Talking Europe

He has variously been called "Mister Fix-It", "Laser Eye" and "Big Maros". EU Commission Executive Vice-President Maros Sefcovic manages a dizzying array of portfolios, stretching to no fewer than 26 policy areas, many of them having to do with Europe's green transition. He is also a veteran of Brexit negotiations and helped to secure an agreement at the end of 2020 after years of tortuous talks. Speaking to FRANCE 24, Sefcovic notes a big change in the "mood and quality" of the EU-UK relationship, and says the two sides are "exploring the full potential for closer cooperation in different areas".

The EU is adopting an unprecedented package of climate, energy and environmental legislation. The Green Deal has been an essential component of the European Parliament's work over the last five years, and of the European Commission's agenda. EU member states have highlighted the importance of the energy transition in light of the war in Ukraine. But only a few months remain to close important policy bills before the EU elections. Meanwhile, environmental activists have talked of a "green fatigue" in Brussels. Is that justified? We delve into the issue with two MEPs.

Talking Europe interviews the EU commissioner in charge of jobs and social rights, Nicolas Schmit. He speaks to the importance of protecting workers, particularly the "gig" or "platform" workers, whose status is at the core of a dispute between the European Commission and several EU member states. He also addresses the issue of "social dumping" – people being paid below their level of skills – an issue of relevance not only to EU workers, but also to Ukrainian refugees that have been granted permission to live and work in the EU. Plus, he explains the implementation of the EU Directive on adequate minimum wages, as economic conditions in Europe threaten people's purchasing power; especially that of poorer members of society.

Ukraine is seeking €50 billion in budget support from the European Union. If it doesn’t get it, it might have to raise taxes or even print money this spring, officials in Kyiv have suggested. At stake are not only Ukraine's finances, but the EU's whole commitment to Kyiv's membership of the European Union. Brussels has formally agreed to start accession talks with Ukraine. But it's going to be a long road, and the Hungarian prime minister has warned that there will be plenty of opportunities for him to block the process. On the issue of financial aid, Viktor Orban has signalled he could approve individual envelopes, rather than a one-time agreement on the fund. That would give him the ability to defy his EU colleagues on a whole series of decisions. We discuss how to break this deadlock with two MEPs.

While wars are fought between armies or militant groups, conflicts have their keyboard warriors too. It is estimated that more than half of the world uses social media, and many people do not go to traditional media as a source of information at all. As social media use increases, unease has grown among EU decision-makers about the power of these platforms to potentially distort people's view of the world. The EU has tried to regulate on disinformation through the Digital Services Act (DSA), but how successful has that effort been? Our panellists assess the impact of the DSA and raise other issues that are connected to disinformation, such as spyware and election interference.

Poverty is set to be one of the key issues dominating the 2024 European elections. The EU is home to 95 million people who live below the poverty line – that is, who live on less than 60 percent of the median income for their country. In all, that's one in five Europeans who live at risk of social exclusion.

Talking Europe hosts Austrian author Robert Menasse, the winner of the 2023 European Union book prize. The award was set up in 2007 to foster a European spirit and promote understanding of the EU from a cultural perspective. The prize has previously been bestowed on such towering figures as Jonathan Coe, Philippe Sands and Tony Judt. Menasse is the only writer to have won the award twice. We discuss his prize-winning novel "The Enlargement", which takes places against the backdrop of the actual enlargement of the European Union. It forms the second novel in his trilogy, after "The Capital" in 2019.

Talking Europe sat down with the prime minister of Bulgaria, Nikolai Denkov, during a crucial EU summit that approved the start of EU accession talks for Ukraine and Moldova – but failed to find an agreement on budget support for Ukraine. We take the political temperature in the summit room with our guest, and discuss some regional and Bulgarian developments as well – notably Sofia's efforts to join the Schengen free travel area, which is currently under negotiation between Bulgaria, Romania, Austria and the European Commission.

Getting the European Green Deal finished is one of the EU Commission's top priorities in the last few months of the current legislative term. At stake is a major transformation of Europe's economies and societies, which could see the continent become climate neutral by 2050. But while we hear a lot about energy strategy, we hear less about another core element of the Green Deal: oceans and fisheries. Our guest is the European Commissioner in charge of Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius. Before joining the EU Commission in 2019, he was Minister of Economy and Innovation in the government of Lithuania, and a member of the Lithuanian parliament. We discuss the contamination of Europe's seas and how all of our habits will need to change, particularly on single-use packaging.

As European leaders tussle over key decisions on Ukraine ahead of a crucial EU summit on December 14-15, Talking Europe hosts Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, Olha Stefanishyna. She tells FRANCE 24 that it is "very important" that a decision to start Ukraine’s EU membership talks be taken, because Ukraine is a "gold standard" when it comes to the reforms that candidate countries need to make. She also acknowledges that this is a "turbulent period" in European politics, which does not always work in Ukraine's favour. We touch on the current state of EU financial support for Ukraine, as well as the shortfall in ammunition deliveries that the EU had pledged.