By OpenEUdebate, Agenda Pública, Luis Bouza, Álvaro Oleart
The podcast currently has 13 episodes available.
The increasing references to European values in politicised debates about Europe has been a novelty during the past decade, that has now been normalised. However, what does this say about the future of Europe? Do Europeans have a common understanding of what European values mean in practice?
Some governments in the EU have used the COVID-19 as a way to implement policies that have been criticised as authoritarian and undemocratic. Has the EU played a constructive role in making sure that EU values are respected across its member states?
Listen to the debate with:
Oriane Calligaro, Associate Professor at the European School of Political and Social Sciences, Lille.
Miriam Lexmann, Member of the European Parliament, from Slovak party KDH, in the European People's Party.
Elisabetta Nadalutti, Post-doctoral researcher at the Université Grenoble Alpes.
Moderation: Carlos Carnicero Urabayen.
Technical production and edition: Franco Delle Donne.
An OpenEUpodcast produced by Agenda Pública.
Stay tuned to find out more on these scenarios and visit openeudebate.eu or connect on Twitter or Facebook to follow up the debates and find out on next activities.
Follow us on Twitter (@OpenEUdebate) and Facebook.
openeudebate.eu
The loss of income that millions of Europeans are or will experience as a result of the pandemic has attracted interest to income guarantee schemes. For instance, Spain just adopted a minimal income scheme.
However, differences among member states prevail as to their ability to finance these measures. In this context, a European Citizens Initiative is seeking to gather one million signatures to ask the EU Commission to launch a European basic income.
We address this debate from the sustainability perspective: what social and fiscal measures will be required to support efforts by European societies and economies to reduce CO2 emmissions at a pace similar to the one experienced during the pandemic?
Listen to the debate with:
Ricard Bellera. Secretary for Labour and Economy of the Trade Union Comisiones Obreras Catalonia.
Ernest Urtasun. Member of the European Parliament. Member of the Greens European Free Alliance.
Sharon Baute. Postdoctoral Researcher at the Universiteit van Amsterdam.
Moderation: Carlos Carnicero Urabayen.
Technical production and edition: Franco Delle Donne.
An OpenEUpodcast produced by Agenda Pública.
Stay tuned to find out more on these scenarios and visit openeudebate.eu or connect on Twitter or Facebook to follow up the debates and find out on next activities.
Follow us on Twitter (@OpenEUdebate) and Facebook.
openeudebate.eu
The COVID-19 health crisis has been followed by an infodemic, in which disinformation related to the virus has spread across the world. Even though disinformation is not a new phenomenon, its volume has skyrocketed in recent years.
This episode discusses first how can we explain that and why does it matter for democracy. Disinformation disrupts the functioning of the public sphere, encouraging chaos and confusion in citizens’ minds.
Second, the episode discusses which actors spread disinformation and with what objectives. It addresses the role of the media and journalists, social media platforms, companies such as Cambridge Analytica and foreign authoritarian actors. Finally, it discusses what can academia, policy-makers, journalists, civil society do to counter disinformation effectively.
Listen to the debate with:
Jorge Tuñón is a lecturer in Journalism and Communication at the University Carlos III of Madrid, and coordinates the Jean Monnet Chair "EU, disinformation and Fake News".
Nad'a Kovalcikova is Program Manager and Fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD) in the German Marshall Fund's Brussels office, specialised in disinformation and transatlantic security challenges.
Emma Briant is Associate Researcher in Human Rights at Bard College, New York, is author of the book 'Propaganda and Counter-terrorism: Strategies for Global Change', and coordinator of the Women in Disinfo community.
Moderation: Carlos Carnicero Urabayen.
Technical production and edition: Franco Delle Donne.
An OpenEUpodcast produced by Agenda Pública.
Stay tuned to find out more on these scenarios and visit openeudebate.eu or connect on Twitter or Facebook to follow up the debates and find out on next activities.
Follow us on Twitter (@OpenEUdebate) and Facebook.
openeudebate.eu
COVID-19 has the potential of changing the way in which European governments and societies regard migrants, as evidenced by the initiatives adopted by some Member States on regularizing migrants’ work status and granting them access to healthcare. However, the economic impact of the pandemic may soon put migrants in the spot of xenophobic parties and movements. The pandemic will thus place the EU in a situation to choose between different policy options: migrants are not only essential workers but also entrepreneurs by nature and will contribute to the recovery from the crisis but the recession will also be a test for integration policies, and the EU must find ways to work with local and regional stakeholders in this challenge. Political agendas are likely to keep Member States divided and as political attention turns to the recession border externalisation will remain in the EU policy mix options.
Listen to the debate with:
Abdoulaye Fall: has a PhD in Demography from the UAB Centre for Demographic Studies. He is Hello Spain Director and collaborates in ACAF as Program Manager combining this responsibility with savings groups creation, training and assessment with tracking and organization of training activities in the field of micro finance and community organization
Laura Batalla: is Ashoka's Hello Europe’s Policy Representative in Brussels, a position that she combines with an advisory role to a Member of the European Parliament on foreign policy.
Ruth Ferrero: Adjunct Profesor of Political Science and Senior Research Fellow, Complutense Institute of International Studies (ICEI)
Moderation: Carlos Carnicero Urabayen.
Technical production and edition: Franco Delle Donne.
An OpenEUpodcast produced by Agenda Pública.
Stay tuned to find out more on these scenarios and visit openeudebate.eu or connect on Twitter or Facebook to follow up the debates and find out on next activities.
Follow us on Twitter (@OpenEUdebate) and Facebook.
openeudebate.eu
The EU High Representative for foreign affairs and security policy said “the EU has to learn to use the language of power” before the pandemic. It is unclear what the impact of the COVID19 will be on this ambition. If the lockdown recession relaunches the USA-China trade war the EU is likely to be unheard and strongly affected.
The pandemic is also already fostering external interference in EU member states, be it economic or in the form of narrative wars. Nevertheless, the pandemic may also make the member states aware of shared risks and facilitate more cooperation among them.
Listen to the debate with:
Miruna Butnaru-Troncotăis lecturer in International Relations at the National School for Political Studies and Administration of Bucharest and member of the OpenEUdebate network.
Antonia Colibasanu is senior geopolitical analyst lecturer. Geopolitcal Futures´Chief Operating Officer. Lecturer at the National School for Political Studies and Administration of Bucharest.
Ignacio Molina is senior analyst at the Elcano Institute and professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
Moderation: Carlos Carnicero Urabayen.
Technical production and edition: Franco Delle Donne.
An OpenEUpodcast produced by Agenda Pública.
Stay tuned to find out more on these scenarios and visit openeudebate.eu or connect on Twitter or Facebook to follow up the debates and find out on next activities.
Follow us on Twitter (@OpenEUdebate) and Facebook.
openeudebate.eu
EU institutions have been trying to engage citizens in a debate on the future of Europe since Brexit. As 2020 began, EU institutions agreed to start negotiating future scenarios in May. However, the impact of the COVID19 has sent the discussion on the future of Europe entirely into the hands of states leaders and ministers. What can we contribute as citizens and academics?
This podcast series addresses the different dimensions of the ongoing crisis on different European policies, political actors and citizens. As citizens are in lockdown, the European public sphere is burgeoning with debates, initiatives, analysis and foresight thanks to all sort of online initiatives. But will these make an impact in the debate? How and who can translate these proposals into the political and policy making arena?
Miruna Butnaru-Troncotă is lecturer in International Relations at the National School for Political Studies and Administration of Bucharest and member of the OpenEUdebate network.
Luis Bouza is assistant professor of political science at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and also member of the OpenEUdebate network.
An OpenEUpodcast produced by Agenda Pública.
Stay tuned to find out more on these scenarios and visit openeudebate.eu or connect on Twitter or Facebook to follow up the debates and find out on next activities.
Follow us on Twitter (@OpenEUdebate) and Facebook.
openeudebate.eu
Just as North-South oppositions structured the eurozone debate, most analysts expect the pandemic to deepen economic, social and political divides between Eastern and Western Europe: recovery strategies may diverge inside and outside the Eurozone, and the states of emergency and “rally round the flag” reflexes may favour power grabs by already illiberal governments.
However these exceptional circumstances may also provide a chance to close this pre-existing gap by mobilising resources and policies that were not imaginable before the pandemic: stronger tools in rule of law enforcement, a larger budget and new policies are debate in this episode.
Listen to the debate with:
Ramona Coman is President of the Institute for European Studies at the Université libre de Bruxelles. Guest editor.
Victor Negrescu is Member of the European Parliament.
Carlos Closa is Director of the research area "European, Transnational and Global Governance" in the Global Governance Programme.
Moderation: Carlos Carnicero Urabayen.
Technical production and edition: Franco Delle Donne.
An OpenEUpodcast produced by Agenda Pública.
Stay tuned to find out more on these scenarios and visit openeudebate.eu or connect on Twitter or Facebook to follow up the debates and find out on next activities.
Follow us on Twitter (@OpenEUdebate) and Facebook.
openeudebate.eu
The health, economic and political earthquake caused by the COVID-19 crisis has had repercussions on many levels, including the lines of conflict. To what extent the COVID-19 crisis will upset the established lines of conflict in the EU? Will the crisis lead to a new value-change that redirects from human individualism towards collectivism?
The last decade has been marked by the rise of a number of political actors that have challenged the established parties in Europe. Populist parties have flourished across EU member states, but the health crisis caused by COVID-19 has been a test to many of these parties. Is the corona-crisis a threat or an opportunity for anti-establishment and populist parties, or is it the time for technocrats?
The COVID-19 crisis has also been used in some cases to enforce authoritarian restrictions, touching upon civil liberties and the rule of law. Has the ideological commitment to rule of law suffered in the context of the coronavirus emergency?
There have been examples of transnational solidarity when handling the COVID-19 crisis, which has led in some cases to a wider awareness of inequality in European societies. However, nationalists have also attempted to use the crisis to its advantage. Does the crisis encourage a cosmopolitan perspective and transnational solidarity, or is the crisis an opportunity for nationalists?
Listen to the debate with:
Ben Crum is Professor of Political Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Guest editor.
Heather Grabbe is the director of the Open Society European Policy Institute and director of EU affairs.
Pieter de Wilde is Professor of Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Moderation: Carlos Carnicero Urabayen.
Technical production and edition: Franco Delle Donne.
An OpenEUpodcast produced by Agenda Pública.
Stay tuned to find out more on these scenarios and visit openeudebate.eu or connect on Twitter or Facebook to follow up the debates and find out on next activities.
Follow us on Twitter (@OpenEUdebate) and Facebook.
openeudebate.eu
The immediate economic effect of COVID19 is a sharp increase in unemployment rates. As a result payments for the unemployed will become a significant part of EU member states budgets. This implies risks that despite the similar impact of the pandemic not all member states will be able to support their economies and workers to the same level, resulting in divergences in the internal market and social crises.
In this context the EU Commission has proposed a new programme called SURE “supporting short-time work schemes and similar measures, to help Member States protect jobs and thus employees and self-employed against the risk of unemployment and loss of income.” Is this the beginning of more direct EU involvement in national unemployment schemes? Will SURE be enough? Are other social protection measures also necessary?
We discuss these and other issues with:
Raymond Torres, director for Macroeconomy and International Analysis of Funcas.
Amandine Crespy, Associate Professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles.
László Andor, Secretary-General Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), former commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission (2010-2014).
Moderation: Carlos Carnicero Urabayen.
Technical production and edition: Franco Delle Donne.
An OpenEUpodcast produced by Agenda Pública.
Stay tuned to find out more on these scenarios and visit openeudebate.eu or connect on Twitter or Facebook to follow up the debates and find out on next activities.
Follow us on Twitter (@OpenEUdebate) and Facebook.
openeudebate.eu
Since policymakers realised about the size of the crisis, the debate between Member States has focused on the euro-area level fiscal response, with a reflection in national debates a way we haven’t seen since the Greek crisis: is it time for debt mutualisation, an additional step of fiscal transfers? Strong disagreement remains.
The role of the ECB is also proving to be fundamental, as it was during the previous crisis. They acted promptly and swiftly to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. Is it risky to rely so heavily on the ECB? Could these decisions face legal and political backlash (especially in Germany)?
The European Commission has reduced competences to tackle the (economic) effects of the pandemic but it has taken action on traditional fields – by relaxing state aid rules – and in new ones like the SURE programme with 100 billion to fund member state employment programmes. Bu does the Commission need to radically rethink its policy priorities for this mandate?
Listen to the debate with:
Marta Domínguez, Research Assistent at Bruegel. Guest editor.
Michele Chang, Professor at College of Europe, European Political and Governance Studies Department.
George Pagoulatos, Professor of European Politics and Economy at the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB).
Moderation: Carlos Carnicero Urabayen.
Technical production and edition: Franco Delle Donne.
An OpenEUpodcast produced by Agenda Pública.
Stay tuned to find out more on these scenarios and visit openeudebate.eu or connect on Twitter or Facebook to follow up the debates and find out on next activities.
Follow us on Twitter (@OpenEUdebate) and Facebook.
openeudebate.eu
The podcast currently has 13 episodes available.