Moving Europe Podcast

Our guest, Salvatore Ricci, is the initiator of the European Citizens Initiative “Stop Funding Russia’s War”.
The initiative denounces that the EU is still importing 28bn€ a year from Russia, including natural gas, steel, fertilizers or nickel. 
Ricci demands that the EU must become free from Russian influence and must stop funding its war machine.
He tells us why companies are still buying from Russia, and why governments don’t want to intervene.

Timestamps:

- 00:00 - Effectiveness of EU sanctions

- 02:45 - Russian economic and tax impact

- 05:15 - Sanction goals: pain and principle

- 07:30 - Role of China and India

- 10:00 - Strikes on Russian oil refineries

- 13:00 - Military casualties and domestic risks

- 15:45 - The 28 billion trade loophole

- 19:00 - Steel lobbying and member resistance

- 22:30 - Chemicals and fertilizers funding war

- 26:00 - Stop Funding Russia’s War initiative

- 30:30 - Achieving total trade shutdown

- 33:00 - Future autonomy and resource diversification

Today's guest, Matteo Brizzi, is one of the most famous EU influencers. He tries to make the EU accessible, simple and engaging, with a cup of espressos and his association Young European Society, first a dream of three friends over a beer and now one of the most well-known realities in Brussels. Moreover, in his free time, he plays chess with EU Commissioners.

#europeanunion #MovingEurope #Podcast #eu

Timestamps:

01:05 - Defining the EU influencer role

02:15 - Bridging the communication gap

03:00 - Viral espresso video origin story

04:20 - Dealing with social media haters

05:45 - Founding Young European Society

07:30 - Vision: United States of Europe

09:15 - Federalism's impact on daily life

11:00 - Italy’s labor market "scream"

12:30 - Addressing European brain drain

14:15 - Becoming leaders in Quantum

15:30 - Fighting for paid traineeships

17:00 - Geopolitics and European unity

18:45 - Migration and brain-drain link

20:30 - Erasmus and falling in love

22:15 - EU funds for small towns

24:00 - Ethics of political influencing

25:30 - Career paths in the EU

27:00 - Simplifying complex EU procedures

28:30 - Sharing opportunities via newsletters

30:00 - Productivity, passion, and music

31:00 – Human bridge: Brussels to Tuscany

36:00 – Challenges of rural EU funding

Today's guest, Matteo Brizzi, is one of the most famous EU influencers. He tries to make the EU accessible, simple and engaging, with a cup of espressos and his association Young European Society, first a dream of three friends over a beer and now one of the most well-known realities in Brussels. Moreover, in his free time, he plays chess with EU Commissioners.

#MovingEurope #Brussels #Podcast #EuropeanUnion

Our guests, Pavlo Koshka and Maryna Krasnoshchok used to live in eastern Ukraine before Russia’s invasion started in 2022. Pavlo was an Opera Director in Odesa, and Maryna, from the Donbas region, worked in international business and construction. Both fled to the EU after the war started and today live in Brussels. As part of the organisation “Ukrainian Voices Refugee Committee”, they support new arrivals of Ukrainians. Pavlo develops cultural and artistic programmes and advocates for banning Russian artists from performing in the EU. Maryna provides social and psychological support for refugees to overcome their trauma and start a new life.

Our guest, Sandro Gozi, is a Member of the European Parliament for Renew Europe. He chairs the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, leading the EU–UK dialogue after Brexit. Gozi highlights the catastrophic effects of Brexit for UK citizens, and advocates for strengthening the cooperation between EU and UK, from security and defence to migration. As previous adviser to Commission Presidents Prodi and Barroso, and as Secretary-General of the European Democratic Party, he is a prominent voice shaping future EU-UK relations.#MovingEurope #RenewEurope #MEP #podcast #europeanunion

Our guest, Abir Al-Sahlani, is one of the European Union’s most outspoken voices for gender equality and human rights. A Member of the European Parliament with Renew Europe, of Iraqi origin, where her family fled persecution under Saddam Hussein’s regime. Today, she is helping shape a stronger Europe’s for women, and in 2024 her powerful advocacy earned her the Best Speech award in the Parliament.

#EuropeanUnion #EuropeanParliament #MovingEurope #Women #GenderEquality

Our guest, Isabella Sofia De Gregorio, is the Founder and President of Eduxo.eu, European Network for Democracy and Equality, a non-profit organisation working to advance gender equality, LGBTIQA+ rights, and access to abortion rights across Europe. Through education, advocacy campaigns and civic lobbying, Eduxo.eu promotes a more inclusive, democratic, and progressive agenda. As a committed feminist and lesbian activist, Isabella speaks with us about Europe’s ongoing “culture wars” with conservatives movements, how she responds to with insults, backlash, and discrimination, and about the enduring influence of the Church on public debate and political decision-making.

Our guest, Lukas Sieper, is a German politician and one of the youngest members of the European Parliament. He co-founded the Party of Progress with a few friends over a beer and, against all odds, won a seat in Brussels in 2024. His main battle is the defense of democracy, which he sees as increasingly threatened by authoritarian forces in Europe and beyond. Both pragmatic and entrepreneurial, he takes the best ideas from across the political spectrum, focusing on what works rather than on ideology.

Our guest, Vincent Guerre, is a Brussels-insider, who has worked for the European Parliament, the European Commission and lobby associations. In his satirical book “The sun in law”, he uses humour to explain how the EU functions, which actors are the most powerful, and how decisions are taken. This fictional story, in which the EU tries to regulate the colour of the sun, shows how laws are made in the EU, and how anyone with the right skills can influence them.

Daniel Kalló is a policy analyst for Publicus Research. He followed the Hungarian elections in detail, analysing voter preferences, demographic and geographical divergences, and campaign tactics. He watched closely the 2-year campaign of Peter Magyar and had a first row seat to understand the causes leading to his success.

Before becoming an analyst, Daniel was a student activist under the Orban government and ran for the European Parliament in 2019. He witnessed first hand the tactics employed by the regime to silence opposition forces, and is uniquely placed to share insights into Hungarian political realities.