Events organised by the EEG with the support of the European Commission in the framework of a Joint Action Project (EaSI Programme)

 With the overall objective to influence Member States to move forward more effective and efficient social protection system though the transition from an institutional model of care to person-centered community-based services, the EEG organized a series of events in 2014 with the support of the European Commission, including five national training seminars and a High Level Debate in the European Parliament.

 National training seminars

 Bratislava, Slovakia, 12 March 2014

The seminar was organised in cooperation with Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family. The EEG was represented by Jan Pfeiffer (Mental Health Europe) and Ines Bulic (ENIL).

The seminar was attended by 65 participants, and included representatives from the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, Ministry of Agriculture and rural development, Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, European Commission, local Government authorities, service providers, NGOs.

You can read the report here.

Vilnius, Lithuania, 8 April 2014

The Seminar was organised in cooperation with the Ministry for Social Security and Labour. The EEG was represented by Foteini Zafeiropoulou (National Confederation of Disabled People in Greece), Javier Güemes (European Disability Forum) and Radostina Paneva (International office CEE/CIS (Eurochild).

The seminar brought together 62 participants from a number of ministries (Ministry of Social Security and Labour, Ministry of Health care, Ministry of Finance) and government agencies (for instance Special Pedagogical Psychological Centre, Central project management agency…), as well as representatives from the Lithuanian Parliament Committee on social security, local authorities, institutions (social care, education and health), Child rights Ombudsman office and NGOs, providing services and/or working with children, persons with disabilities other vulnerable groups.

You can read the report here.

Prague, Czech Republic, 22 May 2014

This event was organized in cooperation with the Czech Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The EEG was represented by Jan Pfeiffer (Mental Health Europe) and Camille Latimier (Inclusion Europe).

The seminar was attended by 62 participants, and included representatives from the Czech Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, the European Commission, local Government authorities, service providers, NGOs and the Ombudsperson’s Office.

You can read the report here.

Ljubljana, Slovenia, 6 May 2014

The seminar was organised with the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. EEG was represented by Jan Pfeiffer (Mental Health Europe) and Claire Champeix (EEG Coordination).

The seminar was attended by 240 participants, and included representatives from the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Parliament, Council of the republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Sciences and Sports, local government authorities, services providers, NGOs, Institutions, social workers. 

You can read the report here.

Serbia, 8 December 2014

The seminar was organized with the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs of Serbia. The event brought together around 150 participants from different Ministries, in particular Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, and Ministry of Health, social welfare institutions for children and adults, judicial institutions, local authorities, universities and the civil society. Representatives of the EU delegation in  Serbia and the European Commission also took part.

You can read the report here.

High Level Debate in the European Parliament, Brussels, 10 December

The debate was organized by the EEG and hosted by Members of the European Parliament Ádám Kósa (Hungary, European People’s Party and former Chair of the Disability Intergroup (1999-2014) and Helga Stevens (Belgium, European Conservatives and Reformists)^[1]. The event gathered 77 participants, including representatives from EEG member organisations and other European or international organisations, representatives from national governments and from national civil society organisations, academics, representatives from the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the Fundamental Rights Agency, Members of the European Parliament, and of the European Parliament staff, users…

The point of view that priority should be given to putting an end to institutionalisation in EU Member States as well as in Candidate Countries as a Human Right issue was widely shared among speakers, as well as the idea that this was about moving toward a change in the European culture.

You can read the report here.

Open Meetings

During the project, the EEG also held two Open Meetings with the European Commission and a Working Meeting with the European Commission and national stakeholders, aiming at creating a space where information, ideas, good practices and challenges in relation to the transition from institutional to community-based care in the context of the Social Investment Package and the European Structural and investment funds 2014-2020 can be exchanged.

[1] On 15 January both MEPs Ádám Kósa and Helga Stevens have been elected Co-Presidents of the Disability Intergroup, together with Richard Howitt (S&D, UK) and Pablo Echenique-Robba (GUE/NGL, Spain).