Talking Europe

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is urging the EU to send a strong signal to the Western Balkans at an upcoming summit in Albania on December 6. "Young people from those countries are hungry for the EU," she says, and the EU "should not turn away from them". But as several of those countries sat in the waiting room for years, disillusionment set in. This summer, Albania and North Macedonia did start accession talks, but questions remain as to whether enlargement really is a priority for the EU. We discuss what's at stake with two MEPs.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto doesn't rule out vetoing a ninth package of sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine – a package that is currently being prepared by the EU, along with a proposed price cap on Russian oil. "We want peace, not another [sanctions] package," he says. "We are a direct neighbour of Ukraine. The impact of the war on us is immediate and severe," he asserts. Szijjarto defends his country's close energy ties with Moscow and responds to the EU's continuing accusations of corruption. The day after this interview was recorded, the EU Commission president announced that she would recommend the freezing of payments to Hungary under the EU pandemic recovery fund as well as under regular EU cohesion funds, because of rule of law concerns in Hungary.

It's one emergency the EU didn’t need. Already dealing with a war on its doorstep, an energy crisis and rising inflation, the handling of the Ocean Viking – a ship carrying migrants rescued in the Mediterranean – starkly showed the limits of European solidarity. The EU Commission has put forward a plan of action, as well as proposing a new Pact on Migration and Asylum. The latter involves a solidarity mechanism that could be legally binding on EU member states in certain situations. But would more European solidarity simply encourage more migrants to come to Europe? That's a key bone of contention in our debate between two MEPs.

Talking Europe speaks to a veteran of the European and Italian political scenes, former EU Commissioner and former Italian foreign minister Emma Bonino. She shares her thoughts on the bitter dispute between Rome and Paris over the fate of the migrants on the Ocean Viking rescue ship, and says an EU migration policy won't happen without EU treaty change. "If we don't overcome national vetoes, be it on Covid, be it on energy, be it on migrants, we won't have European solutions. We will just keep dreaming of European solutions," she tells Armen Georgian. Bonino also touches on women's rights and what she has called the "reactionary social agenda" of the new coalition governing Italy.

The Gulf nation of Qatar is hosting the FIFA World Cup, even as human rights groups document the colossal loss of life among migrant labourers working on the country's massive construction programme. Moreover, Qatar's attitude to same-sex relationships has prompted calls for the Emirate to be shunned. As a protest, several French cities are banning so-called fan zones, meaning the public won’t be able to watch World Cup matches on giant screens. But there's no question of the French team – which won the football tournament four years ago – boycotting Qatar 2022. We discuss the issues at stake with two MEPs.

The European Commission’s energy supremo, Estonian Kadri Simson, recently visited Ukraine to discuss what can be done to help energy infrastructure damaged in Russian missile attacks. She details plans to transfer specialised machinery and devices to Ukraine through a dedicated fund. The Commissioner also updates us on the negotiations among EU member states on a possible price cap on gas imports – a potential response to Europe's energy crisis.

Armen Georgian's panel of MEPs debates whether the EU's climate goals at Sharm el-Sheikh are ambitious enough, and whether the EU is stepping up when it comes to climate finance and loss and damage for poorer countries. The panelists also ponder how the EU might make its own energy policy more efficient and cohesive.

As world powers prepare to begin crucial climate talks at the COP27 summit in Egypt, we speak to Chiara Martinelli, director of the Climate Action Network Europe, which describes itself as Europe's leading NGO coalition fighting dangerous climate change. Martinelli says the EU should, in Sharm-el-Sheikh, agree to upgrade its previous commitment to cut carbon emissions by 55 percent and now target a 65 percent reduction in emissions. "This would send an important signal to the other negotiating parties that Europe is doing its fair share globally, and that it is committed to containing the global temperature rise within 1.5 °C," she tells Armen Georgian.

Where do you get your news and how independent do you think it is? The age of everybody reading a newspaper is long gone, but consumption of news media is high and has a big impact on us and our societies. Reporters without Borders recently documented how social and political tensions are fuelled by social media and new opinion media in countries, including France. It also says that suppression of independent media is contributing to a sharp polarisation in so-called illiberal democracies, citing Poland as one example. The European Commission recently presented groundbreaking proposals for new laws that aim to protect editorial independence, boost transparency on media ownership and strengthen independent media regulation. We discuss them with two MEPs.

Speaking to FRANCE 24, Vera Jourova, a Vice-President of the European Commission, strongly condemned what Russia says are evacuations of civilians in the Kherson province of southern Ukraine. "I come from Czechoslovakia and this is the old playbook," she told Catherine Nicholson. "The Soviet military invasion of 1968 was presented as brotherly help." Jourova went on to outline efforts to help journalists in Ukraine and to support media freedoms inside the EU. She also reviewed the latest talks between the EU and Poland on the thorny issue of rule of law – a standoff that could in theory lead to Poland losing some of its EU funding.