The Right To Decide - Episode 6: Beyond the Chaos

European research funding, Chinese-owned technology, and Turkey’s expanding surveillance system are more closely connected than EVER. A recent investigation by Follow the Money reveals that EU-backed research projects have indirectly supported a Turkish company supplying facial-recognition equipment to law enforcement, despite its ties to ZTE, a Chinese firm classified by the EU as a “high-risk” vendor.Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final episode of The Right to Decide, host Sophie in ’t Veld speaks once again with Neil Datta, Executive Director of the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, to look at the global picture for reproductive freedom. With the return of the Trump administration, the world is witnessing renewed attacks on gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights. But this episode also looks forward. Together, we explore how Europe can step up as a global leader: by defending progressive policies, investing in education and healthcare, and building international coalitions that protect the right to decide for everyone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The EU’s migration dilemma is back, not that it ever really went away. Member states are once again clashing over asylum rules, exposing old rifts that the bloc has spent years trying, and failing, to gloss over.This week, the European Commission published its first annual migration management cycle. Think of it as a map of who needs help, who should give help, and who is already signalling they’ll try very hard to avoid both.Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Thursday, all eyes are on a crucial vote in the European Parliament regarding corporate sustainability and due diligence rules. The Parliament’s biggest political group, the European People’s Party, or EPP, is poised to do something it has long claimed it would never do, vote alongside the far right.How could this move reshape not only the EU’s environmental policy but also the entire political balance in Brussels?Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ukraine’s Justice Minister, German Galushchenko, has been suspended from his position as energy minister after a major corruption investigation into the country’s energy sector.Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko announced the decision after an extraordinary government session today, Wednesday, saying Galushchenko would step aside while the inquiry continues. But how is this affecting Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union and its credibility on the international stage?Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The EU has been working on a plan to use frozen Russian state assets to help keep Ukraine afloat. Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, around €185 billion in Russian assets have been immobilised in Europe, most of them sitting at Euroclear, a huge securities depository based in Belgium. But, why is the EU’s plan to use these frozen assets hitting a wall?Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world has gathered for what’s called the “COP of truth.” Tens of thousands of delegates, activists, and journalists have descended on Belém, Brazil, for COP30 the UN’s annual climate conference.It’s been one of the hottest years on record, with floods, fires and melting ice caps becoming the new normal. The UN warns that global temperatures are now on track to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius within the next decade, the key threshold the Paris Agreement was supposed to prevent us from crossing.Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the fifth episode of The Right to Decide, host Sophie in ’t Veld speaks with Nicole Moran, Gender and SRHR Advisor, about a worrying trend spreading across Europe: the decline in contraceptive use among young people. Together, they explore how stigma, fake news, and a growing mistrust in healthcare providers are shaping young people’s attitudes toward contraception. From misinformation spreading online to the absence of proper sex education in schools, we uncover why investing in education is essential to restore trust and protect young people’s right to choose. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is about to meet US President Donald Trump, and he’s got quite the wish list. The visit comes at a sensitive moment. On the surface, it’s a diplomatic catch-up between two long-time political allies. But underneath, the Hungarian leader has two clear goals, first, to secure an exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil, and second, to persuade Trump to host another summit with Vladimir Putin, ideally in Budapest.Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The French government has launched a procedure to suspend access to the fast-fashion giant Shein’s website, after authorities found child-like sex dolls listed on the platform. Under French law, online platforms must remove clearly illegal content, including child sexual content, within 24 hours, or risk being blocked and delisted.This move came on Wednesday, the same day Shein opened its first permanent physical store in the world, inside BHV, one of Paris’s historic department stores. The opening drew long queues of shoppers, and a crowd of protesters, who briefly disrupted the launch before being escorted out.Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.