Talking Europe

The European Union has been caught off guard by a food fight. Last month, when Poland unilaterally announced it was shutting its borders to imports of Ukrainian grain, it came as a shock to policymakers in both Kyiv and Brussels. Farmers in the eastern EU member complained that a food glut was driving prices down, hitting their livelihoods. Several Central European states followed suit, imposing their own bans. In one fell swoop, the EU's policy of giving Ukraine's farmers tariff-free access to EU markets was at risk of unravelling. That has not happened – yet. A deal involving compensation to Poland's farmers has lifted the blockade and, for now, Ukraine's grain is crossing into Poland.

The watchdogs of EU democracy will have to be "much louder in the future" if they hope to see off a mounting threat from homegrown populists and autocrats who are chipping away at Europe's founding commitments to free speech and the rule of law, a top EU official has warned. "We have to make sure, wherever democracy is under threat, [where there is] shrinking space of civil society, then we have to raise our voices," Oliver Röpke, the newly elected president of the European Economic and Social Committee, an advisory body within the European Union, told FRANCE 24.

Just months after a devastating earthquake, and with millions suffering from an economy in dire straits, Turkish voters are deciding who should lead the pivotal NATO ally at the crossroads between Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The outcome will reshape the political landscape in Turkey and beyond. For some, the choice is simple: between Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an empire-obsessed strongman who sneers at the democratic values Europe cherishes; and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a white-knight rival who vows to undo the damage and rescue Turkey's teetering relations with the EU. Others warn that such a depiction is far too simplistic, saying the devil is not in the details, but the entire picture.

Talking Europe interviews Rastislav Káčer, Slovakia's straight-talking minister for foreign and European affairs. Slovakia became the first NATO country to deliver warplanes to Ukraine, and Káčer discusses what difference that delivery could make, as well as Slovakia's plans to double its ammunition production. He also talks about his country's moves towards energy independence – Slovakia's nuclear industry, in particular, is still closely tied to Russia – and about Slovakia's sometimes complicated relationship with Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of neighbouring Hungary.

Europe has been mulling an EU-wide food labelling system, ostensibly in order to help people make healthier choices. Nutrition information is standard on the back or side of food packaging, of course. But now there are efforts to put labels on the front of items.

Talking Europe interviews João Gomes Cravinho, Portugal’s top diplomat. He discusses whether Portugal’s ally, Brazil, could have a role to play in talks between Ukraine and Russia one day – this after the president of Brazil, which has not imposed sanctions on Russia, nor sent ammunition to Kyiv, called for a negotiated settlement. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recently visited Portugal as part of a European diplomatic tour. Cravinho also talks about EU and NATO support to Ukraine, as well as Portugal’s relations with China in the light of how Lisbon approaches the questions of both Macau and Taiwan.

The fallout continues from Emmanuel Macron's remarks about China and the US. On his way back from a state visit to China, the French president said that Europe should not be a "follower" of either Washington or Beijing, or get caught up in any escalation. Despite the resulting backlash on both sides of the Atlantic, he stood by the comments, saying on a later trip to the Netherlands that being a US ally doesn't mean being a "vassal".

Talking Europe speaks to Kersti Kaljulaid, who was the first and only female president of Estonia, from 2016 to 2021. Her name has been linked to the top job in NATO, as Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is expected to step down this autumn. We discuss her potential interest in the job, as well as her view on the current levels of support for Ukraine, both in NATO and the European Union.

After grappling with the consequences of the driest summer in several hundred years, Europe has also had to deal with a winter drought this year. Various European governments are warning of critical water shortages, as low rainfall leaves rivers depleted. This April, the Italian government tabled a "drought" decree in response to the water crisis. Meanwhile, the French government recently launched a plan to save water, after pitched battles were fought in a field between security forces and environmental protesters. So how can European authorities manage this precious resource in a smarter way over the coming years? We put the question to two MEPs.

Talking Europe interviews Irene Tinagli, who chairs the European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, and is a prominent member of Italy's Democratic Party (PD). She calls for the completion of the EU's Banking Union to protect people's deposits, and for an EU budget that is up to the challenges the bloc faces today. We also touch on the post-Covid national Recovery and Resilience Plans, especially Italy's plan, and on the Italian government's decision to declare a state of emergency as a significant influx of migrants arrives on Italian shores.