Webinar

Using EU Structural Funds to Support Independent Living

Introduction

The European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) has launched an EU-wide campaign in November 2016, advocating for a better monitoring and complaints system for the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF). The ‘EU Funds for Our Rights Campaign’ is focusing on the use of ESIF to support the right of disabled people to live independently in the community, and the current gaps in ensuring that the funds are used for this purpose.

ENIL organised three regional events – in Lithuania, Belgium and Romania – with the aim of bringing together NGOs advocating for the rights of disabled people and monitoring ESIF spending in their country.

This webinar is aimed at all NGOs and individuals that couldn’t attend our regional events, and that are interested in making sure ESIF are used to support independent living and deinstitutionalisation.

Objectives of the webinar:

  • To raise awareness among local and national NGOs about the potential of ESIF to support the right of disabled people to live independently in the community, by sharing information about the legal and policy framework for the programming period 2014 – 2020, and lessons learnt from the previous programming period;
  • To get a better understanding of the current monitoring and complaints systems in the Member States, when it comes to the use of ESIF for deinstitutionalisation;
  • To agree on what systems should be put in place – when it comes to monitoring and complaints - in order to ensure EU Funds are used in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
  • To agree on joint objectives and actions, to be implemented as part of the EU Funds for Our Rights Campaign.

The webinar willconsist of two presentations, followed by the questions and the sharing of experience among the participants. The first presentation, delivered by Natasa Kokic, ENIL’s Campaign Coordinator, will set out the legal and policy framework governing the use of ESIF, in relation to independent living and deinstitutionalisation. The second presentation, delivered by ENIL’s Policy Officer Ines Bulic, will explain how NGOs can engage with the ESIF programming process, through monitoring and advocacy, to ensure EU funds are used to support deinstitutionalisation. The webinar will last 1h 30 minutes.

Webinar

Agenda

3rd July 2017

3rd July 2017

17h30 – 19h00

Session I–The functioning of ESIF- Natasa Kokic

Session II – Opportunities for engagement of CSOs – Ines Bulic

Session III – Experiences with monitoring and complaints from the national level (with brief presentations by all participants about the situation in their country/region)

-Questions to be covered in country presentations:

Have you been engaged in ESIF monitoring in your country? If not, why not?

Are you aware of the partnership principle, ie that NGOs should be involved in all phases of ESIF spending?

Have you lodged any complaints with either national authorities or the European Commission?

If yes, what was the complaint about and what was the outcome?

-Formulating common objectives and joint actions for the campaign, based on experiences from the national level

-Agreeing on the next steps

/ The campaign EU Funds for Our Rights is generously supported by a grant from the Open Society Foundations – Mental Health Initiative.