The year 2003 was designated the European Year of People with Disabilities (EYPD) by the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

. It is sometimes called the ''European Year of Disabled People''. The European Commission set aside 12 million

euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

s to recognise the European Year of People with Disabilities. The Year was officially launched under the Greek Presidency in Athens on 26 January 2003. The opening ceremony in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

was co-hosted by

Julie Fernandez Julie Mare Fernandez (born 20 April 1974 in Hampstead, London) is a British actress and model best known for her role as Brenda in the BBC comedy ''The Office''. Early life Fernandez was born with osteogenesis imperfecta and uses a wheelchair. ...

External links

European Year of People with Disabilities Website
Disability observances People with Disabilities 2003 in the European Union {{EU-stub