Max and Donatienne are first joined by Federico Steinberg, visiting fellow at CSIS, to discuss the European Union’s new economic security strategy. Then, Max sits down with the United Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to NATO, Ambassador David Quarrey to preview the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Learn more:  

Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts 

Germany's Financial Attack on NATO | CSIS 

Max and Donatienne recently sat down with Marie Jourdain and Sean Monaghan to discuss a new CSIS report dissecting the state of European defense. The report calls for a critical role for the European Union to play in integrating and coordinating efforts to rebuild European militaries from the bottom-up. You can read the full report here and watch the webcast from the live event here.

Max and Donatienne first discuss a new CSIS report about European defense integration and the EU’s role in rebuilding European militaries. They then cover Germany’s first ever national security strategy and a recent meeting between the leaders of France, Germany, and Poland ahead of the NATO summit in July. Lastly, Max and Donatienne turn to a conversation with Mathieu Droin about European naval capabilities and why they matter to the broader European defense landscape. 

Learn more:  

Transforming European Defense: A New Focus on Integration (csis.org) 

Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts 

Max and Donatienne discuss French President Emmanuel Macron’s speech at the GLOBSEC Bratislava Global Security Forum where he called for tangible and credible security guarantees for Ukraine. They then cover the recent European Political Community summit in Moldova and discuss the EPC in relation to EU enlargement. Lastly, Max and Donatienne turn to a conversation with John Christianson about European strategic air enabling capabilities – a critical gap in European defense. John is an active-duty Air Force officer and current military fellow with the International Security Program at CSIS.  

Learn more:  

Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts 

The European Union’s Enlargement Conundrum (csis.org)  

Max and Donatienne discuss the recent 1.2B euro fine levied at Meta, the U.S. tech giant controlling Facebook, for breaching the EU’s GDPR rulebook – the largest such fine in the 5-year history of the privacy regulation. They then cover the recent first round of the Turkish elections, where President Erdogan outperformed polling figures and is now heavily favored to retain power after the second round of voting on May 28. Lastly, Max and Donatienne turn to a conversation with Dan Keleman on democratic backsliding in Europe. Dan is professor of political science and law and chair of the Department of Political Science at Rutgers University and recently joined the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program as a non-resident Senior Associate.

The Eurofile | CSIS Podcasts 

Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts 

Max and Donatienne discuss the Tories’ resounding defeat in local UK elections, renewed debates about the Stability and Growth Pact, and European Commissioner Thierry Breton’s push to ramp up Europe’s artillery production. They then turn to a conversation with Jude Blanchette, who holds the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS, to discuss Sino-European relations following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts 

Pekingology | CSIS Podcasts 

Max and Donatienne discuss the recent dispute over European blockages of grain imports from Ukraine and the state of media freedom and democracy in Greece. They then turn to a conversation with Ilke Toygür, non-resident senior associate with the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program, to preview Turkey’s upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections three weeks out from voting day. 

Read More:

Transatlantic allies in action: Unpacking EU-US cooperation on Turkey ahead of elections , by Ilke Toygür and Max Hoffman 

Max and Donatienne discuss French president Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit to China and Finland’s long-awaited formal accession to NATO. They then turn to a conversation with Emily Benson to discuss the latest transatlantic tension stemming from the Inflation Reduction Act. 

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Analyzing the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (csis.org) 

Green Industrial Strategies: Takeaways for Transatlantic Trade (csis.org) 

Max and Donatienne discuss the recent protests in France following President Macron’s controversial pension reform. They then cover the spat over the European Union’s e-fuels regulation, which roiled a recent European Council summit in Stockholm. Finally, they preview upcoming elections in Finland and Bulgaria, which could have implications for continued support to Ukraine, EU enlargement, and the bloc’s future democratic resilience. 

Learn more: Finland | 2023 Elections | CSIS

In this week’s episode of The Eurofile, Max and Donatienne discuss Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Washington, D.C. and the prospect of closer transatlantic cooperation in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Following their conversation, they sit down with Kakha Gogolashvili, Senior Fellow and Director of EU Studies at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, to discuss the recently abandoned foreign agents law in Georgia, Russia’s presence in the South Caucasus, and Georgia’s EU membership aspirations. 

Read more: In Georgia, Civil Society Wins against Russia-Style ‘Foreign Agents’ Bill (csis.org)