Security & defence / PODCAST

NATO Summit: Is Ukraine's glass half empty or half full?

This episode takes a closer look at the outcomes of the NATO Summit in Vilnius and its implications for Russia's war in Ukraine. It also focuses on Türkiye's agreement on Sweden's membership, the future of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and NATO's relations with the Indo-Pacific.

With Jamie Shea, former Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO and Senior Adviser at the EPC; Amanda Paul, Senior Policy Analyst at the EPC; and Mihai Sebastian Chihaia, Policy Analyst at the EPC.

The episode was moderated by Garvan Walshe, Head of Communications at the European Policy Centre.

With Amanda Paul , Jamie Shea , Mihai Sebastian Chihaia , Garvan Walshe

Israel / PODCAST

The new government in Israel: Domestic and foreign policy implications - Part II

As protests in Israel continue to rise against Netanyahu's government and his judicial reforms, the final part of this EPC podcast series takes a closer look at Israel’s foreign relations. EPC Policy Analyst Mihai Sebastian Chihaia is joined by Azriel Bermant, Maya Sion, and Aaron David Miller to discuss the US stance towards Netanyahu, the significance and purpose of President Herzog’s visit to Brussels, and the new government’s position towards Russia and the war in Ukraine.

How will the new leadership affect Israel’s geopolitical agenda? Will the EU support the country’s pro-democracy movements? And will the US be ‘tough on Israel’ if Netanyahu moves forward with his controversial judicial reforms?

With Mihai Sebastian Chihaia , Azriel Bermant , Maya Sion , Aaron David Miller

Israel / PODCAST

The new government in Israel: Domestic and foreign policy implications - Part I

The EPC Podcast is back to delve deeper into EU affairs and connect the dots between politics, policies, and people. This new episode forms the first part of a two-part podcast on the new Israeli government and its domestic and foreign policy agenda.

After Benjamin Netanyahu’s election as the new Israeli Prime Minister, the European Policy Centre hosted a Twitter Space to discuss the implications of the election results. EPC Analyst Mihai Sebastian Chihaia was joined by Azriel Bermant, Maya Sion and Aaron David Miller to explore the prospects for Israel’s relations with the EU, the US, and other international actors.

What are the key domestic policies that Netanyahu wants to implement? How will his right-wing government influence EU-Israeli relations? And will Netanyahu’s extremist agenda damage the historically positive relationship between the US and Israel?

With Mihai Sebastian Chihaia , Azriel Bermant , Maya Sion , Aaron David Miller

Ukraine / PODCAST

From war zone to the work force? How to support women displaced from Ukraine on the EU labour market

It has been 3 months since Russia invaded Ukraine. Since then, 6 million people have fled the country. Most of them women and children. Quickly after the start of the war, the EU triggered the Temporary Protection Directive, an exceptional measure intended to give people displaced from Ukraine an automatic right to travel freely throughout Europe, and gain access to social welfare, healthcare, housing and work.

In this episode, we talk about how Ukrainian refugees have fared and how they are integrating in their host countries. And because so many of them are women, we delve deeper into what specific challenges that are facing on the labour market.

With: Lyuba Karpachova, Refugees Department Lead, Promote Ukraine; Lena Detlefsen, Postdoctoral Researcher, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), part of the MEDAM project team; Teresa Hornung, Senior Adviser, BDA Confederation of German Employers' Associations; Katerina Dimitrakopoulou, Head of Sector working on Integration, Legal Migration and Integration Unit, DG HOME; and Silvia Carta, Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre.

This episode is part of the Mercator Dialogue on Migration and Asylum or MEDAM, a research project that develops evidence-based solutions for asylum and immigration policies. 


With Rebecca Castermans , Silvia Carta

Afghanistan / PODCAST

Afghanistan revisited - Part I

Four months after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the spotlights have dimmed. But as winter sets in and the new regime tightens its grip, what is the state of the country, its people, and the Afghans that have fled and are still looking for safety? In this two-part episode, we talk about the unfolding humanitarian crisis, how Afghan refugees are faring in neighbouring and other transit countries, and what the EU and the international community are doing to address it. 

With Abdul Ghafoor Rafiey, founder and director of the Afghanistan Migrants Advice and Support Organization; Rene Taus Hansen, Afghanistan & Pakistan Department at the European External Action Service; and Helena Hahn, junior policy analyst in the European Migration and Diversity programme at the European Policy Centre.

This episode is part of the Mercator Dialogue on Migration and Asylum or MEDAM, a research project that develops evidence-based solutions for asylum and immigration policies. 

Additional sources:

MEDAM Assessment Report 2021

Challenges and priorities of the EU’s response to the situation in Afghanistan (Egmont Institute)

Afghanistan: Commission announces €1 billion Afghan support package (12 October 2021)

Afghanistan / PODCAST

Afghanistan revisited - Part II

Four months after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the spotlights have dimmed. But as winter sets in and the new regime tightens its grip, what is the state of the country, its people, and the Afghans that have fled and are still looking for safety? In the second part of a two-part episode, we discuss the EU’s tense, knee-jerk response to the crisis back in August and September, and what it has revealed about the EU’s current view and approach to migration policy.  

With Jean-Louis De Brouwer, the Director of the European Affairs Program at the Egmont Institute; Silvia Carta, Policy Analyst in the European Migration and Diversity programme at the European Policy Centre; and Helena Hahn, junior policy analyst in the European Migration and Diversity programme at the EPC.

This episode is part of the Mercator Dialogue on Migration and Asylum or MEDAM, a research project that develops evidence-based solutions for asylum and immigration policies. 

Additional sources:

MEDAM Assessment Report 2021

Challenges and priorities of the EU’s response to the situation in Afghanistan (Egmont Institute)

Afghanistan: Commission announces €1 billion Afghan support package (12 October 2021)

Security & defence / PODCAST

NATO Summit wrap-up: The road to 2030

This episode takes a closer look at the outcome of the NATO summit and the implications for EU-NATO cooperation and the transatlantic relationship, and how the Alliance plans to deal with Russia and China. It also reviews NATO’s plans to help the fight against climate change.

With Jamie Shea, Professor of Strategy and Security at the University of Exeter, former Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO and senior adviser to the EPC; Katarina Kertysova, Policy Fellow at the European Leadership Network and NATO 2030 Young Leader; and Mihai Sebastian Chihaia, Policy Analyst in the Europe in the World programme at the European Policy Centre.


With Rebecca Castermans , Jamie Shea , Mihai Sebastian Chihaia , Katarina Kertysova

Social EU / PODCAST

A strong social Europe: Long overdue or a bridge too far?

The upcoming Porto Social Summit hopes to give a much-needed push to the European Pillar of Social Rights, the EU’s attempt to add a social dimension to its policies. But without any real power in this area, what concrete results can we expect?

In this episode, the EPC's Social Europe and Well-Being team looks ahead at the summit and explores the tension between the dream of a social Europe and doing the work of building it. They explain why EU-wide social policies are worth pursuing and how they could be implemented successfully.

The discussion also covers health, the potential role of the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility in spurring reforms, and the disproportionate effect COVID-19 has had on women in the workplace.

With Rebecca Castermans , Simona Guagliardo , Mihai Palimariciuc , Aileen McLeod , Laura Rayner

Health / PODCAST

Vaccine certificates: Damned if you do, damned if you don't

An EU vaccine passport could help us get back to normal sooner, but at what cost?

Despite lingering disagreement between member states, the Commission will soon present its proposal for an EU vaccine passport. The upcoming 'digital green pass' should make it easier for EU citizens to cross borders in time for the summer holidays.

But not everyone is on board; health experts warn there are still too many unknowns about the effectiveness of the existing vaccines, while others worry about the ethical, social, and privacy implications.

With vaccine certificates becoming a potential ethical, technical and political minefield, the Commission and member state governments will have to think through all possible effects and outcomes: What are the benefits of having an EU vaccine certificate? What are the potential pitfalls? And what could be some of the unforeseen, downstream consequences in the long run?

In this episode, EPC analysts try to answer those questions, covering the health, social, freedom of movement and data privacy dimensions of the debate.

With contributions from Greek Minister of Digital Governance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, and EPC policy analysts Simona Guagliardo, Alberto-Horst Neidhardt and Andreas Aktoudianakis; and Programme Assistant Helena Hahn.

With Rebecca Castermans , Alberto-Horst Neidhardt , Simona Guagliardo , Andreas Aktoudianakis , Helena Hahn

Foreign policy / PODCAST

Feminist Foreign Policy: What’s in a name?

Feminist foreign policy is gaining momentum around the world. But what makes a foreign policy 'feminist'? And why is it important to re-evaluate defence and security policies through a decidedly feminist lens?

In this episode, I put these and other questions to Shada Islam, Senior Advisor on Asia and Africa to the EPC and well-known commentator on EU affairs, and Nina Bernarding, Director at the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy.

We also talked about intersectionality, the need for broader inclusion in foreign policy, what an EU feminist foreign policy could and should look like and our shared admiration for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

With Rebecca Castermans , Shada Islam , Nina Bernarding

DIGITAL EU / PODCAST

The Digital Services Act - Why data access matters

With its upcoming Digital Services Act, the European Commission intends to set clear rules for online platforms and the services they provide, which will make them more accountable and subject to public scrutiny and oversight.   

If internet platforms are to be held accountable, the new rules must enable journalists and researchers to gain access to data that allows them to dissect the algorithmic systems that govern the content users get to see on their screens.  
In this podcast, AlgorithmWatch and the EPC explore why data access matters; what makes it so difficult for journalists and researchers to get their hands on data from internet platforms; and how EU policymakers plan to take the decision-making on internet governance out of the private boardroom.

You will hear excerpts from a speech by Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the European Commission for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age and Competition. She spoke recently at an online webinar where AlgorithmWatch and the EPC presented the outcome and final recommendations of their 'Governing Platforms' project. We also spoke with Tom Dobber, postdoctoral researcher at the Amsterdam School of Communication Research, and Rania Wazir, data scientist and board member of the Vienna Data Science Group. They are two of many researchers who, in the context of AlgorithmWatch's 'Left on Read' campaign, gave an account of their experiences with trying to get access to data on internet platforms.

The support the European Policy Centre receives for its ongoing operations, or specifically for its podcasts and publications, does not constitute an endorsement of their contents, which reflect the views of the authors only. Supporters and partners cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.


With Rebecca Castermans , AlgorithmWatch

Migration / PODCAST

The New Pact on Migration: Some answers, more questions

The Commission has finally launched the New Pact on Migration. After years of gridlock, Commission Vice-President of Schinas and Commissioner Johansson seem confident that this set of proposals can bridge the gap between the member states and deliver real progress on EU migration reform.

Marie De Somer, Head of the EPC's Migration and Diversity programme, Olivia Sundberg Diez, EPC Policy Analyst, and Matthias Lücke, coordinator of the MEDAM project (Mercator Dialogue on Asylum and Migration)assess the New Pact's strengths and weaknesses. What is it that is 'new' about this proposal? What are the chances that it will lead to actual reform? And can the new solidarity mechanism convince the more sceptical member states?

With Marie De Somer , Rebecca Castermans , Olivia Sundberg Diez , Matthias Lücke

Mobility / PODCAST

Green mobility in Europe - with Lilyana Pavlova, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank

On the occasion of the European Mobility Week, our own Annika Hedberg (Head of the Sustainable Prosperity for Europe programme) and Stefan Sipka (policy analyst) talked to Vice-President Lilyana Pavlova of the European Investment Bank, the lending arm of the European Union, about the future of green mobility in Europe and the Union’s efforts to decarbonise transport in light of the EU Green Deal.

They discussed how making and encouraging the right investment decisions can drive the climate-neutral transformation of transport; the different actions the EU, and the EIB specifically, have already undertaken and what more could and should be done; and the unexpected ways the Coronacrisis has affected mobility on European roads.

With Annika Hedberg , Rebecca Castermans

Foreign policy / PODCAST

The renewed Franco-German partnership and its potential to build a geopolitical Europe


In this episode, Jana Puglierin and Ulrike Esther Franke from the European Council on Foreign Relations argue that it is time for the EU to get serious about its foreign policy - and explain how France and Germany can lead the way. 

When it comes to geopolitics, the EU is still something of a navel-gazer. The past decade saw one existential crisis after another, forcing the EU leadership to focus its attention inward. But while the Union was dealing with its own issues, the outside world became an increasingly chaotic and sometimes even hostile place, seeing the return of zero-sum thinking and great power rivalry. The COVID-19 crisis and the economic recession that followed have only emphasized how critical foreign policy challenges are.

In response to the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in May of this year announced that they would back a €500 billion EU bond to help with Europe's economic recovery. The historic statement led many to wonder if the previously sputtering Franco-German engine could also force a breakthrough in EU foreign policy, especially since Germany was about to take over the presidency of the Council of the EU. 

Jana's and Ulrike's contributions are based on the ECFR Policy Brief 'The big engine that might: How France and Germany can build a geopolitical Europe'. Their analysis draws from the findings of the third edition of the European Council on Foreign Relations' EU Coalition Explorer – a survey of foreign policy experts and government officials across the EU27 that was taken in March and April of this year.

With Rebecca Castermans

Rule of law / PODCAST

Rule of law: Can't we all just get along?

Rule-of-law concerns have been plaguing the Union for the better part of the last decade, and don’t appear to be going anywhere. At a recent EPC Policy Dialogue, organised as part of our Connecting Europe project and in cooperation with Democracy Reporting International, European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová spoke about the current state of rule-law-proceedings and elaborated on the new Commission’s plans to counter democratic backsliding in the member states.

With Rebecca Castermans

European Commission / PODCAST

EU leaders agree on top jobs, but will it stick?

After a marathon Council meeting, EU leaders finally settled on a new leadership team for the bloc, picking German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen as Commission president, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel as president of the Council, IMF’s Christine Lagarde as president of the ECB, and Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell as the new High Representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

In this episode, EPC Director of Studies Janis A. Emmanouilidis lifts the curtain on what was going on behind closed doors at the summit and explains how von der Leyen became the Commission president candidate everyone could get behind (sort of). He also covers what this means for the Spitzenkandidaten process, lessons learnt (introduce transnational lists, pick your Spitzenkandidat carefully, and Parliament, take the initiative!), and what will happen next.

With

European elections / PODCAST

Post-election analysis

Analysts Janis A. Emmanouilidis, Corina Stratulat and Fabian Zuleeg shared their views on the results of the European Parliament elections at an EPC post-election briefing.

Their in-depth analysis covered, among other things, the implications of the splintering of the European vote, the emergence of a new political alignment that goes beyond the traditional left-right paradigm, the different scenarios for a new coalition agreement in the Parliament, the race for the EU top jobs and what the election results in the UK mean for Brexit.

With Fabian Zuleeg , Corina Stratulat , Janis A. Emmanouilidis

Populism / PODCAST

A look ahead at 2019: Can the centre hold?

In our last podcast of 2018, Director of Studies Janis A. Emmanouilidis and Junior Policy Analyst Paul Butcher take stock of where the EU stands after the December summit but also look ahead at what’s in store for Europe in 2019.

Next year promises to be another turbulent year, as a divided and polarised EU will head to the polls in May. The stakes are high. Many analysts predict – or fear is the better word – that Eurosceptic, anti-globalist parties will take over the European Parliament and blow up the Union’s traditional consensus-building politics. Emmanouilidis and Butcher talk about what the growing polarisation means for the upcoming political transition and address the threat of disinformation and fake news ahead of the elections.

With Paul Butcher , Janis A. Emmanouilidis

Brexit / PODCAST

Brexit: The last 5%

Ahead of the European Policy Centre's conference 'A new blueprint for the EU after 2019', Anand Menon, Director of The UK in a Changing Europe, and Fabian Zuleeg, EPC's chief executive, sat down to discuss the latest in the Brexit negotiations.

The deal between the UK and the EU is 95% done, but the last 5% turns out to be the most difficult. Menon and Zuleeg talked about the Northern-Irish backstop, the extension to the transition period, the probability of a no-deal scenario and whether or not Brexit is still reversible.

With Fabian Zuleeg , Anand Menon

Post-Summit Briefing / PODCAST

Post-summit(s) rundown

Director of Studies Janis A. Emmanouilidis and head of the migration and diversity programme Marie De Somer discuss the latest developments in the Brexit talks, migration and EMU reform.

After the disappointment of the Brexit summit, where do the EU and UK go from here? Will migration continue to dominate the public debate in Europe? Has the window of opportunity for EMU reform been closed indefinitely? And what does it all mean with the 2019 European Parliament elections on the horizon?

With Marie De Somer , Janis A. Emmanouilidis