With the 2024 European elections around the corner, the Grassroots View is looking at the hopes and concerns of three groups whose voices are often neglected by policymakers: people with disabilities, senior citizens and young people.
We checked in with Milan Šveřepa, president of Inclusion Europe, to see if anything had changed on the accessibility front since 2019, when millions of Europeans were barred from voting due to intellectual disabilities or were prevented from going to the polls simply because the polling stations could not accommodate their physical disability.
We asked youth activist and influencer Nina Skočak whether she thought the voting age should be lowered to 16 and what was at stake for young people in this election.
We wanted to hear from Heidrun Mollenkopf, the president of AGE Platform, which advocates for senior citizens, about whether older people felt included in election debates or rather dismissed and written off by politicians.
And we asked the EESC’s vice-president for communication, Laurențiu Plosceanu, what the EESC does to keep amplifying the voices of civil society, making sure that the more vulnerable do not get side-lined or marginalised.
Enjoy our podcast, use your vote and speak up for yourself, shape up the Europe you want!
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With the 2024 European elections around the corner, the Grassroots View is looking at the hopes and concerns of three groups whose voices are often neglected by policymakers: people with disabilities, senior citizens and young people.
We checked in with Milan Šveřepa, president of Inclusion Europe, to see if anything had changed on the accessibility front since 2019, when millions of Europeans were barred from voting due to intellectual disabilities or were prevented from going to the polls simply because the polling stations could not accommodate their physical disability.
We asked youth activist and influencer Nina Skočak whether she thought the voting age should be lowered to 16 and what was at stake for young people in this election.
We wanted to hear from Heidrun Mollenkopf, the president of AGE Platform, which advocates for senior citizens, about whether older people felt included in election debates or rather dismissed and written off by politicians.
And we asked the EESC’s vice-president for communication, Laurențiu Plosceanu, what the EESC does to keep amplifying the voices of civil society, making sure that the more vulnerable do not get side-lined or marginalised.
Enjoy our podcast, use your vote and speak up for yourself, shape up the Europe you want!
18. Europe and Africa: a common response to common challenges
The Grassroots View
11 minutes 36 seconds
3 years ago
18. Europe and Africa: a common response to common challenges
The EU and the African continent share interests and concerns: a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery, the green transition and the access to energy, the digital transformation, human development, peace and good governance or even migration and mobility. That’s why a frank and ongoing dialogue between civil society stakeholders from both sides is so important. In this episode of The Grassroots View, we have invited some of their representatives to tell us their stories.
Dimitris Dimitriadis, President of the external relations section of the EESC, explains how the Committee maintains close relations with its African counterparts and how it helps promoting European values to the world. He also talks about the growing influence of China and Russia on the African continent, and how important it is that the EU doesn't lose its presence there.
Ben Fox, Editor at EURACTIV and Africa Confidential, helps us understanding the state of civil society across Africa. He also explains how the EU can compete with other players and where its added value is.
Rose Omamo represents the metal workers in Kenya, and is the first woman to lead the union in its history. She describes how Kenyan civil society acts as the watchdog to the government and what the opportunities are for both sides of a collaboration with the European civil society.
The Grassroots View
With the 2024 European elections around the corner, the Grassroots View is looking at the hopes and concerns of three groups whose voices are often neglected by policymakers: people with disabilities, senior citizens and young people.
We checked in with Milan Šveřepa, president of Inclusion Europe, to see if anything had changed on the accessibility front since 2019, when millions of Europeans were barred from voting due to intellectual disabilities or were prevented from going to the polls simply because the polling stations could not accommodate their physical disability.
We asked youth activist and influencer Nina Skočak whether she thought the voting age should be lowered to 16 and what was at stake for young people in this election.
We wanted to hear from Heidrun Mollenkopf, the president of AGE Platform, which advocates for senior citizens, about whether older people felt included in election debates or rather dismissed and written off by politicians.
And we asked the EESC’s vice-president for communication, Laurențiu Plosceanu, what the EESC does to keep amplifying the voices of civil society, making sure that the more vulnerable do not get side-lined or marginalised.
Enjoy our podcast, use your vote and speak up for yourself, shape up the Europe you want!
