The European Blind Union’s Annual Conference will be taking place in Dublin from 15th to 17th May this year.
The EBU is the principal umbrella organisation representing the interests of people who are blind and vision impaired in Europe, with membership made up of organisations from 44 European countries, one of which is NCBI. Founded in 1984, the EBU provides a European forum for exchange of experience and knowledge, as well as lobbying for improvements to EU legislation.
The theme of this year’s conference is “A Citizens’ Europe for All: People with Disabilities on the Move”.
The aim of the conference is to gather all of its member organisations to address, over a four day period, how the needs of people who are blind and vision impaired throughout Europe are changing and how best to meet them.
Conference Programme
Friday 15 May 2009
Opening – Session 1
Chair: Desmond Kenny, NCBI Chief Executive Officer
Address by EBU President, Lord Colin Low
Session 2
Chair: Philippe Chazal, Chairperson of the EBU Rights Commission will elect the Declaration Drafting Committee.
Prof. Gerard Quinn, Director of the Centre for Disability Law and Policy at the National University of Ireland Galway School of Law will speak on “Perspectives and Challenges of the European Treaty of Lisbon”.
Session 3
Chair: Monica Lovi, member of the Cabinet of the Commission for Liaising with the EU.
Tony Aston, Trustee of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association will speak on “The ratification process of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”
Lisa Waddington, Pr. in European Disability Law, Faculty of Law, Maastricht University will give an update on the “Proposal for a Council Directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation (Article 13 directive)”.
Saturday 16 May 2009
Round table Discussion
Topic: 2009 European elections “Disability votes count”
Chair: Desmond Kenny, NCBI Chief Executive Officer
Participants in Discussion:
- Philippe Chazal, chair of the EBU Rights Commission
- Manio Aleksiev, member of the EBU Rights Commission
- Anna Lawson, member of the EBU Rights Commission
- Josefa Luis Ruíz, member of the EBU Rights Commission
Session 4
Chair: Arn Holte, World Blind Union Vice-President
John Patrick Clarke, member of the Executive Committee of the European Disability Forum will be speaking on “The disability movement in Europe: nothing about us without us”.
A Representative of the European Social Platform (to be confirmed) will then be speaking on “People’s Europe: dream or reality?”
Round table Discussion
Topic: What can the EU do for people with disabilities?
Chair: Branislav Mamojka, President of the Slovak Blind and Partially Sighted Union
Participants in Discussion:
- Markus Wolf, member of the Cabinet of the Commission for Liaising with the EU
- Ana Paula Sousa, member of the Commission for Liaising with the EU
- Ulrika Norélius, chair of the EBU Employment Commission
Session 5
Chair: Ron Colombo, member of the Commission for Liaising with the EU.
Ana Pelaez, member of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and vice-chair of the Commission for Liaising with the EU will be speaking on “The future of women with disabilities in Europe?”
Sunday 17 May 2009
Session 6
Chair: Rodolfo Cattani, Chairman of the Commission for Liaising with the EU
- Reports of the rapporteurs of the sessions and workshops
- Discussion and approval of the EBU Declaration on a Europe for Citizens (EBU Dublin Declaration)
Closing session
Chair: Desmond Kenny, NCBI Chief Executive Officer
Lord Colin Low, EBU president will speak on “Towards an inclusive Europe for all: the way forward”.
Desmond Kenny: Conclusions and closure of the conference