We sit down with Valdis Dombrovskis, EU Commissioner for Economy and Productivity and a former prime minister of Latvia. He comments on the recent drone incursions into EU airspace. He also discusses France's budget deficit, which is around 5.4 percent of GDP, meaning it is well over the criteria set out in the EU's Stability Pact. 

 

Programme prepared by Perrine Desplats, Oihana Almandoz and Isabelle Romero

We sit down with two MEPs to discuss France's ballooning debt and deficit, both of which are much higher than the limits set out in the EU's Stability Pact. France being the second-largest economy in the EU, its current political and economic instability could also have an impact on the other member states. So how concerned should Europe be? 

Programme prepared by Oihana Almandoz, Perrine Desplats and Isabelle Romero

 

We sat down with Theodoros Rousopoulos, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the continent’s oldest political body. The assembly, also known as PACE, is sometimes called the driving force of the whole organisation, bringing together parliamentary delegations from 46 member states. But is this parliamentary diplomacy successful in pushing back against the democratic backsliding that is evident within the Council of Europe itself? And what instruments does PACE have to deal with members that do not uphold the core values of human rights, democratic norms and the rule of law? 

Rousopoulos is clearly worried about the rise of populism and authoritarianism, and the attitudes of young people especially. “There is a recent survey which gives us this worrying information that Generation Z does not trust democracy anymore. And it is about 32 percent of Generation Z people in Europe, and about 52 percent in the UK, that believe that the prime minister should not give a damn about parliament. So this is very worrying. The problem is that politicians are keen on flattering the people. They try to be very close to the people in the wrong way. We have to speak the truth to the people. We have to say less during our pre-election periods, and then maybe we will gain the credibility that it is now lost for at least 10 or 20 years.” 

Rousopoulos sees democratic backsliding within the Council of Europe itself. He cites Azerbaijan and Georgia as examples. “In January 2024, the Parliamentary Assembly decided that we are going to challenge the credentials of the Azeri delegation,” he recounts. “That means that we put a strict rule there and we said, if you don't change your behaviour, if you do not release political prisoners, as President Aliyev is doing, then you cannot belong to this assembly. For Georgia, we decided to ratify their credentials. But they didn't like the idea that we asked them to do more. And the prime minister, Mr. Kobakhidze, decided not to attend the assembly. And he said, ‘we don't care about the assembly.’ This is the most dangerous part, because if member states are being allowed to do what I call cherry-picking – staying in the committee of ministers, but not in the assembly – then the next step is that they will not follow the decisions taken by the European Court of Human Rights.” 

“We need to reconsider, because populism is prevailing,” Rousopoulos sums up. “We have authoritarian regimes as member states of the Council of Europe, who believe that they can do everything.” 

We touch on the immigration debate in the UK, and how that impacts calls for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. “If we take the cases which have been examined by the European Court of Human Rights, we will see that it is a small percentage – 5 percent, no more than 10 percent – of situations which are related to immigration issues,” Rousopoulos notes. “I understand that there are some (political) problems caused by the decisions taken by the court. But on the other hand, if we do not respect the court's decision, then what is the message that we give to judges in the UK? If a government or an opposition says that we do not respect the decisions taken in Strasbourg, then how can they persuade the people to respect the decisions taken in their own courts?” 

We discuss other specific countries and situations, including Ukraine, and the steps towards the setting up of an international tribunal that the Council of Europe is supporting. “The Claims Commission is the latest decision that we have taken,” Rousopoulos says. “We have, of course, the Registry of Damages.  More than 15,000 people or organisations have appealed to this registry damage list. Now we have the Claims Commission, which is a new treaty which will be decided soon in our assembly. And this follows and complements the registry of damages. The next step is to ask for the money. Will that be from the frozen assets of Russians in Europe? Or another way? We will see. But it is very important to build the basis for the next step.” 

Programme prepared by Oihana Almandoz, Agnès le Cossec, Isabelle Romero, Perrine Desplats

As the academic year begins, many students will embark on what has become a rite of passage: studying abroad for part of their course. However, the Erasmus+ programme is not limited to university undergraduates and postgraduates. Since its expansion in 2014, apprentices, trainers, job-seekers, and others have also benefited from these international exchanges. Founded in 1987 as Erasmus, the scheme has supported the personal and professional growth of more than 16 million people. Currently, 33 countries participate fully in Erasmus+ activities, including all 27 EU member states. Yet, Erasmus+ faces challenges, particularly regarding social inclusion. We discuss these issues with our MEPs, who serve on the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT).

Programme prepared by Isabelle Romero, Perrine Desplats and Agnès le Cossec

 

 

Read more about the work of the Culture an Education Committee in the European Parliament (CULT)

Amid the doom and gloom about France's political crisis and the public deficit, our guest maintains that the country is still economically attractive and still the second power in the European Union. Clément Beaune is France's High Commissioner for Strategy and Planning, a former secretary of state for European Affairs and a former minister-delegate for Europe in French governments. He supposes that the current political fragmentation will not disappear with elections in the years to come, and urges French political forces to find the kind of compromises that have enabled coalition governments to function in other European countries.

Beaune recaps how France has burned through three prime ministers in the space of a year, and offers his analysis. "Since the snap elections in 2024, we have a parliament which is fragmented into basically three big political forces: on the left, in the centre and on the right or far right," he explains. "And in any parliamentary democracy across Europe, there would be a kind of a toolkit or toolbox to discuss, to find compromises, maybe to have a roadmap for a few months, at least on the budget in particular. In Germany, in Italy, in Spain, in the Netherlands it would be kind of normal, natural. In France it's new, but we have to get used to it because I think that this fragmentation will not disappear, even if we would have elections in the years to come. This is not our political culture and habit in France, and we have to find a way through."

Is the French budget deficit harming France's standing in the EU? "I'm hearing a narrative now which is 100 percent negative in the French debate and in our neighbours' press or political debate," Beaune answers. "Of course we face difficulties. But between saying there are difficulties and saying that everything is wrong ... it is not true that we have problems in all economic areas. We remain a country with a strong attractiveness. We see that with foreign investment remaining high in France. France is still the second power of the European Union. Of course we also need to be humble and lucid about our difficulties. We are in a difficult situation regarding public accounts in comparison with other EU countries. And we have to reduce the burden of public debt."

We turn to the work of Beaune's commission, which he concedes has been impacted by the political crisis and paralysis in the French parliament. "I think having a long-term policy unit is very important in these times of instability or short-termism across France and Europe," Beaune asserts. "In this political instability, it's important to have some places across government where you try to make proposals. To give you an example, I think we have made a very clear analysis of the demographic crisis that we are going through. I think the French public is not sufficiently aware that, for the first time since the Second World War, we will have more people dying than births in France this year. And this is a very strong wake-up call. We are making proposals for a pro-birth policy, if I can put it like that. We are also making proposals on economic migration, which is a sensitive issue but a necessary issue. We are also talking about competitiveness, because if we have a workforce which is more limited, we need to find other ways, including robots and so on, to be more competitive, to face international economic competition."

Beaune explains that his Commission makes proposals with the European dimension in mind, "because we cannot think only nationally about demographics or reforms. We saw with the Covid crisis that we would not have saved as many jobs and companies in 2020, in 2021, if we had not delivered a European recovery plan for our economies. We need [European] sovereignty in terms of health and production of key equipment and medicines. The same for AI, the same for electric vehicles. I have this European DNA."

European political leaders tried to switch off for a few weeks in August, but they must have had a lot on their minds. Russian forces have advanced in the Donbas, in eastern Ukraine. A summit in Alaska between the Russian and American presidents set off alarm bells in Kyiv and in the EU. And members of European governments are smarting from a trade deal with US President Donald Trump that leaves a 15 percent tariff ceiling on most EU products coming into the US – this as the European Union wants to assert its competitiveness and its strategic weight in the world. We discuss all this and more with our guests.

Programme prepared by Oihana Almandoz, Isabelle Romero and Perrine Desplats

As this political season draws to a close, we bring you a showcase of our interviews with Europe's movers and shakers. They broach the top issues that have dominated the agenda over the past year, from competitiveness and simplification to corporate responsibility; from disinformation to "Choose Europe" for research and innovation; and, of course, the big geopolitical topics such as Ukraine and the Trump presidency.

Programme prepared by Perrine Desplats, Isabelle Romero, Luke Brown and Oihana Almandoz

The coalition of Ursula von der Leyen in the European Parliament is holding up, but it is looking increasingly fragile. Centrist, Socialist and Green members of that coalition are deeply troubled by what they see as an alignment between the conservative European People's Party (EPP) and the far right. And they say they want the EU Commission president to get a grip on the EPP. The entire coalition did come together to see off a vote of no-confidence in von der Leyen on July 10. But that support came at a price. Party group leaders insist their backing of the Commission chief is not unconditional and that they want to see a change in policy direction. That is exactly the line taken by our guest, Valérie Hayer, who is the leader of the centrist Renew bloc in the EU Parliament and a French MEP since 2019.

"I want a strong commitment on common policies, and I want a better cooperation, both between the Commission and the European Parliament, and also within the European Parliament, between the EPP and the pro-European groups, which is not the case yet," Hayer asserts. "If we don't have any strong commitment, any willingness from the EPP group that they want to work together with the pro-European agenda, and if we don't have any commitment from Ursula von der Leyen, then of course we will have to take decisions. And that could indeed be not to take part any more in this coalition."

We put it to Hayer that the EPP has not sided with the far right in the great majority of votes over the past year. "But when you look at the most important files in the European Parliament, they decided consciously to make a deal with the far right. I can give you lots of examples," Hayer responds. "Nothing can be achieved with the far right, because the far right just wants to undermine Europe," she adds.

We ask Hayer how France is going to deal with its huge public debt, while at the same time increase its defence spending by €3.5 billion in 2026. Is it not a contradiction to spend more money while also making austerity cuts? "We have to push for more investment at the national but also at the European level," Hayer responds.  "We are under threat with disinformation, cyberattacks and so on. And President Macron had also a very pro-European stance when he decided and announced this increase in defence spending. So I think we don't have any other choice."

On the subject of public spending, the EU Commission has now made its proposal for the next big seven-year EU budget, and it represents an increase on the current 2021-2027 budget, which Hayer helped to negotiate. "We want to have a strong competitiveness fund to support our industries," Hayer says. "We also want to have a 'European preference' with local content [in strategic investments]. And a key demand from our group is that we want a strong commitment vis-a-vis the rule of law, especially with the smart conditionality, which means no euros going to autocrats and governments who don't respect our common rules. But on the ground, mayors and NGOs should still benefit from [EU] money."

Hayer also talks about US President Donald Trump and his stated intent to impose 30 percent tariffs on EU imports on August 1. "First of all, nobody has any interest in this trade war. Nobody. Neither the EU, nor the US," she answers. "Now, the unity of Europe is absolutely key. Of course we should support the Commission strategy and leave the political space for negotiation. But if on the 1st of August we don't have enough in the negotiations, let's not be shy. We are a power. We have a huge market that is interesting for US companies, and we should have these countermeasures to convey the message to Donald Trump that we will not be fooled."

Programme prepared by Perrine Desplats and Isabelle Romero

The EU is aiming to double high-speed rail traffic by 2030 and triple it by 2050. But harmonising rail networks across the continent is easier said than done. While some cross-border routes have opened in 2025, other projects have been hampered by a lack of infrastructure or investment, as well as vested interests in the EU member states.

Our panelists discuss what it would take to change this situation – rail travel being a component of the EU's stated goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050.

Programme prepared by Perrine Desplats and Isabelle Romero

The Green Deal is often seen as the flagship project of the previous EU mandate. But after last year's European elections, in which right-wing parties performed well, the Green Deal was rebranded as the Clean Industrial Deal. There is now more emphasis on industrial revival and competitiveness.

MEPs and members of the European Commission say the EU should not have to choose between re-industrialisation and meeting climate objectives, but rather do both. Officially, the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050 remains. In practice, though, how to strike that balance is a bone of contention between competing political forces in the European Union.

We dive into what's at stake with two MEPs.

Programme prepared by Perrine Desplats and Isabelle Romero