This week, Mark Leonard is joined by Tiago Antunes, ECFR associate senior fellow at and former Portuguese secretary of state for European affairs; and Nicu Popescu, ECFR distinguished policy fellow and former Moldovan deputy prime minister and foreign minister.

Mark, Tiago and Nicu discuss the proposal for a European Preparedness Act, inspired by the US Defense Production Act, which aims to enhance the EU’s ability to mobilise resources swiftly in response to crises. The conversation explores the rationale behind the act, the political and institutional challenges to its implementation, and how it could strengthen EU member states, and closely linked partners like Moldova and Ukraine.

What would an EU-wide preparedness mechanism look like in practice? Should Brussels or the EU member states wield emergency powers in a crisis? And can Europe unite behind a shared vision of resilience before the next predicament hits?

Bookshelf:

Law of duty: The case for a US-inspired EU Preparedness Act by Tiago Antunes

They thought they were free by Milton Mayer

À la table des diplomates: L'histoire de France racontée à travers ses grands repas by Laurent Stefanini

This podcast was recorded on May 28th 2025.

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