EU to go - the podcast for European policy

In the thirty-eighth episode of the EU to go podcast, hosts Thu Nguyen and Johannes Lindner discuss the impact of Ukraine's accession on the EU budget, whether the costs are really as high as generally assumed, and why Hungary's veto of the Ukraine aid package looks like blackmail to the EU?

In the thirty-seventh episode of the EU to go podcast, host Thu Nguyen discusses with Philipp Jäger what energy-intensive industry actually means, the challenges it faces and what options the EU has for moving forward.

In the thirty-sixth episode of the EU to go podcast, host Thu Nguyen discusses the turning point in EU foreign and security policy due to the Russian invasion in Ukraine with Nicole Koenig, Head of Policy at the Munich Security Conference.

In the thirty-fifth episode of the EU to go podcast, host Thu Nguyen talks about her co-authored Franco-German report on EU institutional reform with Anna Lührmann, Minister of State for Europe, and Daniela Schwarzer, also co-author and board member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung. 

In the thirty-fourth episode of the EU to go podcast, Thu Nguyen talks with Yann Wernert and Francesco Findeisen about critical raw materials and whether the EU has become too dependent on exporting countries.  

In the thirty-third episode of the EU to go podcast, Johannes Lindner talks with Thu Nguyen and Nicolai von Ondarza (SWP) about why institutional reforms are needed in the EU and how EU enlargement will impact the debate.

In the thirty-second episode of the EU to go podcast, Thu Nguyen and Sebastian Mack discuss how European banks are faring, what has been done so far in terms of crisis prevention, and where the EU should step it up a notch.  

In the thirty-first episode of the EU to go podcast, Thu Nguyen discusses with Nils Redeker and Jannik Jansen what the US climate package means for European industrial policy and competitiveness. 

In the thirtieth episode of the EU to go podcast, Thu Nguyen and Lucas Rasche analyse the outcome of last week’s European Council on migration and discuss how the EU can revise its migration diplomacy. 

In the twenty-ninth episode of the EU to go podcast, Johannes Lindner and Thu Nguyen discuss what is ahead in the new year for the EU, covering Franco-German relations, Single Market, security policy and democracy.  

In the twenty-eighth episode of the EU to go podcast, Nils Redeker talks to Thu Nguyen about the current rule of law procedures against Hungary. They discuss which scenarios are now possible and what they would mean for the credibility of the EU and the future of the unanimity principle.     

In the twenty-seventh episode of the EU to go podcast, Thu Nguyen speaks with Rolf Strauch, Chief Economist at the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), and Johannes Lindner about the multiple crises Europe is currently facing. 

In the twenty-sixth episode of the EU to go podcast, Thu Nguyen speaks with Sebastian Mack on the relationships between inflation, interest rates, unemployment and green investments

In the twenty-fifth episode, Philippa Sigl-Glöckner from Dezernat Zukunft and Nils Redeker discuss the reform of the European fiscal rules, which determine how much debt EU member states are allowed to incur. Due to the pandemic and the economic consequences of the Russian attack on Ukraine, these rules are suspended until 2024. But as early as October, the EU Commission wants to present a proposal on how to proceed with European fiscal policy moving forward.

The EU wants to become climate neutral with the climate package "Fit for 55". In the twenty-fourth episode of EU to go - Der Podcast für Europapolitik, Thu Nguyen talks to Philipp Jäger about the strengths and weaknesses of the Commission's proposal. 

For the twenty-third episode, Thu Nguyen invited Judith Kohlenberger, researcher at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and Lucas Rasche to discuss European migration policy. They grapple with the question how the dynamics of the war in Ukraine could affect the European migration policy. 

In the twenty-second episode, Manuel Müller, founder of the blog "der europäische Förderalist" and Thu Nguyen from the Jacques Delors Centre discuss the results and reform proposals of the conference on the future of Europe. One thing seems clear: Europe needs reform. The two guests explain in a nutshell what needs to happen to ensure that these proposals do not evaporate and who is best placed to push them.

In the twenty-first episode, Ronja Kempin from the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik and Nicole Koenig discuss whether the Strategic Compass will lead to a quantum leap in EU security policy, how the war in Ukraine has changed the document and what is still missing. The two agree that the EU has jumped over its shadow in the case of Ukraine. But it remains to be seen whether a turning point will emerge.  

In the twentieth episode, Thu Nguyen talks to Damian Boeselager and Nils Redeker about the implementation of the recovery instrument, the distribution of the money and what power the EU Commission has for the first time due to the instrument. Does Brussels have a new level of power and can dictate what member states do with this money? The two guests discuss what the member states invest in, what reforms they commit to and what conditions are attached to the European money.

In the nineteenth episode, Thu Nguyen talks to finance expert and Policy Fellow Sebastian Mack  about the EU Commission's proposal to classify gas and nuclear power as climate-friendly. Green light, then, for nuclear power and gas? That sounds paradoxical at first and divides the opinion of the member states. Do nuclear power and gas need a "green" label to make the EU climate neutral by 2050? What exactly the green taxonomy is, whether nuclear power and gas will soon be considered sustainable and what consequences this could have, you can hear in this episode. 

In the eighteenth episode, Sophie Pornschlegel from the European Policy Centre, Yann Wernert und Thu Nguyen discuss the upcoming French EU Presidency, which France is taking over in the middle of the French election campaign. One thing seems clear: French is more likely to be capitalized on than the EU in this presidency. To what extent Macron will use the EU presidency as a stage for his election campaign and which issues will be important, you can hear in this episode.

In the seventeenth episode, migration expert Lucas Rasche and Nicole Koenig, expert for foreign and security policy, explain the crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border from a migration and geopolitical perspective. In this episode, the experts discuss how the EU can get out of its blackmailing position on the part of Belarus and what the new government should do now in terms of European policy to solve this crisis at the EU's external border .

In the sixteenth episode, Thu Nguyen and Lucas Guttenberg  discuss the suspension of EU budget rules during the pandemic-when and in what form should the next federal government re-implement these rules? What can be expected from the Ampelkoalition in the field of EU economic governance? 

In the fifteenth episode, Lisa Westhäußer and Nils Redeker discuss the unanswered industrial policy question posed in the coalition negotiations. When it comes to European industrial policy, the positions of the Ampel coalition partners are still divided. How can European industry better assert itself in geopolitical competition in the age of digital transformation? And how should the costs of EU climate policy projects like Fit for 55 be borne? 

In the fourteenth episode, Lisa Westhäußer and Nicole Koenig discuss the big questions in EU foreign and security policy that the new German government must address.The Ampel-Sondierungspapier suggests that Europe's strategic sovereignty should be increased. However, it remains unclear what this means. What are the gaps in the paper? Where could there still be a rift in the coalition? And what can the next German government do to make the EU more effective in foreign policy? 

In the thirteenth episode, Thu Nguyen and Lucas Guttenberg discuss the worsening rule of law crisis in the EU, which recently reached a new level of escalation as Poland's Constitutional Tribunal openly questioned the supremacy of EU law in its ruling. What makes the ruling so dangerous? How should the EU Commission react now? And what can the next German government do?

In the twelfth episode, Thu Nguyen talks to Lucas Rasche about a topic that was mostly avoided in the election campaign - migration. Despite falling asylum numbers, the issue is still fraught with fear. However, this should not hide the fact that the new federal government has to answer difficult questions at the European level. Lucas Rasche explains in a concise 10 minutes what responsibility it has in this regard. 

In the eleventh episode, Thu Nguyen talks to Daniel Schade, Visiting Assistant Professor at Cornell University, about the challenges of the Schengen Agreement and the consequences of travel restrictions during the Corona pandemic. Especially in emergency situations, the European continent comes to a standstill. Is Schengen the symptom of a larger political crisis in the EU? What role does Germany play in the Schengen crisis - pioneer or rather culprit? Shortly before the summer holidays, Daniel Schade explains what exactly lies behind the idea of the Schengen Agreement and what challenges the agreement entails.

In the tenth episode, Thu Nguyen  talks to Sophia Bachmann, UN Youth Delegate for Sustainable Development and Yann Wernert, our expert on Franco-German relations, about the Franco-German perspective on climate policy. Where do the two countries stand on a path to climate neutrality that leaves no one behind? What can the two countries learn from each other? And where is there potential for increased cooperation to move European climate policy forward towards borderless climate protection?

This episode was organised as part of the event series "Science meets Politics" of the Franco-German Dialogue series and is funded by the Federal Foreign Office.

In ninth epsiode Lucas Guttenberg takes over as moderator for once and discusses the potential of the conference on the future of Europe with Thu Nguyen and the journalist Diego Velazquez. The conference is supposed to provide a platform for all Europeans to discuss a common vision for Europe. But who has ever heard of it? What is it actually and what should - or can - really come out of this conference? Do we need to talk - or is it not rather up to the governments of the member states to finally act?

In eighth epsiode Thu Nguyen talks to Nils Redeker and Anke Obendiek about the new European industrial strategy. The two experts on economic and digital policy explain what industrial policy actually means and what goals the EU is pursuing with its new strategy. They take a critical look at the geopolitical ambitions of the industrial strategy: What consequences does the focus on competition with the United States and China have for the economic inequality in the EU and a democratic digital space? Is the EU in danger of neglecting the rules of fair play on its way to becoming a global player?

In the seventh episode, Thu Nguyen talks to Lucas Guttenberg and Ole Funke about the change in the financial architecture through the recovery fund. More than a year after the corona pandemic began, the Bundestag also approved the recovery instrument for an economic stabilisation of the European Union. But what exactly does this mean for the future of European economic and fiscal policy? Lucas Guttenberg and Ole Funke from the Federal Ministry of Finance talk to Thu Nguyen about the long-term changes that the short-term recovery fund will bring. Can a unique instrument like the recovery fund transform the whole existing EU fiscal policy? What are the open questions for the fiscal policy debate in the EU? Both guests agree that the instrument must now also be used responsibly so that we are sustainably prepared in future crises.

In the sixth episode, Thu Nguyen talks to Sebastian Mack about the meaning of the buzzwords "green finance" and "sustainable finance" and which role financial markets can play in the fight against climate change. The EU is already working on measures in the financial market sector to create a green economy and become climate neutral by 2050. But are these measures enough to bring about change, or is there more to be done? Sebastian calls for even more ambitious action by the EU that will really lead to a change in behaviour. Would Luisa Neubauer and Christian Lindner agree with his proposals? Find out in this episode.

In the fifth episode, Thu Nguyen talks to Lucas Rasche about the situation at the EU's external borders and why the refugee camp Moria has become a symbol of failure of European migration policy. Despite the New Pact announced in September, the latest images rather reinforce the impression of a permanent crisis instead of the promised new start. So how realistic is the European Commission's call for "no more Morias"? And despite all the hurdles, is there hope for more regulated solutions in EU migration policy?

In the fourth episode, Thu Nguyen and Nicole Koenig talk about the German Council Presidency in a pandemic paradox. Resolving the budget dispute, settling Brexit, deciding on the reconstruction instrument - the expectations on Germany as "crisis manager" in the middle of the Corona pandemic were very high. At the same time, it was already clear that this would not be easy with a Corona diplomacy over the screen. Nicole Koenig and Thu Nguyen discuss not only the challenges, but also the achievements of the German Council Presidency 2020.

In the third episode, Thu Nguyen talks to Nils Redeker and Anna Stahl about the importance of Joe Biden's election for the EU. What is the current state of transatlantic relations? Can we talk of a return of the West after four years of Trump? With the transition to the Biden administration, the first personal details of the new government have been announced. These point to a new tone in the White House, with a clear commitment to multilateralism. But will the course in the White House also change, or just the tone? After all, issues like trade policy or relations with China in particular remain controversial in transatlantic relations.  

In the second episode, Thu Nguyen talks to Henriette Heimbach about the state of Franco-German friendship and its role as a motor of European integration. Germany and France, the European showpiece couple, have been in a serious crisis in recent years. But Corona, of all things, seems to bring new energy to the relationship. 

In the first episode, Thu Nguyen and Lucas Guttenberg take an in-depth look at the EU budget and the Commission’s proposal for a recovery fund. Praised as “historical”, the compromise between the heads of state and government in July means that the EU will issue common debt for the first time in its history. While negotiations continue in Brussels, many issues remain unanswered, including the question of the rule of law. Tune in to understand the most important questions: What is the state of negotiations, what are the contested issues, and what are the steps ahead now after the summer?