The day before the assembly, EPC will hold its traditional conference, focusing this year on The Process of Sports Independence.

There is a full agenda for the GA, including the elections to the Board, reports from Board members, motions, EPC’s accounts, progress reports from the organising committees of the Vancouver, London and Sochi Paralympic Games and a discussion on EPC’s involvement in the IPC assembly in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in November.

Three constitutional motions will be put to the assembly – two from the Executive Board and one from the Paralympic Council of Ireland. One of the EB motions proposes adding “facilitate the social integration of persons with disabilities in Europe through sport” as EPC’s mission in Article 2 of the committee’s constitution.

Transferring the committee from Germany to Austria is one of the key agenda items. EPC is currently registered in Germany but has its headquarters and permanent office in Vienna. Members will decide if the transfer process should go ahead.

The assembly comes at the end of a four-year term of office which has seen the Governing Board focus its efforts on strengthening the committee’s structure to be in a position to set up new sports events in Europe in the future, thus enriching the European Paralympic sports programme.

EPC’s President for the past four years, visually impaired ex-Paralympic athlete Enrique Sánchez-Guijo from Spain, relinquishes the post proud of having achieved one of EPC’s main aims: securing an HQ and permanent office for the committee and professional staff support to supplement the voluntary work undertaken by EB members.