March 20, 2025

Should Canada join the EU?

53 minutes

Europe and Canada have a lot in common, from their headaches over Donald Trump to a shared belief in welfare states. If Australia can be a part of Eurovision, is there anything stopping us from welcoming our Canadian friends into the EU?! This week we talk to Stanley Pignal, The Economist's semi-Canadian Brussels bureau chief, about what would be in it for both sides. We're also looking at the escalating political crisis in Bosnia, and the places in Europe where you're likely to live the longest.

You can read Stanley's article about the case for Canadian EU membership here and find his Charlemagne column on European politics here. He posts on Bluesky here.

Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast!

This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news.

This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'The Agency' and writing a letter to a Russian political prisoner via OVD-Info (an initiative discovered via this essay in The Dial by Francesca Mastruzzo).

Other resources for this week's episode

'The Economics Show' podcast by the Financial Times: 'Can societies age gracefully?' - January 13, 2025 https://www.ft.com/content/8ce0571d-06f0-40de-8579-4446d1fb07f3

'The EU needs a proactive approach in Bosnia' - editorial in Politico Europe by Arminka Helić, March 17, 2025 https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-bosnia-western-balkans-europe-war-bih-crisis-serbia/

00:34 Spring Is Real

02:50 Good Week: Europeans are living longer

15:00 Bad Week: Bosnia and Herzegovina

28:54 Interview: Stanley Pignal on the case for Canadian EU membership

45:38 The Inspiration Station: The Agency and letters to Russian political prisoners

50:46 Happy Ending: Germany's economy could be wurst

Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak

Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak

Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina

YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | [email protected]

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By Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer

4.8

152152 ratings