NOVEMBER 2003

The European Parliament hosted a Disabled People's Parliament Event on 10-11 November 2003 at the Hemicycle in Brussels. The Event marked the 10th Anniversary of the United National Standard Rules and the European Year of Disabled People 2003.

ELSA was invited to this event and Anita Blom attended and gave a presentation. To read it, click here.

A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Why a Disabled People's Parliament?

On 3 December 1993, under the Helios II programme of the European Commission, a disabled people's parliament was held for the first time in Brussels. It was also the first date of the annual celebration of the “European Day of Disabled People”

Ten years later, in the framework of the European Year of People with Disabilities and in commemoration of the launching of the UN Standard Rules in 1993, the European Parliament has agreed to held a similar event in Brussels. An initiative that allows the European Parliament to demonstrate its support to the disability agenda and to show to the European disability movement and others what it has done to progress the aims and objectives of the European Year of People with Disabilities.

The Disabled People's Parliament will act as a platform for personal testimonies from disabled persons and their families on the developments made, and problems still experienced, by disabled persons since the adoption of the UN Standard Rules in 1993. Moreover, it will provide a political focus for 2003 and input from the directly elected representatives of the EU for concrete follow up actions to the European Year and develop innovative ideas to progress the disability policy at EU level.

The outcomes:

The Disabled People's Parliament was chaired by a disability representative and led by the disability movement, although the 'format' of the event was that of a proper European Parliament Plenary session with interventions from the floor.

Participants included a mix of disability representatives (organisations of disabled people) and European Parliamentarians as well as some other stakeholder groups, other EU institutions and social NGOs etc.

Four major outcomes were:

• a Resolution or Declaration to feed into the EP own-initiative report on the European Year 2003;
• a Manifesto by the Disability Movement to the European Parliament regarding the elections in 2004 with a view that it should be recognized and taken up in the manifestos of the political parties
• a Conference report to include testimonies of disabled persons of Europe.
• a presentation of good practice examples of the work of Parliaments in advocating for disability issues (e.g. through structures such as Disability Intergroups).

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