On Tuesday 8 October, the European Disability Forum (EDF) published an assessment of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in terms of accessibility between 1 January and 30 June 2024.
The Belgian Presidency scored 21 out of 25 points in the EDF evaluation, with particularly strong results in accessibility (9/11) and inclusion of people with disabilities (6/7).
A set of best practices has been put in place. These best practices, which have been translated into Dutch and French, serve as a guide to organising accessible events. The Presidency also collected the accessibility needs of participants via a registration form, and the main venue for the events, the Résidence Palace, was adapted for people with disabilities.
Despite these efforts, the EDF noted a continued lack of involvement from national organisations, such as the Belgian Disability Forum (BDF).
Although the EDF was consulted on a regular basis, greater involvement of local organisations would have strengthened the impact at national level to create a sustainable basis for inclusiveness.
See the review: https://aeur.eu/f/dri (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)