Europe and Me

It’s time to vote! Between 6 and 9 June this year, millions of EU citizens will help shape the future of the European Union by voting in the European elections. The European Parliament is the only directly elected EU body and the European elections are one of the biggest democratic events in the world. Join us in this episode as we take a closer look at how the voting system works. Don’t miss this chance to find out how your vote counts!

Navalny, Russia’s most prominent voice of opposition, known for exposing corruption and being an ardent critic of President Vladimir Putin, died under mysterious circumstances on 16 February 2024  in a remote Arctic penal colony. In 2021, he was awarded the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

Every year, on 15 March, we celebrate World Consumer Rights Day to raise awareness about consumer rights and protections around the world. The European Parliament plays a crucial role in safeguarding consumer rights across the European Union. With over 450 million consumers in the EU, ensuring fair treatment, transparency and safety in the marketplace is essential. Let’s find out how your consumer rights are protected in the EU.

21 February has been celebrated each year as International Mother Language Day. This day was first proclaimed in the year 2000 by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, as a way of promoting language diversity and multilingualism in all parts of the world.

It’s something we find more or less everywhere: in our cars, in our homes and on our phones. What is it? The radio, of course! And 13 February is World Radio Day. Let’s take a look at a trusty media format that even saved the Eiffel Tower from being torn down.

Mahsa Amini and the Women, Life and Freedom Movement in Iran have won the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thoughts 2023. The award was set up in 1988 to honour individuals and organisations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is named in honour of Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov who dedicated his life to defending human rights.

A Greek, German and British consortium has won the 2023 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize. The investigation took an in-depth look into the events surrounding the loss of the fishing trawler Adriana on 14 June 2023 some 50 nautical miles off Pylos, in south-western Greece, killing over 600 migrants who had left Libya some days earlier.

The award contributes to the promotion of principles and values of the EU, as enshrined in the European Charter of Human Rights. It in honour of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the Maltese journalist, blogger and anti-corruption activist killed in 2017.

The five films that are running for the 2024 LUX Audience Award are:  20,000 Species of Bees - Fallen Leaves - On the Adamant - Smoke Sauna Sisterhood - The Teachers’ Lounge.

The LUX Award is an instrument for highlighting and reflecting on films that deal with social and political themes. It aims at encouraging debate and reflection and using films to help build a stronger European identity.

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.

The theme for 2023 is ‘Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the Global Goals’.

On 11 July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces, led by General Ratko Mladić captured the town of Srebrenica in Eastern Bosnia, which had been declared a UN Safe Area. In the following days, over 8,000 Muslim men and boys were systematically murdered and buried in mass graves.

In 2022, the European Parliament awarded the Lux Award to ‘Quo Vadis Aida?’ a film that offers a view on the suffering of people during the 1995 Srebrenica genocide.