With far-right parties gaining traction at multiple levels of government and a more right-wing European Parliament than ever, Europe’s political landscape is becoming increasingly hostile to migrants.

In this shifting climate, what is happening to migrants’ political and civic participation? What avenues remain for migrants to mobilise and engage in politics?

To explore these questions, host Seden Anlar speaks with Dr. Anna Lenkewitz-Salminen, coordinator of Nice Hearts, and Kim Smouter, director of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR).

This podcast is hosted by Seden Anlar and produced by the New Europeans Initiative, a project of the Migration Policy Group. Funding for the podcast is provided by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme of the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only.

With a European Parliament more right-wing than ever, what will be the ramifications of this new political landscape on the EU's migration policy?

Seden Anlar, the host of our podcast Changing the Table spoke with our Senior Legal Policy Analyst Dr. Carmine Conte to find out.

Also hear from activists and campaigners from around Europe like VoteDiaspora ambassadors Samira Brahimi and Kel Nkondock as well as Adel Albaghdadi, the founder of WE Organisation in the Netherlands and vice president of Voicify about their perspectives on the elections, their motivations for voting, the impact of the get-out-the-vote campaigns, voter turnout, and their expectations for the next mandate.

This podcast is hosted by Seden Anlar and produced by the New Europeans Initiative, a project of the Migration Policy Group. Funding for the podcast is provided by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme of the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only.

Our host Seden Anlar explores elections, getting out the vote and the complexity of representation together with guest speakers Samira Brahimi, DiasporaVota Ambassador, and Dr. Thomas Huddleston, MPG's former Head of Research and a leading expert on migration, integration and inclusion.

Learn more about campaigns that are encouraging mobile voters to go out and vote:

This podcast is hosted by Seden Anlar and produced by the New Europeans Initiative, a project of the Migration Policy Group. Funding for the podcast is provided by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme of the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only.

Have you ever heard statements like “We invited people from the migrant community but nobody showed up for our neighbourhood meeting” Or maybe something like, “It’s hard to find migrants that have the right skillset”? The harmful narrative that migrants are hard to reach and hard to find is widespread.

But as our guests in this episode point out, there are effective ways to counter it.
In this episode, our host Seden Anlar unpacks this narrative together with Selma Rassoul Project Manager at the PLACE Network and returning guest to the podcast Oliva Long, Managing Editor at the Migration Policy Group and author of the report Meaningful Participation of New Europeans in Policymaking.

In this episode, we look into how the political participation of migrants varies across different European countries, with a special focus on Ireland as a unique case study. How does Ireland's approach to political participation differ, and what lessons can be learned from its successes and shortcomings?

Seden Anlar, host and producer of the podcast, is joined by Dr Salome Mbugua, CEO of AkidwA, an organisation of migrant women in Ireland, and by Dr Basak Yavcan, Head of Research of the Migration Policy Group. Who is working on a comparative index of national policies that encourage the civic and political participation of migrants.

In this second episode of Changing the Table, we explore the right to vote and barriers to exercising this right in the context of the upcoming 2024 EU elections. We are joined by Dr Sinem Yilmaz, integration policy analyst at Migration Policy Group, author of an upcoming policy brief produced by MPG on electoral mobilization, and Ieva Langaite, a music therapist at UZ Brussels, who shares her experiences as an EU mobile citizen.

In this very first episode of Changing the Table, Seden sets out to unmask the key obstacles migrants face that hinder their ability to have a say in the decisions that affect them and looks into how to overcome them.

We are joined by Shawgi Ahmed, Director of Public Leadership at the PLACE Network, who shares his insights stemming from over 12 years of experience working with migrants, and by Olivia Long, Managing Editor at the Migration Policy Group, who conducted interviews with representatives of New European communities to map obstacles to political participation and recommendations on eliminating them.

This podcast is hosted by Seden Anlar and produced by the New Europeans Initiative, a project of the Migration Policy Group. Funding for the podcast is provided by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme of the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only.

In a vibrant democracy, everyone should be able to have a say in the decisions that affect them. But European democracy has a problem.

People from diverse origins and cultural backgrounds are an integral part of European society. Yet, they face many barriers that hinder their ability to take part in civic and political life.

In this podcast, instead of only empowering people to take a seat at the table, we look into changing the table itself. Join our host, Seden Anlar, as she talks with community leaders, researchers and policy-makers about how we can remove barriers and make European democracy inclusive and fit for an increasingly diverse and internationally mobile society.