Podcasts
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Unpacking the European Commission’s Political Guidelines
As Ursula von der Leyen worked to get re-elected for a second mandate at the European Commission's helm, she offered concessions across the political spectrum and these tactical negotiations have largely shaped the Commission's next mandate.
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Ursula von der Leyen: round two
Ursula von der Leyen convinced 401 members of the European Parliament to vote in her favour out of 707. This time, she was re-elected as Commission President with a 41-vote lead, emerging from the very first plenary with a stronger mandate.
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UK PM Keir Starmer hosts his first European Political Community Summit
Today (17 July) marks new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's debut on the international political scene as he hosts the European Political Community (EPC) Summit, where 50 leaders from all over the world will discuss a hot list of topics, including rebuilding closer ties between the UK and the EU, four years after Brexit.
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Everything we know about the first Strasbourg plenary
Newly elected and re-elected members of the European Parliament are gathering in Strasbourg for the first plenary session of the new mandate.
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Does the EU need a second parliament in Strasbourg?
Exorbitant costs, carbon emissions, and time management are some of the reasons for scrapping the monthly commute of the entire European Parliament to Strasbourg, according to advocates of the idea. However, the dual residency of the institution is deeply rooted in European history and is actively supported by activists in the French city.
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‘Heat under your feet’ tops Hungarian EU Council presidency’s energy agenda
Although geothermal energy plays a small part of the EU’s renewable energy mix, it has significant potential as a stable and local source in the Unions quest for energy independence.
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The rise of three far-right groups in the European Parliament
The European Parliament, the biggest democratic institution in the world, now features three far-right groups. Two of them, Patriots for Europe and Europe of Sovereign Nations, emerged only this week, from the ashes of failed alliance negotiations.
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Inside Hungary’s turbulent first ten days leading the EU’s rotating presidency
EU ambassadors met yesterday (July 10th) to prepare a joint response after President Viktor Orbán’s unexpected visit to negotiate peace with Putin. The amicable nature of the dialogue between the two leaders in Moscow upset EU ambassadors, as Hungary used the European Council presidency’s logo despite claiming a national agenda.
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Unity, Ukraine and the future of NATO at the DC Summit
All eyes this week are on the NATO summit taking place in Washington, DC, to mark the military alliance’s 75th anniversary with a collective message about unity.
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EU rockets back into the space competition
Today the European Union launches a rocket into space for the first time since the war in Ukraine began. The rocket, named Ariane 6, symbolizes a renewed hope that Europe will gain ground in the new space race. But the challenges ahead are plenty. Can Europe catch up?
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A French ‘non’ to the far right
In a surprising turn of events, the French left-wing coalition, the New Popular Front, has overtaken Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, coming first during the second and final round of France’s snap elections on Sunday (7 July).
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Europe’s quest for critical raw materials
The EU has set ambitious goals for securing its supply of critical raw materials, which are key to the digital and green transitions. Today we talk to Chad Blewitt, managing director of the Jadar Project, a highly-anticipated and highly-delayed lithium mining site in Serbia. Jadar is operated by Rio Tinto, the world’s second largest mining company.
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Will European Commission let AI providers write their own rules?
Despite the EU’s attempts to keep up with AI updates’ breakneck speed, NGOs fear the union is taking a step back in the demanding fight to regulate the technology.
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What do the UK elections mean for the EU?
UK citizens head to the polls today for a general election widely expected to end the 14 years of Conservative rule and return the Labour Party to power, prompting questions about what it will mean for the EU-UK relations and why - while Europe is shifting to the right - the UK is turning left.
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Von der Leyen battles for Parliament support, Orbán forms far-right group
Ursula von der Leyen is campaigning to secure a second term as Commission president, negotiating with key groups, including the Socialists, the liberals, and the Greens, to secure the 361 votes needed for her confirmation in Parliament.
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Are EU countries at risk of missing EU climate targets?
Sunday (30 June) marked the deadline for EU countries to submit their National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP), outlining how each member state will deliver domestically on the EU’s carbon neutrality goals by 2030. However, only a handful of countries have met the deadline so far. Is the EU at risk of missing its climate neutrality target?
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French far-fight defeats Macron’s centrists
The French headed to the polls to decide on their next government after President Emmanuel Macron announced a snap election a few weeks ago. Jordan Bardella’s far-right Rassemblement National emerged victorious in this first round of legislative elections, with a record score of 34%.
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Can Meloni always get what she wants?
As leaders convene for the second day of the EU summit in Brussels, the spotlight is on Giorgia Meloni’s latest chess moves.
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EU leaders to decide on top jobs, agenda for next term
EU leaders are gathering in Brussels on Thursday and Friday for the last meeting of this mandate to seal the deal on the distribution of the bloc's top jobs following the European elections in early June.
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Hungary’s plan to ‘make Europe great again’ begins
"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer" is a saying that feels particularly relevant in Brussels as Hungary prepares to take over the presidency of the European Council—one of the EU's most crucial brokering positions—in less than a week.
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Everything we know about the Draghi report
The forthcoming report by former Italian prime minister and former European central bank president, Mario Draghi, on the future of European competitiveness is a valuable opportunity to shape the EU policy agenda for the coming EU legislative term and beyond.
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Why EU countries are flirting with Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda migration model
The promise of halting migration to Europe has been at the heart of centre-right and far-right parties' election campaigns across the EU for June's elections. While the strategy worked and garnered wide public approval, voters are now expecting politicians to deliver and leaders are looking beyond the EU for solutions.
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The preamble to Meta’s decision to halt AI launch in EU
On Friday afternoon, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced it is pausing plans to roll out artificial intelligence (AI) features that would use users’ public posts to train its AI models. The company cited a request from the Irish Data Protection Commission.
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Are national conservatives in ECR aiming for a top job or political power play?
The European Conservatives and Reformists announced on Wednesday they've overtaken the liberal Renew group to become the third-largest political group in the EU Parliament. This shake-up impacts the negotiations for EU top jobs as - at least in theory - it makes the ECR entitled to one of them.