00:00The European Commission says it is upping its commitments to promoting the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities by
00:06reviewing its long-term strategy.
00:08Our Europe editor, Maria Tadeo, sat down with the EU's Commissioner for Equality, Haja Al-Abbib, and started by asking
00:15her about the Commission's new initiatives.
00:17We are launching a new EU alliance for independent living, with a budget also to support service-based communities instead
00:32of institutions.
00:34And that is what we call deinstitutionalization, to be sure that a person with disabilities can live their own life
00:42independently.
00:43And it is about their dignity, their choice also.
00:47And then to put everything into place to be sure that they will have the capacity to be more included
00:54in the labor market.
00:56And I have to ask you, there's a very political question, but it matters because of the times that we're
01:02in.
01:02And some would argue there's been, well, pushback against the idea of inclusivity, that the political debate is sort of
01:10shifting into a form of right that is about power and might and looks at ideas of diversity, inclusivity.
01:18It is too woke.
01:19We don't want it.
01:20We don't like it anymore.
01:21Is that something that you're concerned about?
01:23Yes, I'm concerned about because I'm commissioner for equality and we see a regression when it comes to gender equality
01:32and all kind of, you know, discrimination is something that we need to combat because this is not the Europe
01:41we want to live in.
01:42We want a Europe that is forgetting no one, that is inclusive, that is diverse.
01:49This is our added value as a continent.
01:52So it's important to be very vocal.
01:56And that's why we had this strategy.
01:58We could have gone until 2030 without, you know, creating new flagship, new communication.
02:06But we did exactly the contrary.
02:08It means that equality, values, principles matter in our Europe and we are proud of.
02:15At what time horizon do you look at?
02:18What is something that is acceptable to you to see a Europe that looks like more like your proposal than
02:24the current one that we have?
02:26This is something that we should think about from yesterday, I would say, because it's linked to my other parts,
02:37my other competence, preparedness.
02:40We need to rebuild Ukraine, for instance, with having in mind the number of people who are wounded today.
02:51You know, I visited hospitals where you see a lot of people imputed, unfortunately.
02:58And we need to have accessibility by design to be sure that when we rebuild new schools, new hospitals, new
03:09airports, that it is accessible, you know, from the starting point and not something that is an added afterthought.
03:17In this process, and I'm sure, as you said, you had many stories and you spoke to many different people.
03:25What did you learn personally out of this?
03:27That it's about all of us and it's about who we are and how we want to live.
03:34You know, if you want to live in a society where the most fragile, vulnerable are left behind, you can,
03:41you know, think that it could be you.
03:43It can be your mother, it can be your children, your child tomorrow.
03:49And so it creates a lot of anxiety and a lack of confidence also.
03:54And what we are doing, it's exactly the contrary.
03:58We are building a trustful society where you know that we care about you.
04:05We care about all of us.
04:07We are building a trustful society where you know that we are building a trustful society where you are building
04:09a trustful society where you are building a trustful society where you are building a trustful society where you are
04:09building a trustful society where you are building a trustful society where you are building a trustful society where you
04:09are building a trustful society where you are building a trustful society where you are building a trustful society where
04:09you are building a trustful society where you are building a trustful society where you are building a trustful society
04:09where you are building a trustful society where you are building a trustful society where you are building a trustful
04:09society where you are building a trustful society where you are building a trustful society where you are building a
04:09trustful society where you are building a trustful society where you are building a trustful society where you are building
04:09a trustful society where you are building a trustful society where you are building a trustful society where you are
04:09building a trustful society where you are building a trustful society where you are
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