Seventh ANED Annual meeting

On 14 November 2014 The Academic Network of European Disability experts (ANED) held its seventh Annual General Meeting in Brussels. Following the Internal Network Meeting organised on 13 November 2014. In total 54 participants from 29 countries took part, including national experts from the ANED country teams, Commissions staff, the European Disability Forum (EDF), Age Platform Europe, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and the European Social Network.

Inmaculada Placencia Porrero (deputy director of the European Commission’s Disability Unit) stressed during the opening session, the importance of the Network’s work and outputs for decision-making related to disability issues, particularly for preparation of the European Accessibility Act. She highlighted that the European Disability Strategy (EDS) was designed for a 10 year period which allows for spending significant time on implementation of actions in all defined EDS priorities.

Professor Mark Priestley (scientific Director of the ANED, University of Leeds) offered an overview of the ANED Work Programme 2014 as a final stage of the whole ANED cycle 2012-2014, which was divided into four main strands:

1. Accessibility (led by Professor Anna Lawson)
2. Statistical indicators (led by Professor Stefanos Grammenos)
3. European law and policy (led by Professor Lisa Waddington)
4. National disability Policies (led by professor Mark Priestley)

Powerpoint presentation Prof. Mark Priestley (PDF 1.446 kB)
Handout Prof. Mark Priestley (PDF 146 kB)

In the closing session, brief information about the Commission’s priority for the next phase of the European Disability Strategy was also presented.

Further presentations are available in the following articles:

• The development of EU and national indicators
• Europe 2020: preparation of evidence
• The right to health care