PRESS RELEASE Galway, 30 April 2013 A Major Test for the European Union stop spending taxpayers money

y to Institutionalise EU citizens.

There is a clamour around Europe to ensure that increasingly scarce European monies are not spent on institutionalizing its citizens but are used instead to help States to promote a philosophy of living independently and being included in the community. The issue is urgent as negotiations to agree new Regulations governing the EU Structural Funds are in their final stages. These funds are worth several billion Euros. Advocates are not calling for more money simply for an end to spending the available monies on institutions and a commitment of available resources to help the process of community living. To highlight the issue and press claims for a change in the Funds, a broad spectrum of European interest groups covering both the disabled and the elderly as well as national and international policy makers will be brought together at a major conference organized by the Centre for Disability Law & Policy at NUI Galway on Friday 3rd of May. The event is organized in association with the Irish Presidency of the European Council with the support of European Foundation Centre (EFC), Belgium and Fundacin ONCE, Spain. The Director of the Centre, Professor Gerard Quinn says: Ireland has taken initial positive steps in the right direction with the Ending Congregated Settings report and the National Positive Ageing Strategy. We have to make sure that our taxpayers money is not being used via the Structural Funds to achieve the opposite effect elsewhere in Europe. There is much at stake. The European Commission has proposed stringent new Regulations that would explicitly forbid the negative use of the funds and ensure that the Funds would play a significant role in helping States move toward community living models. However, these proposals were effectively blocked by the Council in 2012. The shape of the new Regulations is now being decided by a trialogue process of negotiations between the European
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Commission, the Council and the European Parliament. These negotiations are taking place largely behind closed doors. Professor Quinn adds: Both disabled citizens and older citizens have a common cause here. We owe it to our fellow disabled and older EU citizens across Europe to end bad practices and help generate real added-value put of diminishing EU funds. It is very important that your voice is heard lou d and clear. The rejection of the conditionalities proposed by the European Commission for accessing and using the funds has particular legal implications as it probably exposes the EU to legal liability under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This is the first UN human rights treaty to be ratified by the EU as such. Quinn adds: W hat are our citizens to think if the EU ratifies such a major international instrument and then keeps it at arms length where it matter s most. We certainly cant preach to others if we fail to ensure basic respect for the convention in how major EU financial instruments are crafted. The conditions proposed by the Commission or something with the same effect have to be restored to the Regulations to keep faith with Europes 80 million persons with disabilities. The keynote address at the conference will be delivered by Professor Jerome Bickenbach on the unity of purpose between the disabled and older European citizens on community living and ageing in pace. It will be addressed by the European Commission (DG Justice and DG Regio), the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, The EU Fundamental Rights Agency and high level representatives for European civil society (European Disability Forum) and Age Platform Europe. European level service providers will also speak (European Association of Service Providers) as well as many other interested groups such as the European Network on Independent Living, the Open Society Foundations and academics and others involved in the policy debates. It will be opened by Minister of State Kathleen Lynch T.D. who responsibilities both for older people and people with disabilities. One of the sessions explaining the Funds will be chaired by Minister of State Brian Hayes T.D. The positive potential of employment to strengthen community living will also be reflected on throughout the conference. Jan Jaab, Regional Representative for Europe of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who will be a participant in the conference, stated that the Office of the High Commissioner is committed to the promotion of community living and inclusion in society for older persons as well as for children in need of alternative care and persons with disabilities. Quinn adds: W e are proud of where Ireland has come from and its clear aspirations for the future. But the rights we take for granted should not be confined to us. Lets be both smart and ethical in how the EU spends our money. This conference will explore the need for these conditions and whether or how they can be achieved as the drafting of the new Regulations reach a climax in early Summer 2013. All are welcome and no prior knowledge of the Structural Funds is assumed or required.
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More information about the Conference Community Living for All - A Conference on the Future Role of the European Union Structural Funds to Advance Community Living for Older People and People with Disabilities which takes place in NUI Galway on the 3rd of May is available here: http://www.nuigalway.ie/cdlp/events/community_living_for_all.html and individuals can register at www.conference.ie. For further information, please contact Suzanne Doyle at the Centre for Disability Law and Policy, National University of Ireland, Galway: Email: suzanne.doyle@nuigalway.ie Phone: +353 (0)91 49 4273 Fax: +353 (0)91 49 5569