Over 200 participants, representing 94 organisations from 42 countries, gathered in Cyprus and Online, on May 9-10 for our Annual General Assembly. The General Assembly was preceded by the Cypriot Presidency’s High-level conference “Inclusion of persons with disabilities: empowerment and support in a community for all”. We especially thank our member, the Cyprus Confederation of Disability Organisations, the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, and the European Commission’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) for their support.
New leadership elected
The General Assembly was marked by the election of new Governing Bodies, including:
- A new President: Gunta Anca
- Executive Committee and Board
- Membership and Finance Committee
Other decisions
The delegates also:
- Approved the accounts and activity report of 2025.
- Approved the Work Plan for 2027.
- Adopted a motion to review EDF statutes and align their terminology with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Adopted a motion condemning restrictive US visa measures to attend the UN Conference of State Parties to the CRPD.
- Approved new Terms of Reference for the Women’s and Youth Committee.
The delegates were updated on ongoing policy priorities:
- They discussed the just-launched updated Strategy on the European Disability Rights Strategy, expressing disappointment with its lack of ambition.
- Discussed ongoing developments with the next EU Budget, the Disability Card, Passengers Rights and proposed Regulation on Protection of Adults, among other files.
Themida Antopoulou, chairperson of CCOD, updated the delegates on the situation of persons with disabilities in Cyprus:
- The approval of the Disability reform bill, which introduces important reforms to disability allowance, reinforces access to the labour market and recognises the role of carers
- Access to healthcare, ensuring that the costs of healthcare for persons with disabilities are sufficiently low.
- Guaranteeing that persons with disabilities can access education like everyone else.
Finally, the delegates discussed advancing equality and combating hate speech in Europe. The panel included a testimony from Cyprus, and examples of more ambitious disability equality legislation in Sweden and a new law against hate speech, including against persons with disabilities, in Ireland.