An athletes' representative had previously been appointed on to the EPC Executive Board by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

But this is no longer the case following the ratification of a new Constitution by the IPC in September 2022, leading the EPC to formulate a plan to establish an Athletes’ Council for the first time.

EPC Executive Board member Miriam Malone led the drafting of the proposal which was given the green light at the General Assembly staged in Rotterdam last week.

The meeting also saw French Para sprinter Nantenin Keïta, a women’s 400 metres T13 gold medallist at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, named as interim athletes’ representative on the EPC Executive Board.

The new Athletes’ Council is expected to comprise a maximum of eight members with athletes serving four-year terms.

EPC members have been given the opportunity to nominate up to two athletes which are preferably on their own Athletes’ Council.

Under the selection criteria, the Athletes’ Council members must have represented their country or territory at a sanctioned competition level or above within the past eight years at the time of their appointment.

There is also expected to be a balance of male and female athletes, a variety of sports included and summer and winter sport represented.

An EPC nominations sub group is set to be created within the next two months which will be charged with appointing four athletes for four years and a further four for two years on the inaugural Athletes’ Council.

The candidates are due to be selected before the end of the year, with the aim of holding the first EPC Athletes’ Council meeting in January 2024.

Once established, the Athletes’ Council will be expected to elect one representative to the EPC Executive Board and meet at least three times per year.

EPC President Raymon Blondel said the creation of an Athletes’ Council would be a "step forward" for the organisation.

"In the earlier days, an athlete representative was appointed by the IPC to the Board of the European Paralympic Committee," Blondel told insidethegames.

"This was the old model.

"By changing the Constitution of the IPC, this ran out and we had to develop our own governance of how to involve the athletes.

"We appointed an athlete representative in Nantenin Keïta but that’s a temporary situation.

"The members gave us the mandate now and the framework with some starting points of how to organise an Athletes’ Council which is fantastic."

The General Assembly also saw the Paralympic Committee of Kosovo gain EPC membership after being approved as a provisional member of the IPC last year.

"We are very proud of this and so are they," added Blondel.

"They will be getting involved in different projects and collaboration with neighbouring countries which is very positive."