The next Freedom Drive will take place from 23 – 25 September 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. It will be the 11th edition of this key campaign, which started in 2003 in Strasbourg, at the initiative of the late Martin Naughton from Ireland. On this occasion, the European Network will be celebrating its 35th anniversary. The main slogan of the Freedom Drive will be RECLAIMING OUR RIGHTS, with a focus on the Independent Living Pillars and making our movement stronger and more diverse.
This page contains the key information about the Freedom Drive, to help you plan your participation. We invite all our members, Independent Living activists, allies, supporters and anyone who is interested in the right to live independently and being included in the community to join us in Brussels. Let’s be strong, proud and visible together!
A dedicated Freedom Drive conference website was launched during the summer. Please consult it to register and for all information in relation to the Freedom Drive.
Freedom Drive 2024 Website
1. Schedule of events
22 September – Sunday
Arrival of participants
Meetings of the ENIL Board and the ENIL Youth Board
23 September – Monday
Parallel workshops on the following topics:
- Supported decision making – How can it work in practice?
- International cooperation
- Ableism – What is it and how to fight it?
- What can the EU do to improve Independent Living in my country?
- Building CILs – supporting disabled people’s empowerment
- Ensuring respect for Independent Living as part of EU accession
- Practicing subtle and prominent forms of resistance for social change
- Art workshop to make banners for the protest (limited to a small group)
Meetings of Freedom Drivers with their new members of the European Parliament (organised by different delegations)
24 September – Tuesday
- Protest in front of the European Union institutions and the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the EU
- Hearing in the European Parliament on the topic: What do we want to see on the European Disability Rights agenda in the next 5 years?
- A dinner and a party to celebrate ENIL’s 35th birthday
25 September – Wednesday
An all-day conference on the topic: Rebuilding the Independent Living Pillars
- Session 1: Deinstitutionalisation
- Session 2: Personal Assistance
- Session 3: Building a stronger movement
- Closing session: Independent Living Pillars – a message from the World Network on Independent Living
Freedom Drive 2024 Website
2. Venues
Workshops (day 1) and dinner (day 2): Residence Palace, 155 Rue de la Loi (website)
Conference (day 3): Thon Hotel EU, 75 Rue de la Loi (website)
3. Registration
Registration for the Freedom Drive opened on the European Independent Living Day on 5 May. Please note that the registration deadline has been extended until 31 August. Please register as soon as you can, to help us plan better.
4. Practical information
Travel and accommodation: All participants are responsible for covering their travel and accommodation costs. ENIL will only be in a position to cover the costs of speakers and member of the Board (ENIL and ENIL Youth).
Accessible hotels: Please book early, as there are many events taking place in Brussels in September. For a list of accessible hotels, please check the website of Handy Brussels or the list we’ve made here.
Registration fee: The registration fee for the Freedom Drive is 50 EUR for members (30 EUR for a personal assistant) and 70 EUR for non-members (40 EUR for a personal assistant). For this registration fee, you will benefit from coffee breaks, lunches during the three days and a dinner. You will also receive a Freedom Drive T-shirt and other event merchandise. Members of ENIL’s member organisations are covered by members’ rates. If you cannot afford to pay the fee, please contact Vita Vaisnyte (vita.vaisnyte@enil.eu) at the ENIL Secretariat and explain why you would like to be exempt from paying the fee. We will consider all requests.
Please register as soon as possible, so we can better plan the Freedom Drive. The deadline for registration is 31 August.
Fundraising: We advise everyone to contact their Members of the European Parliament and ask for sponsorship to join the Freedom Drive. The European elections have passed already and the list is already available in the European Parliament webpage. Each MEP has a generous budget to bring people from their own country to Brussels each year. Please find more information below.
| How can you contact your MEPs? |
- The first step is to look up the MEPs from your country on the European Parliament’s website.
- You should decide which MEPs to contact, having in mind that you can contact more at the same time.
- We advise you contact an MEP you know personally, an MEP you voted for or an MEP who is closest to your own politics. If there is a disabled MEP from your country, it is a good idea to contact them.
- When you click on the MEP’s name, you will find their email address. The best way to contact your MEP is via email and then follow up with a reminder or a phone call.
- You can find a sample letter for MEPs here. You can translate the letter into your language using DeepL or Google Translate. You can also send a more personalised letter, especially if you already know the MEP.
- If you are looking to come as a group (for example, a group from your DPO or CIL would like to come), you should write as a group and explain how many people you are.