Visegrad Insight Podcast

Wojciech Przybylski and Albin Sybera discuss the differences between Czech and Polish countries in their 20-year history of EU membership. We also provide commentary on Sikorski's foreign policy priorities address and Macron's Sorbonne 2.0 speech. Links: Vladimír Špidla interview: https://visegradinsight.eu/if_not-for-the-european-union-central-europe-would-be-torn-between-germany-and-russia-interview/ Marek Suski: https://visegradinsight.eu/suski-affair-puts-a-lid-on-law-and-justice-election-campaign-quick-take/ Weekly Outlook - https://visegradinsight.eu/only-enlarged-eu-would-thwart-some-of-xi-jinpings-ambitions/

Wojciech Przybylski sits down with Maria Simeonova, programme coordinator the Wider Europe programme and ECFR's Sofia office, to discuss the potential impact of the new EU Strategic Agenda 2024-2029 as well as the new trajectories mentioned in the leaked version of the agenda which has additional focus on democratic security and enlargement. Links mentioned in the podcast: Cost of Non-enlargement report: https://visegradinsight.eu/costs-of-non-enlargement/ Europe Future Forum link: https://visegradinsight.eu/europe-future-forum-2024/ Outlook link: https://visegradinsight.eu/new-eu-strategic-agenda-to-sponsor-democratic-security-and-boost-enlargement/

Wojciech Przybylski moderates a discussion between Michaela Terenzani, SME's lead on the foreign news desk, and Eva Mihočková, Editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy SFPA and Marcin Król Fellow at Visegrad Insight, break down the results of Slovakia's presidential election where Peter Pellegrini won by tapping into the fears of the electorate and amplifying Moscow's disinformation narratives.

For a number of weeks, Viktor Orbán has been on the defensive, an unprecedented development in in the past 14 years. Who is Péter Magyar and why does he generate massive interest today? And is it bad or good news for the opposition? Wojciech Przybylski interviews Bálint Ruff, a political strategist and a host of Vétó show on Partizán YouTube channel Recommended reading: https://visegradinsight.eu/new-political-geometry-boosts-europes-defence/

Deputy Editor Adam Jasser talks to political scientist and Visegrad Insight Fellow Spasimir Domaradzki about the impact of the breakdown of Bulgaria's grand coalition in this special episode of our podcast.

Adam Jasser speaks with Paul Taylor, a freelance columnist for The Guardian and veteran Brussels think-tanker and journalist, about last week's EU summit. Key topics included the ongoing farmers' protests, as well as discussions on the prioritisation of defence matters on the agenda as leaders deliberated on how the EU could bolster its own industry while promptly extending aid to Ukraine.

Adam Jasser and Staś Kaleta discuss the context behind last week’s meeting between Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz and Donald Tusk, how their visions for Europe compare to Viktor Orbán’s plans to “occupy” Brussels, as well as Russia’s sham elections.

Wojciech Przybylski and Adam Jasser discuss President Duda and PM Tusk's US tour to celebrate 25 years of NATO enlargement. It is the first co-habitation trip, showing a sense of unity is possible even in the polarised Polish political environment, which can be inspirational for the domestic disagreements between Democrats and Republicans in Washington. This is all occurring as Poland starts to conceive having NATO nuclear deterrents on their soil. Read https://visegradinsight.eu/is-poland-mulling-its-own-nuclear-deterrent/

Wojciech Przybylski and Albin Sybera discuss the Slovak Constitutional Court's partial rejection of PM Fico's judicial overhaul as well as the meeting between the Slovak and Russian foreign ministers. Weekly Outlook - https://visegradinsight.eu/hungarys-forint-sinks-on-economic-gloom-and-orban-pressure-on-central-bank/

Wojciech Przybylski and Galan Dall delve into the V4 summit in Prague, the 2nd anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and critical topics: securing Kyiv's success and the impact of US policy divergences on their strategic interests. Weekly Outlook: https://visegradinsight.eu/long-delayed-v4-summit-in-prague-unlikely-to-end-disunity/ Editorial: https://visegradinsight.eu/ukrainians-your-fight-is-our-fight-we-are-mutually-indebted-editorial/

Wojciech Przybylski discusses with the former State Secretary on EU Affairs of Sweden, Lars Danielsson, how there can be a democratic and market-oriented, free liberal Europe without enlargement and how Poland's experiment with reversing illiberal state capture can be a paradigm for other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Weekly outlook link: https://visegradinsight.eu/navalnys-killing-shows-putin-senses-leeway-as-us-wavers-over-ukraine/

Wojciech Przybylski discusses with the former State Secretary on EU Affairs of Sweden, Lars Danielsson, how there can be a democratic and market-oriented, free liberal Europe without enlargement and how Poland's experiment with reversing illiberal state capture can be a paradigm for other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Weekly outlook link: https://visegradinsight.eu/navalnys-killing-shows-putin-senses-leeway-as-us-wavers-over-ukraine/

Managing Editor Galan Dall interviews Budapest-based political journalist and Visegrad Insight Fellow Iván László Nagy about the unfolding scandal which has pierced the Fidesz-regime's propaganda bubble and led to President Novak's resignation. For more information, follow this link: https://visegradinsight.eu/hungarian-president-katalin-novak-resigns-the-full-story-behind-the-pardon-scandal/

In a special episode of Visegrad Insight, Adam Jasser talks to Zsolt Darvas, a renowned economist from Breugel, about the prospects of eurozone membership for the leading economies in CEE.

In today's episode, Galan Dall and Adam Jasser discuss reasons behind Hungary's surprising defeat at the EU summit over Ukraine funding, as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán seems to have finally lost all allies over his pro-Russian stance. Visegrad Insight editors also look at the broader implications of revelations that a Latvian member of the European Parliament is accused of being a long-standing Russian intelligence asset.

Wojciech Przybylski and Galan Dall discuss the mounting pressure on Hungary from the West, the fiction of Orbán and Fico's illiberal "alliance", as well as the roadblocks in the US Congress preventing funding for Kyiv's defence. https://visegradinsight.eu/chaotic-hypocrisy/ https://visegradinsight.eu/hungarys-isolation-deepens-before-eu-council-on-ukraine-funding/

In today's podcast, Deputy Editor Adam Jasser talks to Professor Barbara Brodzińska-Mirowska, a leading Polish political scientist, about the rocky transition of power in Poland as the new government seeks to consolidate its power ahead of local and European elections in the spring.

Adam Jasser and Galan Dall discuss the backdrop behind last week's protests in Warsaw, how they compare against the growing grassroots demonstrations in Slovakia as well as what support Ukraine can expect from Europe in the coming weeks and months.

Adam Jasser and Galan Dall discuss what to expect from the EU Council President's resignation and how autocratic leaders share the same playbook in European and American democracies.

We discuss the outcomes of the historical EU summit, which decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. Hungarian leader Viktor Orban dropped his threat to block the decision, mainly because a change of government in Poland left him isolated in the EU. Check more info on future EU values agenda at our foresight project page: https://visegradinsight.eu/eu-values-foresight/