In this episode of the podcast, Ricardo Silvestre from Movimento Liberal Social welcomes back Dr. Antonios Nestoras, founder and director of the European Policy Innovation Council (EPIC), a Brussels-based policy think movement. Together, they discuss the implementation of the Draghi Report on European competitiveness and explore its broader political implications for Europe. The conversation examines the challenges of translating ambitious policy proposals into real action, as well as the potential impact of the report on European economic strategy and political debate.

This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with Movimento Liberal Social and Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. The European Parliament and the European Liberal Forum are not responsible for the content or for any use that may be made of it.

Cities and regions are where European politics meets everyday life. In this episode of the Liberal Europe Podcast, Ricardo Silvestre (Movimento Liberal Social) welcomes Sean O'Curneen, Secretary-General of Renew Europe at the Committee of the Regions. Together they explore why the Committee of the Regions matters for Europe’s democracy, how liberals are shaping its work, the impact of liberal leadership at the local level, and what the publication 'Principles that make cities and communities liberal' reveals about the future of liberal local governance.

This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with Movimento Liberal Social and Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of.

How is the Iranian society coping with the crackdown on the protests? What is the current state of the regime and its prospects for the future? Who is Reza Pahlavi and what might be his role in the near future? And how do Iranians view the U.S. intervention in their affairs?

Leszek Jazdzewski (Fundacja Liberte!) talks with Touska Gholami Khaljiri, an Iranian women’s and children’s rights activist and researcher based in Łódź, Poland, whose work bridges gender justice and grassroots activism. In Iran, she collaborated with multiple non-governmental organizations, including serving as head of a legal team and workshop facilitator, delivering prevention programs on child sexual abuse. Since relocating to Poland, she has remained actively engaged in advocacy related to Iran, organizing demonstrations in Łódź during the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement and contributing to international awareness efforts. In 2023, she was selected by Wprost magazine to represent Iranian women in receiving the SheO Award in the category of “Fight for Equality and Women’s Rights.” She is also involved in digital documentation initiatives, including contributing to the Iran Protests Timeline website, an ongoing bilingual (English–Polish) project providing a chronological record of Iran’s 2026 uprising. Tune in for their talk!

Find out more about the Iran Protests Timeline here: https://iranproteststimeline.com/

This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with the Movimento Liberal Social and the Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of.

Civil society is the backbone of democracy: citizens organizing to defend freedoms, strengthen their communities, and hold power accountable. Yet across Europe and beyond, this space is increasingly under pressure. What begins as calls for “transparency” can quickly turn into efforts to discredit and defund independent organizations. At a time of geopolitical instability and democratic backsliding, supporting civil society is not optional, it is structural to the future of European democracy.

In this episode, Raquel García-Hermida van der Walle, Member of the European Parliament for D66, reflects on the growing challenges facing civic space, the political will needed for EU reform, and why defending civil society must be proactive, strategic, and long-term.

This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with Movimento Liberal Social and Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of.

What is the future, if any, of the transatlantic relationship? Where do we stand on European sovereignty versus President Donald Trump? What should we know about the 'brave new world order' proposed by Canadian PM Mark Carney? Should Europe try to keep the United States on board as long as possible or mobilize against it? And is Europe ready for a war on multiple fronts given its internal challenges and the current aspirations of Russia and China?

Leszek Jazdzewski (Fundacja Liberte!) talks with Olaf Osica, a graduate of the European University Institute in Florence, a former director of the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), and a columnist for Tygodnik Powszechny. Tune in for their talk!

This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with the Movimento Liberal Social and the Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of.

We are kicking off the new season of the Liberal Europe Podcast with a thought-provoking conversation between our two hosts, Ricardo Silvestre (Movimento Liberal Social) and Leszek Jazdzewski (Fundacja Liberte!). They talk about the animated start of 2026, the transatlantic relationship, a new world order, and what is on tap for one more year of episodes. 

This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with Movimento Liberal Social and Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of.

What happens when Europe’s traditional allies start to drift and its adversaries grow bolder?

In this episode, Ricardo Silvestre (Movimento Liberal Social) is joined by Helmut Brandstätter, Member of the European Parliament and author of Trump, Putin and Their Puppets. The conversation explores how shifting power dynamics between Washington, Moscow, and Europe are reshaping the EU’s strategic reality.

From the erosion of the transatlantic partnership to Russia’s hybrid warfare and disinformation campaigns, this episode digs into what these developments mean for European democracy, security, and sovereignty.

This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with Movimento Liberal Social and Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of.

What has the European Union actually done with the Draghi Report, and what still remains politically unresolved?

In this episode of the Liberal Europe Podcast, host Ricardo Silvestre (Movimento Liberal Social) welcomes back Member of the European Parliament and ELF Board Member Jeannette Baljeu for a reflective conversation one year after the publication of the Draghi Report.

Together, they examine how the European Parliament has translated Mario Draghi’s recommendations into concrete political action, where momentum has stalled, and what structural obstacles remain. The discussion also explores the idea of the EU balancing ambition with political realism in a rapidly changing geopolitical and economic landscape.

This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with Movimento Liberal Social and Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of.

How can Europe secure its essential resources in a turbulent geopolitical world? What does economic thought tell us about today’s geoeconomics? And why might the human mind be the true “ultimate resource”?

Ricardo Silvestre (Movimento Liberal Social) welcomes back philosopher and political economist Sven Gerst, author of the chapter “One ‘Ultimate Resource’ to Rule Them All – Lessons from Economic Thought for Today’s European Geoeconomics” in Issue #06 of the ELF’s Future of Europe Journal: Securing the Essentials in a Turbulent World – Geopolitics of Resources. Tune in for their conversation on the chapter’s main thesis and the central role of human ingenuity.

This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with Movimento Liberal Social and Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of it.

When talking about total defense, for whom and against what is it? What should the European total defense look like? Why cannot everyone be like Finland? And is total defense even possible in polarized societies?

Leszek Jazdzewski (Fundacja Liberte!) talks with Helena Quis, who works in the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Europe Programme as an expert on European security and resilience, focusing on total defense and civil preparedness. Tune in for their talk!

This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with Movimento Liberal Social and Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of.