Our first Board meeting of the year took place online on 21 March.
The meeting started with a minute of silence in remembrance of our Board Member, Anna Drabarz.
During the meeting, the Board:
- Discussed a resolution on accessible and affordable housing for persons with disabilities, guiding our campaign on the EU’s Affordable Housing Plan.
- Welcomed 2 new members: the Alliance for Individualised Support (Czechia) and the Ahadi Foundation (France). Housing Options Scotland was reinstated as a member.
- Received an update on the financial health of the organisation, focused on the financial loss reported in 2024 and the measures to address it.
- Was updated on the Public Dialogue between the European Union and the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Work with EU Presidencies
Some board members updated the participants on their work with the governments leading the next Presidencies of the EU Council:
- The Disabled People’s Organisation Denmark explained that a Conference and a Board meeting are being planned in Denmark for November 2025, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing
- Our Cypriot members shared that they are planning the Forum’s Annual General Assembly of 2026 in Cyprus, with a high-level conference from the Cypriot Presidency of the EU.
- The Disability Federation of Ireland explained that they had their first meeting with the Irish Government regarding the Irish Presidency (first half of 2027). Topics touched upon included poverty and employment.
- Representatives from the Lithuanian Disability Forum explained there are contacts with the government for the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council, taking place during the second half of 2027.
Committees
Some of our committees also met in the week preceding the Board:
- The Social Policy Committee met on 18 March to discuss the revision of the EU Public Procurement Directive, the future EU budget and its implications on persons with disabilities, and the Global Disability Summit.
- The Human Rights Committee met on the same day to discuss human rights and CRPD implementation across Europe, including the recent review of the European Union by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and updates from different European Countries. The secretariat presented the guide to help its organisations of persons with disabilities participate in the 18th Session of the UN Conference of States Parties.