March for Independent Living in Brussels Demands an End to Institutionalization

In early October 2026, Brussels hosted hundreds of activists who arrived for the Freedom Drive action at the invitation of the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL).

The event combined a conference and a protest march to the European Parliament building, aiming to push for a rethink of disability support approaches and halt the growing isolation of people with disabilities in closed institutions.

The need for radical change is driven by alarming statistics. According to a 2024 Eurofound report, over the past decade, the number of adults with disabilities in residential institutions across EU countries has increased by 29 percent, exceeding 900,000. France has become the absolute leader in the rate of institutionalization, where the number of such citizens has doubled to 290,000, and a shortage of local places has led to the transfer of about 8,000 people to Belgian institutions. Back in 2020, representatives of the CLE Autistes organization noted that French society mistakenly perceives segregation as an acceptable form of inclusion.

The paradox of the situation is compounded by the fact that European Union funds continue to be directed toward the maintenance and construction of large residential institutions, despite the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The discussion of these issues took place within the walls of the Royal Library of Belgium. The conference was led by people with disabilities themselves, and the editor of the publication personally met Lei Labak, the author of popular materials on loneliness. Spanish activist Christian Lago Rodriguez demonstrated, using his country as an example, how years of advocacy work have made it possible to implement 24/7 personal assistance systems. Teodor Mladenov, Gabor Petri, and Mira Griffiths provided clear practical examples of independent living in their speeches. ENIL Coordinator Florian Sanden emphasized that the movement is deliberately moving away from defensive tactics, demanding full funding for independent living.

The culmination of the event was a march to the European Parliament. The action was supported by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who publicly wore the event's symbols, but against the backdrop of these gestures of solidarity, a technical discussion on the EU's multiannual financial framework was underway. MEP Katrin Langenspiepen called on participants to engage in continuous street protests, pointing out the hypocrisy of authorities cutting spending on disability rights. New budget rules could give countries more freedom, carrying the risk of even greater investments in segregating structures from the overall two-trillion-euro budget.