Front and centre: people with disabilities must be enabled to achieve their aspirations, with Commissioner Helena Dalli

01/23/22 • -1 min

Changing perceptions of people with disabilities, helping to integrate them into employment that matches their ambitions and enabling them to exercise their full rights in a diverse, inclusive society are the cornerstones of the EU’s approach – and a personal commitment by Commissioner for Equalities, Helena Dalli. In this fourth episode of the European Commission’s podcast Europe Calling, Commissioner Dalli uses the occasion of the International Day of People with Disabilities (3 December) to reaffirm the Commission’s resolute determination to build a union of equality for all individuals, regardless of how ‘different’ others might consider them to be. The podcast also features interviews with two people with disabilities, who explain the challenges they have observed in the workplace and outline their suggestions for practical and political measures to enhance their lives.

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Opportunity amid challenge: Europe’s commitment to young people’s future through social policy

The third episode of the “Europe Calling” podcast series focuses on the challenges of youth unemployment and the EU’s strategy for helping young people to secure stable, sustainable jobs – especially in the context of the EU’s green and digital transitions at the heart of the Commission’s priorities.Featuring an extended discussion with Commissioner Nicolas Schmit, who has responsibility for jobs and social rights, the podcast examines the challenges of including and integrating young people in the labour market across Europe, especially amid dramatic changes in the world of work post-Covid.

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Security and Schengen’s open borders: A picture of increasing threat with matching drive for reform

In early 2022, Europeans woke to three potentially dire security threats to them and their way of life: more conflict in insecurity in Ukraine, increasing hybrid warfare and cyber attacks, and the possibility of new arrivals of refugees and migrants following the military withdrawal in Afghanistan and the resumption of power by the Taliban. The fifth episode the European Commission’s podcast Europe Calling series tackles these security challenges and the pressing Reform of Schengen rules, with Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, responsible for Promoting the European Way of Life.