Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy (ASGS) for 2021. In normal circumstances, the ASGS is the guide for the European Semester process. This year, however, the European Commission launched a new tool together with the ASGS – the RRF, or Recovery and Resilience Facility. In this article, we…
Brussels, 23 September 2020 — On 21st September, the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) and MEP Katrin Langensiepen hosted an online event to address the key question of why the European Union continues to fund institutions for disabled people. Disabled people, activists, legal experts, representatives of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with…
Brussels, 10 August 2020 – Poland has invested over 7 million EUR of European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF) on institutional settings for persons with disabilities, in violation of international human rights law. The case represents a further example of significant levels of EU funds being used to segregate persons with disabilities and violating their…
On 8th of July 2020, the European Commission held an online Strategic Dialogue meeting to discuss a “Digital Education Action Plan”. On behalf of the Commission, Georgi Dimitrov, Deputy Head of Unit Innovation and EIT, and Deirdre Hodson, Member of the Digital Education team highlighted the main challenges for a European Digital Education plan, and…
Brussels and Budapest, 23 July 2020 – Two senior United Nations (UN) experts have expressed concern about numerous instances of EU funding being used to finance the maintenance and expansion of institutions for persons with disabilities across the continent, in violation of international human rights law. UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with…
In Brussels, Sofia and Budapest, 17 July 2020 – In high-level communications issued on 11 March 2020, Mr. Dainius Pūras, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, has called on the Government of Bulgaria and the European Commission “to immediately stop the…
Vienna and Brussels, 8 July 2020 – 7.5 million Euros of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) have been used in Upper Austria to build institutions and sheltered employment facilities for disabled people. The investment went ahead despite Austria’s and the European Union’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons…
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”…
Brussels, 7 November 2019 – Today, the European Ombudsman published her decision in the case submitted by the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) on 27 October 2018. The case (ref. number 1848/2018/KR) concerns the European Commission’s rejection of ENIL’s application in a call for proposals aiming to establish support for European networks active in…
ENIL’s annual EU Funds for Our Rights Campaign seminar took place on 18 and 19 June in Brussels. The seminar was the follow up of our previous events organised in 2017 and 2018. Its objective was to highlight the key achievements of the Campaign during Year 1 and 2, to continue the discussion on the…
In view of the upcoming report on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in Spain, ENIL and FEVI (Federación Vida Independiente) prepared a submission on Article 19 CRPD – the right to live independently and to be included in the community. The Committee on the Rights of…
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…
ENIL’s “EU Funds for Our Rights” Campaign continues with its activities of looking into the use of EU Funds for Independent Living. This month, on 1st – 2nd October, our Campaign Coordinator Natasa Kokic spoke at the training “Disability-related Financial Instruments in light of EU Law and the UNCRPD”, organised by the European Academy of…
The European Pillar of Social Rights was presented as a compass to make EU policy more social. However, close to a year after its adoption, it seems that instead, the Social Pillar became more economical. On 17th November 2017, the European Commission, European Parliament and all Member States ‘proclaimed’ the European Pillar of Social Rights…
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…
