Equinet took part in the European Day of People with Disabilities Conference, which was held in Brussels on December 1st and 2nd to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3rd), set in 1992 by the United Nations.

This year's initiative, organized by the European Commission in close cooperation with the European Disability Forum, was titled "Acting locally for a society for all" and was mainly focused on the exchange of good practice among all concerned parties, including NGOs, local authorities, associations representing disabled people, networks and experts in the urban and architectural field. The conference was also the opportunity to assess progress made in the process of ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons, which entered into force on May 3rd 2008.

"Mainstreaming" of disability policies was one of the key words of this year's conference and should be a fundamental duty and top priority for disabled people organisations on the one hand and for institutions, policy makers and politicians on the other hand.

Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal opportunities Vladimir Spidla also announced a new legislative initiative designed to complete the EU anti-discrimination legislative framework, with a view to ensuring non-discrimination on grounds of disability outside the employment sphere, namely in education, social protection, and access to goods and services. The Commission will also launch a consultation on the European disability strategy in 2011.

Other important subjects covered during the two-day conference were amongst others the empowerment of disabled people organisations, the allocation of social funds for disabled people, the question of a cross-disability approach, the employment of disabled people, the need for a European legislation on guide dogs for the blind, etc. Special focus was also laid on the need for better training and education for all those who work in the field of disability and, more in general, for the whole civil society.