In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie sits down with Alexandra Jour-Schroeder, deputy director general of the European Commission’s DG FISMA, and Bruegel’s Silvia Merler, to discuss savings, investment and financial literacy. Sharing national best practices, monitoring what works and using EU funding can all support member state efforts to keep citizens in the know. They also discuss ways the EU can support development of accessible savings accounts and products. Better understanding of financial markets allows households to save for the future in ways that reflect their own priorities. 

Fixing gender inequality could reap big gains for the entire economy

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie sits down with economist Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman and Bruegel’s Marie-Sophie Lappe to discuss gender inequality and how economics can help to fix it. The data shows that it costs more to be a woman in society, especially a Black woman, in areas ranging from health care, to pension savings and workplace routines. These extra burdens drag the whole economy down – but this also means that progress towards gender equality can pull the whole economy up.

As COP30 approaches, what is the real state of EU–China climate relations?

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan sits down with Alicia García-Herrero and Cecilia Trasi to explore the state of EU–China climate relations. The discussion explores how both economies share a vision for a green transition but follow strikingly different paths—China prioritising industrial policy and green technology exports, the EU focusing on costly emission pricing and regulation.

They also identify pragmatic areas of collaboration like common taxonomies for green finance or joint circular-economy initiatives. They also reflect on whether either side can lead the global climate agenda in a fragmented geopolitical landscape.

This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly analysis of China in the world, as seen from Europe. Sign up now to receive it in your mailbox!

In this episode of the Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie sits down with Bruegel’s Marie-Sophie Lappe and Francesco Nicoli, authors of a recent study on green public procurement, as well as Karolis Granickas of the Open Contracting Partnership non-governmental organisation. They discuss how governments decide what to buy, and what European policy can do to make this process work better. Is there a way for this purchasing to advance the climate transition agenda too? How can governments balance price, product choices and the impact on their local economies? How does this fit with the global context and balancing the pros and cons of non-EU products? This podcast aims to demystify the contracting cycle and unpack some of the issues at stake.

Towards a Green Procurement Union: trade-offs and strategic choices, Bruegel event, 24 September 2025

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie sits down with Bruegel’s Heather Grabbe and Guntram Wolff to talk about the real costs of a changing climate. With all the fuss over how to manage the climate transition, economists may be overlooking the rising expenses of the changes happening now. From the rising cost of insurance to future housing shocks, evolving weather trends and water scarcity mean the world could be facing big hits to productivity and gross domestic product. What will be the scale of the change? What should economists be studying? How should policymakers act? They discuss what happens when these shocks collide and intensify, rather than occurring one at a time, and how the world can respond. 

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie speaks about migration trends in the Western Balkans with Bruegel’s Nina Vujanovic and Nina Ruer, as well as Professor Herbert Brücker from Berlin’s Humboldt University in Germany, Since 2015, workers have been heading to Germany from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo, aided by a regulation specific to that region. How have those workers assimilated? What has been the effect on the countries they leave behind? Can better policy address youth unemployment and skills shortages? The discussion tackles the data, the outlook and the political context for Germany, the Western Balkan countries and the EU accession process. 

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Bruegel’s Rebecca Christie, Zsolt Darvas and Jacob Funk Kirkegaard discuss the European Commission’s budget plan and the battle for the next multiannual financial framework. Will the budget be enough to cover the EU’s needs? What is an “own resource” and how do the member states contribute? Can the EU overhaul the way it supports agriculture, and does it make sense to merge support for farmers with support for lower-income countries? And how will Europe find the money to help Ukraine and finance its own defence and security needs? As the financing debate heats up, Europe will need to decide what public goods it values enough to invest in.

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan sits down with Alicia García-Herrero and Ben McWilliams to explore China’s quest for energy self-sufficiency and especially its attempt to become an “electrostate”. Can a country transform its vast energy needs into a strategic advantage; and what does it mean for the world if that country is China? And where does Europe stand in this race?

European Clean Tech Tracker, Bruegel dataset, Compiled by Marie Jugé, Ugnė Keliauskaitė, Ben McWilliams and Simone Tagliapietra, last updated 3 September 2025

How we made it: will China be the first electrostate? Financial Times, 20 May 2025

This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly analysis of China in the world, as seen from Europe. Sign up now to receive it in your mailbox!

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie talks with Niclas Poitiers and Damien Levie, head of the FDI screening unit in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security. They discuss how the EU aims to reduce risks, track projects and coordinate national procedures related to non-EU investments in companies and critical infrastructure. How can the EU protect itself when investors from China, the U.S. and other countries want to make a purchase? How should countries decide which deals are important? Would a so-called 28th regime, or pan-EU legal framework, offer a way around bureaucratic backlogs? This conversation explains what is at stake as the Commission, member states and the European Parliament start talks on how to revise the rules.

Relevant research:

Interinstitutional talks begin on EU’s revised FDI screening mechanism, News article, Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security, European Commission

Rethinking global supply chains: insights for a changing world, Bruegel event, 18 September 2025

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 101061123.

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we discuss the State of the Union address that Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, delivered on 10 September 2025. 

Bruegel's Rebecca Christie, Simone Tagliapietra, Reinhilde Veugelers and Jeromin Zettelmeyer discuss whether the EU is ready to meet the moment. How can Europe boost its economic and geopolitical independence? What steps are most needed to improve productivity and green growth. Did Von der Leyen give a good speech, given the difficulties of asserting European influence in the aftermath of the U.S. recent trade talks? They discuss how Europe can integrate and boost its economy to prepare for a better future.

Relevant research: