DISABLED PEOPLE MUST NOT BE IGNORED BY EU - MEP

6.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 10th Mar 2008

Liz Lynne at the launch of the Declaration in Brussels

Wolverhampton's Lib Dem Euro MP, Liz Lynne, launched a campaign to get more countries to sign up for greater rights for disabled people. The campaign stepped up a gear when she met a delegation of leading disability organisations at the European Parliament in Brussels.

The UN Convention on Disabled People's Rights was enthusiastically backed by a number of countries at the launch last year but since then, far fewer have signed up than was hoped.

This prompted Liz Lynne to launch a Written Declaration, which if signed by enough Euro-MPs will force a debate on the issue in the European Parliament.

Liz is a long standing disability rights campaigner and is Vice President of the all-party Disability Intergroup of MEPs. She said: "Achieving a legally binding UN convention was a milestone, but it is no use if countries do not sign and ratify it. The declaration needs the support of half the 785 MEPs to achieve a debate in the European Parliament. This will send a strong message on the importance of this Convention in the fight to secure fundamental human rights for all disabled people.

"I encourage people to write to their MEPs of all parties asking them to sign, so this issue gets the attention it deserves across the EU and beyond."