Over 96 million people are at risk of poverty and social exclusion in the European Union, 22% of the EU's population. Analizing social inequality, from disciplines as varied as law, political science, history or economics is one of the goals of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence EUqualis, hosted at the Institut d'études europeénnes of the Université libre de Bruxelles.  We discuss with professors Amandine Crespy, political scientist, and Chloé Brière, jurist, about new forms of inequality related, for instance, to environmental issues and about emerging discussions of how intersectionality plays a key role when analyzing inequalities.  Making sense of EU is created and produced by the Institut d’études européennes of the Université libre de Bruxelles. This series on Inequality and the European Union is sponsored by the IE-ULB's Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence EUqualis and it’s cofunded by the ERasmus + programme of the European Union.    (101047382 — EUqualis — ERASMUS-JMO-2021-HEI-TCH-RSCH )

War in European soil is the latest test on EU resilience. After living in a polycrisis for the last couple of decades, the European Union is facing one a tough trial, one that is pushing it out of its “soft power” approach to international relations. How will the EU handle a return to War in Europe? And how does inequality manifest in this context?   Marta Matrakova, research coordinator at the Institut d’études européennes of the ULB and Frederik Ponjaert, senior researcher, discuss on “Making Sense of EU”, how inequality, both at the EU level and in the rest of the world, interact.  On this episode, we welcome guest questions from two IEE-ULB students, Jeanne Fabreguettes and Martina Rubino, and we try to make sense of what’s next for EU integration as enlargement comes back to the table.  

Making sense of environmental and ecological justice, and the role of the law and of citizen participation in it is not easy.   Maria Lee, professor of law at University College London and co-director of the UCL Centre for Law and the Environment and Chiara Armeni, professor of Environmental Law and member of the Centre for European Law at the ULB, help us understand what's at stake when it comes to decision-making in this area.  Inequality rhymes with injustice and understanding how it plays out when it comes to dealing with climate change is key to ensure citizens remain engaged in the fight for the preservation of our planet.  Is the European Union doing enough to ensure citizens participation is guaranteed? Is the road to a just transition evenly paved or is inequality still a challenge in this field? Let's find out! 

Talking with EU: the first student-run podcast at the IEE, where the students' point of view is at the centre. This show looks to extend the conversation of the topics discussed at the podcast ‘Making sense of EU’ of the Institute d'études européennes to the students, this time made for the students and by the students. In the first episode of Talking with EU we discuss with Paulina Agudelo, member of the communication board of SAIES, and Martina Rubino, President of Eyes on Europe, the question of ‘Environmental Justice and Inequality’. Why do young people choose more and more radical means of protesting and is that justified? How to tackle the feeling of desperation among young people? And why is it so important to not only transform our society in an ecological way, but also in a just and fair way? We will put a light on all those questions together with our two guests in this first episode of the ‘student’s point of view’!" 

On the occasion of the anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the students responsible for the podcast "Talking with EU: The students' POV" felt the need to commemorate the event by hearing directly from the voices of some of those people whose lives were more directly affected by the Russian attack, the repercussions of which they are still living today.  For this special episode, hosts Felix Fend and Daniele Bogani have invited Sofia Nazarenko and Lev Zinchenko, two Ukrainian students at the Université libre de Bruxelles. They were asked to share their perception of the war from an individual point of view as well as more general considerations about the measures taken so far for Ukraine by the EU.  On 25 February, our hosts Felix Fend and Martina Rubino attended a march held in solidarity with the Ukrainian people in the centre of Brussels and collected some personal and sometimes deeply emotional testimonies.

An activist sentenced to eight months of community service for facilitating abortion pills.   The creation of ‘LGBT-ideology’ free zones  A Minister for Family, Natality, and Equal Opportunity who opposes abortion and same-sex unions.  Imposed disclaimers on children’s books that portray so-called “behaviours deviating from traditional gender roles”. It is hard to believe that all these are things are happening in the European Union. But they are. Gender has become an ideological battlefield that political actors on the extremes are using to gain power.   To help us make sense of the anti-gender campaigns and actions in the EU, the strategies, actors, and networks behind them, we welcome Professor David Paternotte to Making Sense of EU.

In this new episode of Talking with EU, our hosts Paulina Agudelo and Martina Rubino interview two IEE students, Alba San Juan Morales, from the SAIES events team, and Joris Rouillon, editor of Eyes on Europe. Together they will talk about feminism and anti-feminist movements in Europe, violence and gender discrimination and the steps forward (and backward) made on these issues in Europe. Trigger warning: please bear in mind that we mention types of violence and discrimination against women, as well as homophobia and transphobia during the course of this episode. Even though we do not go into much details, it might be triggering and particularly stressful for someone. If you are uncomfortable listening about that kind of topics, you may want to avoid the episode or listen to it in a safe environment.  If you are a victim of violence or discrimination, you are not alone and we believe you. Make sure you are safe first. If you feel you can do so, you can denounce and/or seek help.  Here’s a list of entities and organisations in Belgium that can help in such situations. Belgian police - Cellule Emergency Victim Assistance (EVA) You can contact the nearest service, even if you have not reported the crime to the police and regardless of the crime. Centre de prise en charge des violences sexuelles Medical care, psychological support, medico-legal investigation, follow up and/or filing complaint support violencessexuelles.be Online platform with tools and resources to help and advice victim or witnesses of sexual violence SOS Viol Psychological, social and legal support Cash-e Centre for assistance and support in dealing with risk of harassment ( For ULB students) DEFENDRE – Association d'avocat·e·s Criminal defence of victims of sexual/intra-family/discriminatory violence and harassment Belgian police - LGBTQI+ Reporting point For victims or witnesses of LGBT+-phobia related crimes; to get further information, e.g. on reporting possibilities, and to report under the guidance of a Victim Support Unit worker. RainbowHouse Brussels Support, resources, and information for people who have experienced homophobia, discrimination, or violence based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Genres Pluriels Groups for trans*/inter* people and those close to them; individual psychosocial appointments; assistance with administrative paperwork, health care, asylum applications, etc., sexual health and STI/HIV risk prevention/reduction and more.