Talking Europe

Almost a month into the war between Israel and Hamas, the European Union is still struggling to speak with one voice. While EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has expressed unconditional support for Israel, some of her own staff have signed a letter criticising her position, along with employees from other EU institutions. Some EU member states continue to express strong support for Israel, such as the Czech Republic and Hungary, while others worry that such stances may harm the bloc's image.

In this edition we focus on Poland, where opposition parties have won enough seats in the parliamentary election to oust the ruling conservative Law and Justice party after eight years in power. To analyse this major shift and what it means for Poland's place in the EU, we speak to Danuta Hübner, a member of the main opposition Civic Platform party. She's a former Europe minister for Poland and a former European commissioner who's now an MEP in the European Parliament.

In this debate we delve into the latest tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, and discuss how they could affect the efforts of the Western Balkan countries to come closer to the European Union. We also look at what is happening around Ukraine's efforts to join the EU, and what signals the EU Council should send to Kyiv at its upcoming summits this autumn and winter.

Talking Europe hosts the newly appointed EU Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra. The EU has put the Green Deal at the heart of its policy making, and Hoekstra was confirmed in the key job after somewhat fractious hearings in the European Parliament, where some MEPs drew attention to his past work for oil and gas giant Shell. We discuss his plans for implementing the green transition, and the upcoming COP28 summit in Dubai.

The EU faces what is arguably its stiffest foreign policy test since the war in Ukraine. A devastating attack on Israel by Hamas has been met with a massive Israeli response in the Gaza Strip. It is being described as the worst chapter in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the war of October 1973. We discuss how convincing – or otherwise – the EU's response has been so far, as well as the EU's messaging mess when it comes to the question of continued development aid to the Palestinians.

How can a much bigger European Union function effectively? Will key national interests be overridden for the benefit of collective decision-making? How should European institutions and budgets adapt to a union of more than 30 members? These are some of the big questions that European leaders are currently mulling over. For more, Talking Europe hosts Daniela Schwarzer, the co-rapporteur of a new report: "Sailing on High Seas: Reforming and Enlarging the EU for the 21st Century". She is a member of the working group convened in 2023 by the French and German governments on reforming the EU.

"Those who risk their lives at sea do not invade, they look for welcome." With these words, Pope Francis admonished Europe for failing to treat migrants with dignity. Speaking during his recent visit to the melting-pot French Mediterranean city of Marseille, the pontiff lamented what he called a "fanaticism of indifference" at a time when Europe has been seeing a sharp increase in migrant arrivals. Some 8,500 people landed on Italy's southern island of Lampedusa over just three days in September.

EU leaders are hailing their drive to make Europe the world's first carbon-neutral continent by 2050 as a "Man on the Moon" moment. But is Europe's giant leap towards net-zero carbon emissions at risk of becoming a stumble in the dark, amid a rise in right-wing populism that has seen more and more Europeans turning against green policies?

It's not every day that both the Kremlin and its fiercest critics unite in outrage at the European Union. But that's precisely what happened recently, after the EU banned Russian citizens from bringing their personal vehicles into the bloc. And it wasn't just about cars. The Moscow Times reported that the ban appeared to include goods ranging from smartphones and laptops, to everyday necessities like toothpaste and toilet paper.

Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign and security policy, speaks to Talking Europe from New York, where he is attending the annual United Nations General Assembly. We discuss the big issues facing the EU in the world: Ukrainian grain exports and food security; the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia; the EU's strategy in the Sahel, and migration.