The LITI-GATE project – Strategic Litigation as a Gateway to address the rights of Persons with Disabilities in the European Union – brings together 6 partners from 5 countries with the aim to promote enforcement of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights with strategic litigation activities to address breaches of the fundamental rights of persons with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities.
For more information, visit the project’s dedicated website:
Victims Support Europe and partners are proud to invite you to the final LITIGATE Conference– “Advancing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities through Strategic Litigation,” taking place on the 29th of October 2025.
Funded by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency of the European Commission.
European Economic & Social Committee, VMA Building
Rue Van Maerlant 2, Brussels, Belgium
Meeting room: VMA22
Access: How to get to the EESC
Please note that due to limited capacity of the venue, early registration is recommended. Attendance is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. If you wish to inquire about remaining seats for in-person attendance in Brussels, please contact Victim Support Europe.
| Time | Item |
| 8.30 – 9.30 | REGISTRATION
European Economic and Social Committee, VMA Building, Rue Van Maerlant 2, Brussels. *To avoid last-minute complications, we highly encourage you to fill in the pre-registration information which will be sent via email. |
| Opening Session: Welcome and Introductory Remarks | |
| 9.30 – 9.45 | Welcome Remarks
Aleksandra Ivankovic, Deputy Director, Victim Support Europe (VSE) |
| 9.45 – 10.00 | Opening Address
Dovile Juodkaite, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) |
| 10.00 – 10.15 | Keynote Address
Nadia Hadad, Co-chair European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) |
| From Rights to Reality: Advancing Fundamental Rights in the EU | |
| 10.15 – 10.45 | The LITI-GATE Project: Objectives and Achievements
Simona Florescu, Litigation Director, Validity Foundation Paula Peralta Agustí, Policy Assistant, Victim Support Europe (VSE) |
| 10.45 – 11.15 | The contribution of the CRPD to the fundamental rights protection in the European Union
Prof. Dr. iur. Markus Schefer, University of Basel |
| 11.15 – 11.30 | COFFEE BREAK |
| Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the European Union | |
| 11.30 – 11.45 | Video Message
Katrin Langensiepen, Member of the European Parliament |
|
11.45 – 13.00 |
PANEL DISCUSSION
Institutionalisation of Persons with Disabilities: The Role of EU Law in Questioning the Status Quo |
| Video Screening: Life in institutions for Persons with Disabilities | |
| Moderator: Anna Arganashvili, Litigation Officer, Validity Foundation
Panellists:
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| 13.00 – 14.15 | LUNCH BREAK |
| Access to Justice for Persons with Disabilities | |
| 14.15 – 14.45 | Barriers to Access to Justice: Perspectives from Persons with Disabilities and Their Legal Representatives
Tanya Petkova, Self-Advocate Vladimir Mirchev, Attorney, KERA Foundation |
| 14.45 – 15.15 | Procedural Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities
Adela Santos Lavigne, Project Officer, European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) |
| 11.15 – 11.30 | COFFEE BREAK |
| Litigating the Rights of Persons with Disabilities | |
| 15.45 – 17.00 | PANEL DISCUSSION
Nexus Between National Legislation and European and International Law in Addressing the Rights of Victims with Disabilities |
| Video Screening: The Case of Victor I. v. the Republic of Moldova | |
| Moderator: Aleksandra Ivankovic, Deputy Director, Victim Support Europe
Panellists:
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| Concluding Remarks and Final Reflections | |
| 17.00 – 17.15 | Closing Remarks
Independent living, the CRPD, and critique of professional power Teodor Mladenov |
| 17.15 – 17.30 | Final Reflection
Steven Allen, Executive Director, Validity Foundation |
*Agenda is subject to change
As Deputy Director of VSE, Aleksandra supports strategic direction and leads projects to strengthen rights protections across Europe. A widely respected human rights lawyer, she has worked with the European Court of Human Rights and international organisations on advancing the rights of persons with disabilities.
Simona is a human rights lawyer with extensive experience litigating on behalf of persons with disabilities and leading European projects to strengthen access to justice. She brings expertise in advancing disability rights through strategic litigation at both national and international levels.
Peter Stánicz, attorney-at-law and lecturer at Eötvös Loránd University, based in Budapest. He had previously worked at the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights (ombudsman) with a disability rights portfolio, before becoming an attorney-at-law with a focus on human rights related cases and strategic litigation before domestic courts as well as the ECtHR. His main academic research areas are the fundamental rights aspects of legal capacity of persons with cognitive disabilities and separately, end-of-life situations and decisions.
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