Talking Europe

This week on Talking Europe we take a look at some of the other countries, aside from Ukraine, that are knocking on the EU's door to join the bloc. EU leaders held a summit on Thursday with the Western Balkan states to discuss their accession process. For Albania, that started back in 2008 and still hasn't advanced to the negotiations stage. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama spoke to FRANCE 24’s Luke Brown on the sidelines of the EU-Western Balkans leaders' meeting in Brussels.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine four months ago, the cost of living crisis has become a global issue. Prices have gone up around the world. In Europe, the countries that use the euro saw an average of 8.1 percent inflation in May. Pressure on prices, combined with stuttering economic growth, has sparked fears of a recession. These concerns could still come into play regarding the EU's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this programme, we're joined by two MEPs to discuss how the EU should balance sanctions against Russia with the risk of recession.

Amid a growing food crisis sparked by disrupted grain exports from Ukraine and Russia, the EU's ambassador to Ukraine Matti Maasikas told FRANCE 24 that exports by land more than doubled between April and May, from 600,000 tonnes to 1.5 million tonnes.

Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg speaks to FRANCE 24 about the latest comments by the Russian president that his country needs to "take back" lands that were once claimed by Russia – saying that Vladimir Putin "will probably never stop" denying the existence of Ukraine.

In the week that EU leaders agreed on a sixth round of sanctions against Russia, Polish Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Pawel Jablonski speaks to FRANCE 24 about the effect he hopes the measures will have on the Russian economy, his disappointment at the Hungarian government's stance regarding sanctions and the latest developments in Poland's rule of law dispute with the European Commission.

"When there is war again on our continent, you cannot be neutral." Those were the words of Denmark's prime minister after her country voted by a two-thirds majority to end the Danish opt-out from EU defence and security policy. As Vladimir Putin continues his bloody war against Ukraine, Denmark is not alone in the European Union in making historic moves regarding European defence capacities. We take a closer look with three MEPs.

This week's episode of Talking Europe takes a bird's-eye view of current events in Europe, with Luuk Van Middelaar, a Dutch historian and political theorist and a professor of EU law at Leiden University. Speaking to Armen Georgian, the historian addresses the EU's approach to the major crises of the past decade, as well as the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Imagine using an EU-wide app to pay your bills, to access your local government services or to upload a medical file or a driving licence. You would log in with a unique, life-long ID number. To some, this might sound convenient – much like travelling smoothly across borders with a digital Covid-19 certificate. To others, it's the stuff of Orwellian nightmares – a step towards mass surveillance and control. Either way, plans for an EU digital identity are coalescing, with a "common toolbox" expected this September. We debate the issues at stake with two MEPs.

Finland’s Europe minister has told FRANCE 24 her country is appealing to NATO members to "swiftly" accept Finland's application to join the military alliance. Tytti Tuppurainen acknowledged that her country is in a "security grey zone" and asserted that she is confident that opposition from Turkey can be overcome.

The war in Ukraine has forced a major rethink of European security, with further enlargement of both NATO and the EU now on the table. Kyiv has asked for a fast-track procedure for EU membership. Moldova and Georgia have also applied. The EU has made it clear that Ukraine belongs to the European family. However, admitting several more nations would be highly challenging. And even before the war, the EU was already negotiating with candidate countries Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. We discuss how far the EU should grow, and how fast that process should be, with two MEPs.