What do the war in Ukraine and prospects of E.U. enlargement mean for the Balkans? Damir Marusic and Majda Ruge join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Nick Lokker to discuss how the shifting dynamics across the continent could impact the region’s politics.

﻿﻿Damir Marusic is a resident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center. He works principally on the Council’s Balkans Forward Initiative, an effort working to foster a democratic, secure, and prosperous Western Balkans firmly integrated into the transatlantic community.

﻿Majda Ruge is a senior policy fellow with the Wider Europe program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, based in Berlin. Before joining ECFR, she spent three years as a fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute/SAIS at Johns Hopkins University.

Looking Toward the Balkans, with Damir Marusic and Majda Ruge

Small bites on Transatlantic Security, NATO, the EU, Russia, and all things Europe. Hosted by Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend at the Center for a New American Security.

News

On 14 May Georgia’s parliament passed a controversial law that requires media and nonprofit groups to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. The law mirrors a similar law introduced in Russia in 2012, which has been used to crack down on NGOs and other organizations deemed critical of the Kremlin. Many in Georgia view this law as a similar attempt to restrict freedom of speech and reduce the space for civil society. In the weeks following May 14, Georgians took part in mass protests in Tbilisi, and relations between the Georgian government and the EU and US further deteriorated. Moreover, despite Georgian president Salome Zourabichvili's veto of the controversial “foreign agent” law on May 18, lawmakers overrode this decision on May 28, putting it back on the table. To help us understand what is happening in Georgia and the wider implications of recent events for Georgian democracy and their EU ambitions Giorgi Baramidze and Laura Thornton join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.  
Giorgi Baramidze is the political secretary of the United National Movement, the largest opposition party in Georgia. Previously he was the State Minister for Euro-Atlantic Integration (2004-2012), and the Minister of Defense (2004).
Laura Thornton is the senior vice president of democracy at the German Marshall Fund. She oversees the Alliance for Securing Democracy, and works with GMF’s transatlantic trusts which support civil society organizations and actors in Central and Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans and the Caucuses.

Georgia's Democracy Crisis

As Russia’s war in Ukraine progresses into its third year, there are questions in some parts of the NATO alliance about how long the West can sustain its support for Kyiv and how the war will actually end. Simultaneously, China and other countries like North Korea and Iran continue to provide support to Russia, and Russia is stepping up hybrid attacks on our societies – everything from disinformation ahead of the European elections to arson, sabotage, and GPS jamming. All of this comes against the backdrop of the upcoming 75th anniversary NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., where there are still looming questions about what exactly will be delivered. To discuss how we should be thinking about and responding to these questions, Pål Jonson, Sweden’s Minister of Defense, and Hanno Pevkur, the Minister of Defense of Estonia, join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Kate Johnston live at the Lennart Meri Conference in Tallinn, Estonia.  
Pål Jonson has held the position of Sweden’s Minister of Defense since 2022. He previously served as Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense, and Secretary General of the Swedish Atlantic Council.  
Hanno Pevkur assumed office as the minister of defense of Estonia in 2022. Prior to this, he held several positions in the government including Minister of the Interior, Minister of Justice, and Minister of Social Affairs.

Brussels Sprouts Presents: A Discussion with the Swedish and Estonian Ministers of Defense

On April 25th, French President Emmanuel Macron gave a nearly two-hour-long speech at the Sorbonne that outlined his vision for Europe. In the context of major challenges such as Russia’s war against Ukraine, intensifying economic pressures, and more, Macron warned that “Europe today is mortal” and that “it can die” if Europeans fail to take united and decisive action. This speech came at a time when Europe is gearing up for multiple major events in the coming months, including both the European Parliament elections in June and the 75th anniversary NATO summit in July. Looking ahead to these milestones, what are the most significant challenges and opportunities facing Europe in the years to come? To help us take stock of the present and anticipate the future, Constanze Stelzenmüller and Nathalie Tocci join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.  
Constanze Stelzenmüller is the director of the Center on the United States and Europe and the inaugural holder of the Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and trans-Atlantic Relations at the Brookings Institution. 
Nathalie Tocci is the director of the Italian Institute for International Affairs. In her previous capacity as Special Advisor to EU High Representatives Federica Mogherini and Josep Borrell, she wrote and worked on the implementation of the European Global Strategy.

The Future of Europe with Constanze Stelzenmüller and Nathalie Tocci

While the world’s attention has been focused on Russia’s military operation in Ukraine over the past two years, Moscow has continued its attempts to use other, nonmilitary tools to pursue its aggressive foreign policy objectives. Western democracies have been an important target of Russian malign influence. Particularly as both the European Union and the United States gear up for key elections later this year, there is mounting evidence of the Kremlin’s efforts to elevate pro-Russian talking points, politicians, and political parties. What lies behind these attempts to undermine Western democracy, and how concerned should we be about Russia’s chances of success? To discuss all of this and more, David Salvo and Brady Hills Join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.  
David Salvo is a senior fellow and managing director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund. An expert in Russian affairs, Salvo has been analyzing the Kremlin’s authoritarian toolkit to undermine democracy at home and abroad throughout his career. 
Brady Hills is a senior analysis and the Head of the Brussels Office of the International Republican Institute (IRI). As a member of IRI’s Beacon Project team, he focuses on countering hybrid threats to democracy, outreach to European policymakers, and discussing support for Ukraine, and EU and NATO enlargement.

Russian Influence on the Upcoming EU Elections

On Sunday, May 5th, Chinese President Xi Jinping will begin his first trip to Europe in five years. On this trip, Xi will make a high-profile two-day visit to France, where he is likely to encourage President Emmanuel Macron to continue pursuing an independent path from the United States regarding relations with Beijing. Xi will also make stops in Hungary and Serbia, which have cultivated close ties with China in recent years despite calls for de-risking from U.S. and other European leaders. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently returned from a visit to China, during which he met with Xi and other senior Chinese officials amidst the context of persistent simmering tensions between Washington and Beijing. What should we make of these two international trips, and what can they tell us about the current state of the relationships between China, Europe, and the United States? To discuss all of this and more, Noah Barkin and Bonnie Glaser join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.   
Noah Barkin is a Senior Advisor with Rhodium Group's China practice, focusing on Europe-China relations and transatlantic China policy. 
Bonnie Glaser is managing director of the German Marshall Fund’s Indo-Pacific program.

Looking Toward the Balkans, with Damir Marusic and Majda Ruge

Download our free app to listen on your phone