Fifth ANED Annual Meeting
On 14 December 2012 ANED held its Fifth Annual General Meeting in Brussels, bringing together its members from 34 EU Member States, Candidate and Associate Countries, with representatives from the Commission staff, disabled people’s organizations and key stakeholders. The annual meeting provides an important opportunity for members to share expertise, to exchange ideas and to consider the future work programme of the Network.
Johan Ten Geuzendam (Head of the European Commission’s Disability Unit)spoke of the co-operative and productive relationship between ANED and the EU Commission. ANED’s research has a growing influence on policy and practice, at both national and European levels. The DOTCOM tool is particularly well used, while support for input to country-specific recommendations and the collation of data being helpful for policy development. DOTCOM and the ANED website should continue to be updated, enhanced and their visibility promoted.
Professor Mark Priestley (Scientific Director of ANED, University of Leeds) reflected on ANED’s work in 2012.
The continuing work of ANED has a particular purpose in providing academic and independent evidence-based support for the European Disability Strategy, and thereby the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). For example, three country reports included recommendations which were adopted during the Annual Growth Survey cycle.
ANED evidence (through state reports and DOTCOM) has been strengthened in describing the state of the art in Europe. In the coming year it will be important to build on this descriptive mapping evidence towards further analysis and policy recommendations.
Further presentations are available in the articles: