To mark European Independent Living Day on Monday 5 May, the European Network for Independent Living (ENIL) issued a statement and relayed the demonstrations and other events organised across Europe to denounce the regression in the rights of persons with disabilities.
And with good reason: as ENIL reports in a press release, 71% of requests for personal assistance in Sweden are now rejected. In Belgium, the Brussels Region has put an end to a personal assistance budget pilot project, which benefited only 44 people, despite a waiting list of 200 names.
ENIL urges the European Union and its Member States to ensure full funding of personal assistance devices to enable persons with disabilities to live independently.
The organisation is also calling for the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to be implemented.
The EU is also being asked to review the use of public funds and is proposing to redirect budgets earmarked for institutions (nursing homes, specialised establishments, etc.) towards solutions that are more respectful of rights, such as home support, which are considered to be just as cost-effective.
To see the declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/go6 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)