The European Network on Independent Living – ENIL learned, with deep sorrow, that our former President and Board member Kapka Panayotova, passed away suddenly on Thursday, 14 October 2021, at the age of 65. Kapka served as a Board member at ENIL for several terms and was the President until standing down during the General…
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….
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…
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…
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…
On May 5th, it was the European Independent Living Day, or as some of our friends put it, “#ENILDay”. The 5th May is one of the biggest days in the ENIL calendar. The theme for this year’s celebrations was movement and mobility, which of course goes hand in hand with the UN Convention on the…
During May and June, we have three volunteers joining the ENIL Team. Peadar O’Dea is part of our 8-month long European Solidarity Corps programme and will be based at the Brussels Office, while the other two volunteers will work remotely for approximately 3 months. We are happy to have them on board, and you can…
The European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) and the Association of Women with Disabilities (ENG-KAD) are starting a new project, which aims to promote the development of personal assistance in Turkey by ensuring that people with disabilities are better informed and better able to advocate tor personal assistance. Personal assistance is a tool, which allows…
In Brussels, 5th May 2021 – Today, as we mark the 8th European Independent Living Day, we are calling for the release of Siarhei Drazdouski and Aleh Hrableuski, from the Office for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Belarus. Both men have been detained for over three months and are facing up to four…
The 8th edition of the European Independent Living Day on the 5th May is around the corner, and, as we recently wrote, this year we decided to dedicate it to the idea of movement or mobility, in a broader way. With this, we hope that many people and organisations across Europe and beyond will be motivated to…
In view of the dialogue between France and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Committee), which is scheduled for August 2021, Coordination Handicap et Autonomie – Vie Autonome France (CHA – France) – supported by ENIL – sent a number of recommendations for the Concluding Observations. The contribution gives an overview…
