In Memoriam: It is with deep sorrow and sadness that we share the news of the passing of Jernej Sluga, Slovenian disability rights champion and President of the International Aphasia Association. Jernej passed away while attending our Annual General Assembly in Vilnius, Lithuania. Please read and contribute to his obituary.
Over 200 participants, representing 77 organisations from 31 countries, gathered in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 21 and 22 June 2025 for our Annual General Assembly. The General Assembly was preceded by the conference “The right to decide: legal capacity and pathways to reform”. We thank our sponsors, GoVilnius and Amazon, for their support. We especially thank the European Commission’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) for the support.
The General Assembly elected three new Board members:
- Meelis Joost, representing the Estonian Chamber of Persons with Disabilities.
- Thomas Dabeux, representing the Belgian Disability Forum.
- Rui Coimbras representing the Cerebral Palsy – European Communities Association.
The General Assembly also approved the annual report and accounts for 2024 as well as approving the appointment internal auditors – David Adams and Raymond Ceccoto – and of external auditors for 2025- the firm DGST.
During the meeting, delegates also:
- Were updated about the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ‘Concluding Observations’ of its review of the European Union. They agreed on key follow-up activities by the Forum, including a discussion during the European Day of Persons with Disabilities.
- Agreed on our advocacy approach to the ahead of the negotiations on the EU Budget 2028-2032. Delegates agreed on EDF’s focus on protecting funding going towards the European Social Fund Plus, on ensuring rules are in place to ensure funding is in line with the CRPD and does not further segregate persons with disabilities, and on protecting EU support to organisations of persons with disabilities.
- Delegates discussed ongoing advocacy, and specifically our campaign to strengthen the second phase of the European Disability Rights Strategy, with flagship initiatives on employment, accessibility, and affordable housing among others.
- Adopted EDF’s 2026 Work Plan as well as the 4-year Work Plan for 2026-2029.
In a panel debate, members from Cyprus, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Italy, and Slovenia. presented their experience during the pilot project phase of the European Disability Card to bring inspiration for the implementation of the Card in the other EU countries.
The President of the Lithuanian Disability Forum updated delegates on current developments in the country’s disability movement, including:
- The law on legal capacity still falls short of international standards.
- Very high rates of poverty, unemployment and inadequate education.
- Reasonable accommodation is a relatively new area of work, with the Lithuanian Disability Forum joining other organisations to publish guidelines on the issue.
- She finished by explaining a major reform of disability law that took place in 2024, which tried to align laws with the human rights model of disability. However, it also introduced considerable challenges on assessment and receipt of allowances, especially for persons with ‘invisible’ disabilities.
Delegates were also updated on our advocacy work and achievements. Highlights included achievements of EDFs Women’s Committee and Youth Committee, the preparation of the European and Global Disability Summits, progress on the European Disability Rights Strategy.
Exhibition and related events
During the General Assembly, delegates also had the opportunity to explore our work and projects through stands on:
- Artificial intelligence (AI) included contributions from several organisations. EDF and its members presented their AI work, including our infographics (101 million reasons to build better AI and Explaining AI), the European Network for Independent Living their fact sheet on independent living and AI , and the European Platform for Rehabilitation shared documentation from a conference on AI and digital inclusion. In addition, the EDF presented our easy-to-read version of our guide to the EU AI Act.
- Our work on Gender mainstreaming, where we presented new tools such as the self-assessment test on gender mainstreaming, the Gender Action Plan, the Guidelines for the creation of a Women’s Committee, and the Gender Mainstreaming Guidelines.
- A stand on the topic of “Freedom of Movement” including information and a quiz on Passengers’ Rights, the Disability Card, and the BUILD project on accessible and energy-efficient buildings.
They also had the opportunity to explore our exhibition “The Sky Above: Stories from Ukraine about disability and war“.