Our first Board meeting of 2024 took place on 16 and 17 March in Brussels. It was preceded by a conference with panels on equality and a panel on EDF’s future strategy in a changing world. The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the Belgian Federal Public Service—Social Security kindly supported the event.
During the meeting, the Board:
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- Welcomed as new members: the European Spinal Cord Injury Federation, the organisations “Newcomers with Disabilities in Sweden” and the Union of organisations of persons with disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Discussed and proposed revisions to the EDF’s Position Paper on the Transition from Institutions to Community-based Services and Independent Living
- Celebrated the provisional agreement on the European Disability Card and European Parking Card, and the extension of the law to third-country nationals.
- Agreed the next steps of EDF’s campaign for the upcoming European Parliament Elections.
- Defined EDF’s demands regarding the revision of passengers’ rights regulations.
- Was updated on the work being done to prepare the Global Disability Summit 2025 in Germany and the 2nd European Regional Disability Summit which EDF will co-organise in November 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
- Approved EDF priorities for the next stage of the European Disability Rights Strategy – this is closely aligned to the EDF Manifesto on the European Elections 2024: “Building an inclusive future for persons with disabilities in the EU”.
- Was updated on other policy initiatives and work of the international cooperation meeting and humanitarian action, including the proposed regulation on protection of adults , the upcoming EU in the world report 2023 as well as the European Regional Disability Summit 2024 and the Global Disability Summit 2025.
- Agreed to the changes in text to EDFs constitution, to be proposed at our next AGA, including a proposal to introduce term limits in our Executive Committee.
- Was updated on the work of our members in preparation of the current and upcoming EU Presidencies: Belgium, Hungary, Poland, Denmark, and Cyprus.
Two European candidates for the elections of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities presented their candidacy: Inmaculada Placencia Porrero (European Union), Giorgi Dzneladze (Georgia).
The Board also had an update on the work of our Committees:
- Pirkko Mahlamäki presented the work of the EDF Women’s Committee, including the activities planned for 2024, the third EDF manifesto on women and girls with disabilities and the ongoing update of EDF’s gender equality mainstreaming tool.
- Jonathan Elebjörk Wahlström presented then plans of the EDF’s Youth Committee for activities in 2024.
- Our Human Rights Committee updated members on human rights issues raised by members across Europe and our upcoming human rights report for 2024 (legal capacity) and 2025 (air passengers’ rights).
- The Social Policy and Inclusion Committee discussed its social policy priorities for the future of the EU Disability Strategy and the EU Framework on Social Services of Excellence for persons with disabilities.