The austerity measures undertaken by numerous European governments are resulting in drastic cuts to social welfare budgets. Concerned by the potentially large impact that these measures may have on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in 2011 the European Foundation Centre’s Consortium on Human Rights and Disability launched a study to gather evidence on the impact that these measures might have at European level. The event will bring together European Parliamentarians, policy experts and disability groups to discuss the conclusions of the Study. The debate will also look at what can be done at European level to tackle social exclusion experienced by Europe’s citizens which has been exacerbated by the crisis.