Public Hearing

INI Report on the Concluding Observations of the UNCRPD Committee

European Parliament, Room PHS1A002
27 January 2015, from 11:30 to 14:30

DRAFT AGENDA

What is this event about?

The European Union (in short, EU) signed
the United Nations Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities in 2010.

The Convention is an important document that
tries to make sure the rights of people with disabilities
are respected.

When the EU signed the Convention, people with disabilities
were very happy.

The United Nations Committee on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities(in short, the CRPD Committee)
is a group of people that check what countries do
to make sure the rights of persons with disabilities
are respected.

This year, the CRPD Committee tried to find out

whether or not the EU has put this Convention

correctly into practice.

They wanted to find out if the European Union

included the rights of people with disabilities

in European laws and policies.

In August, the CRPD Committee, disability organisations

and the European Union met.

They tried to see what the European Union could do better.

After the meeting, the CRPD Committee published a document.

The document said the European Union did a lot of good things,

but that is not enough.

They still have more work to do.

The members of the European Parliament
will now read this document carefully and try
to put in practice the advice they got.
To do this, they are going to write a report
about what they should do to improve the lives
of persons with disabilities in Europe.

What is going to happen?

They organise a meeting with disability organisations
and persons with disabilities to hear what they should include
in the report.

This meeting is called a Public Hearing.

The members of the European Parliament work
in small groups on a specific topic.
Each group is called a Committee.

The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (in short EMPL)
is the one working on the report.

2 other committees are also helping on the report.
The Committee on Civil Liberties and the Committee on Petitions.

Other committees will also give their opinion.

Committees working on the report are going to discuss with disability organisations and persons with disabilities about what they should include in the report.
They will all be present at the Public Hearing.

The Public Hearing is going to take place
on 27 January 2015 at the European Parliament.

11:30Welcome

Who is going to speak?

Helga Stevens from the Committee on Employment

Martina Anderson from the Committee on Civil Liberties

Yannis Vardakastanis from the European Disability Forum

11:45Group 1
Members of the Committee on Employment are going to talk.

Who is going to speak?

Helga Stevens from the Committee on Employment

Ádám Kósafrom the European People’s Party

Vilija Blinkeviciute from the Socialists and Democrats

Kostadinka Kuneva from the European United Left

Laura Agea from Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy

11:50Discussion with the public

12:30Group 2

Members of the Committee on Civil Liberties are going to talk

Who is going to speak?

Martina Anderson from the Committee on Civil Liberties

Andrea BOCSKOR from the European People’s Party

Hugues Bayet from the Socialists and Democrats

Nathalie Griesbeck from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

Jean Lambert from the European Greens

12:35Discussion with the public

13:10Group 3

Members of the Committee on Petitions are going to talk.

Who is going to speak?

Rosa Estaràs Ferragutfrom the Committee on Petitions

13:15Discussion with the public

13:55Group 4

Other committees will also give their opinion.

Who is going to speak?

Richard Howitt from the Committee on Human Rights

Silvia Costa from the Committee on Culture and Education

Heidi Hautala from the Committee on Development and the Committee on Legal Affairs

Davor Škrlec from the Committee on Transport

Anna Hedh from the Committee on Regional Development

Rosa Estaràs Ferragut from the Committee on Women’s right

14:00Discussion with the public

14:25Closing

This is the last session of the day

Who is going to speak?

Rosa Estaràs Ferragut from the Committee on Petitions