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HOW WILL EUROPE SPEND ITS MONEY IN THE NEXT 7 YEARS? EDF DISCUSSES THE MFF IN THE PARLIAMENT
7 March 2012 /// How will Europe spend the money in the next 7 years? Today, the Disability Intergroup co-hosted a seminar on the Rights and Citizenship Programme recently proposed by the European Commission.This is the ‘equality chapter’ of the European Union’s 7-year budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework. Earlier in February, a network of 12 major NGOs, including EDF, presented their joint amendments.
In November 2011, the European Commission made a proposal for a ‘Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing for the period 2014 to 2020 the Rights and Citizenship Programme’. This programme will set out how EU funding is spent for equality and non-discrimination in the period 2014-2020.
On the 7th of March, all five intergroups working on equality (Disability; LGBT; Anti-Racism and Discrimination; Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity; and Youth) co-hosted a two-hour discussion on the Commission’s proposal, with participation of the Danish Presidency of the Council and a range of non-governmental organisations.
>EDF presented its resolution on the MFF: the first UN Convention test for the EU
EDF director Carlotta Besozzi participated in the seminar to highlight the position of the disability movement: the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has set up the framework and as a state party, the EU has to follow it.
Last week-end in Copenhagen, the leaders of the disability movement called for a horizontal clause on mainstreaming which would include non-discrimination as well as the rights of persons with disabilities derived from the UN Convention. They voted an important resolution to make sure that disability is mainstreamed in the MFF. You can download the EDF resolution here.
>12 networks gave their joint amendments
12 European equality networks, including the EDF, express their great concern as regards the future EU funding for equality for all and non-discrimination. The networks have drafted joint amendments to the European Commission’s proposal for the Rights and Citizenship Programme 2014-2020 that will be the EU’s main source of funding for activities in these fields.
The networks are concerned about the focus, annual predictability and level of funding in the Commission’s proposal and call on the member states and the European Parliament to improve it. Specifically, they call for:
- Stronger and specific mentions of issues of equality, gender equality and combating violence, as well as the implementation of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities in the objectives of the Programme.
- An increase of the budget of the Programme to an amount that reflects the current level of EU funding for the issues covered by the Programme. That would be approximately 530 millions.
- Earmarking of funds for the different objectives of the programme that respect the current distribution of funding.
- Maintaining at least the same level of core funding for European networks representing rights holders and working on equality and gender equality, as for the 2007-2013 period, taking into account inflation. This is necessary given the deterioration of the social environment in the EU, which is impacting on the rights of people living in Europe.
The amendments are supported by the following networks: AGE Platform Europe (AGE), European Disability Forum (EDF), European Network against Racism (ENAR), European Women’s Lobby (EWL), ILGA-Europe, Autism Europe, European Blind Union (EBU), European Network on Independent Living (ENIL), Inclusion Europe, International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (IFSBH), International LGBTQ Youth and Student Organisation (IGLYO) and Transgender Europe (TGEU).
>Download
Download the joint amendments
Contact EDF: aurelien.dayde@edf-feph.org | +32 282 46 00
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