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…
On 17 October, ENIL’s Advocacy Officer, Frank Sioen, represented ENIL at the conference “ICavi Models of Independent Living” in Porto. The aim of the conference was to collect feedback on the current Pilot Personal Assistance (PA) legislation in view of the upcoming review of this pilot project. The conference started with an overview of the…
On Monday, the 2nd December, ENIL, Disability Rights International and the Validity Foundation are holding a roundtable on investments into group homes for children and adults with disabilities in Europe. The roundtable, hosted by Julie Ward MEP, is aimed primarily at Members of the European Parliament, who will have a chance to learn about research…
In Brussels, 15 November 2019 – For the first time in history, three disability rights organisations have initiated Court proceedings against the European Commission for failing to halt EU infrastructure funding being used by Bulgaria to build institutions for persons with disabilities. Case T-613/19, pending before the EU General Court in Luxembourg, challenges the Decision…
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 is looking for a Project Coordinator for the TRIPS project, on accessible transport solutions for persons with disabilities. The project, in which ENIL is a part of a large Europe-wide consortium, will be implemented over 3 years (2020 – 2022), and is funded through Horizon 2020, the EU framework programme for research and innovation….
The Disability High Level Group held its second meeting on 23rd October in Brussels, bringing together representatives of the social welfare Ministries from the Member States, EU-level NGOs and the staff of the Disability Unit at DG Employment (at the European Commission). On the agenda was the CRPD implementation, the European Disability Strategy, the UN…
Between 1-3 October 2019, around 300 disabled Independent Living activists, their personal assistants and allies from all around Europe, Japan and even Australia, came to Brussels in order to take part in the ENIL Freedom Drive 2019, and to celebrate with us ENIL’s 30th Anniversary. We had a full three-day programme, which included: The workshops…
ENIL’s regional members’ meeting took place in Warsaw on 9 and 10 September. The meeting was organized in cooperation with our Polish member – the Independent Living Institute from Warsaw. The meeting provided an opportunity for our members (around 35 participants), from Belgium, Belarus, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Norway, Russia, Slovenia, and Sweden, to…
ENIL is pleased to launch a briefing paper on the Freedom of Movement, which explores what this means for disabled people in the European Union (EU). The paper starts by discussing the concepts and the legal basis for the right of free movement in the EU. It goes on to look at existing initiatives linked to…
FVID – the Independent Living Forum in Spain has expressed concern about the process of deinstitutionalization in Spain, following a successful submission FEVI – the Independent Living Federation – sent to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities earlier this year and the Committee’s recommendations to Spain on Article 19 of the UN…
“No Limits” explores the rise of the disabled people’s movement in the UK and to some extent beyond. At the core have been the struggles waged by disabled people to exercise control over every aspect of life. Central to the story has been the journey away from segregated residential institutions to a comprehensive social liberation…
On 25 September, ENIL’s ESC volunteers Hatiye Garip and Lisa Madl participated in an accessibility workshop hosted by Apple. The workshop took place in Brussels and offered a small number of representatives from different disability organisations the opportunity to learn more about the accessibility features that have recently been introduced. Sarah Herrlinger, Global Director for…
On 3 October, the General Assembly of the European Network on Independent Living elected six new Board members, who will join the three Board members serving their second term. Out of the new Board members, five were elected to serve two terms (2019 – 2023) and one to serve one term (2019 – 2021). During…
Brussels, 2 October – Over 400 disabled people and allies from all over Europe have gathered in Brussels this morning tomarch in protest between the European Commission’s main headquarters, the Berlaymont, and the European Parliament building in Brussels. The activists, led by the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL, have one main demand: that…
The history of the Independent Living in Europe, and the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL cannot be confined to a timeline or a poster. To mark our 30th anniversary, we have decided to take you through some moments of ENIL’s history and to show how much of ENIL’s beginnings and the Independent Living…
Each Freedom Drive, we present a set of demands to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). On this occasion, and while celebrating our 30th Anniversary, we have set out our three key demands, which we wish to bring to the attention of the newly elected MEPs. These are: Mainstream disability in all policy areas and…
Before every Freedom Drive, we publish a Participants Pack, with all the useful information needed to take part. In the Participants Pack, you will find information about the programme, the venues, ENIL’s General Assembly and Board elections, the ENIL Youth Network General Assembly and Board elections, as well as practical information about transport and emergency…
I am Hatiye, an illustrator and designer based in Istanbul, Turkey. I will be a volunteer for ENIL until the end of June. After waiting a long time to obtain my visa, I am very glad to join ENIL team. I am also lucky that I will catch the Freedom Drive 2019. I graduated from…
