Euroscopic Podcast

Germany’s national rail company, Deutsche Bahn, is not known for the most reliable infrastructure — physical or digital. So we rolled the dice running an episode from a high-speed train to Munich. Come along for the ride! The European Union has bigger problems than delayed trains — and so does Germany. Just weeks ahead of European elections, politicians are coming under attack. We look at what’s behind these incidents — violence begets violence. Two interviews shed further light on the state of solidarity and cohesion in the European Union. First, literally: Greece-based journalist Konstantina Maltepioti has an in-depth report about EU cohesion policy and what enlarging the bloc might do to it. Martin then speaks to André Wilkens about how a tenuous political situation looks from the world of culture. Chinese leader Xi Jinping paid the EU a visit for the first time in years, so we have a wrap of that. Plus other stories causing a stir in, to, and from Europe. Stay with us for some other stories happening around the EU this week, plus an interview with Constance Sommerey and Darian Meacham from the University of Maastricht. They host the university’s podcast, “Woke as Science.” Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts: * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * EUObserver Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too! As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

William and Martin continue their criss-crossing of the European political order. With Martin in Vienna, among other places, he got a chance to talk to Luis Moreno Ocampo, a former prosecutor at the International Criminal Court. It’s a well-timed conversation, as speculation has emerged that the ICC could be preparing warrants for top Israeli and Hamas officials. William was over at the other international court in The Hague — the International Court of Justice, which issued its first ruling in Nicaragua’s case against Germany on allegations of violating the Genocide Convention due to support for Israel. Tl;dr: Germany is basically off the hook, though Nicaragua claims partial credit for pressuring Germany to resume UNRWA funding and easing off weapons deliveries. Before that, William was in Maastricht for an inside-the-bubble debate between eight of the European Union’s Commission President hopefuls. Or, better said: Seven Spitzenkandidaten and Ursula von der Leyen. The American-style stage performance was an opportunity for the lead candidates of EU parties to profile themselves ahead of elections in June in which European citizens do not directly vote for them. French President Emmanuel Macron and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also took to stages recently, promoting their worldviews and wishlist for Europe’s future. In different ways, neither may be all that convincing, leaving Martin and William to ask: Is this it? Stay with us for some other stories happening around the EU this week, plus an interview with Constance Sommerey and Darian Meacham from the University of Maastricht. They host the university’s podcast, “Woke as Science.” Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts: * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * EUObserver Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too! As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

What’s six months among friends? The United States Congress finally voted on more than $60 billion in fresh military aid for Ukraine, finding a way around campaign-year politicking that includes more than a few Russian-friendlier Republicans. That combined with the new billions from European Union should give Ukraine a boost on the battlefield. We shall see. Given how many Republicans — a majority, in fact — still voted against the bill, Ukraine and its supporters should only be breathing a partial sigh of relief. The next round of money needs might be after November elections, and who knows what American foreign policy will look like depending on the results. That leaves the EU stuck in the unpleasant position it has found itself, trying to lead a dance it was always meant to follow. Martin’s got some more information on the latest far-right shenanigans around the EU, including a high-level arrest on charges of spying for China. Xi Jinping, however, is no match for our fearless leader — EUobserver’s editor-in-chief Alejandro Tauber, who joins Euroscopic to talk about the site’s brand-new redesign and why it matters as an independent operation in an age of fragmented media. Plus, Lorenzo Buzzoni tells us about his reporting that has analyzed rural voting habits across the EU. The article he co-authored appeared recently on EUobserver. Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts: * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * EUObserver Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too! As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. Facts matter.ds This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

Politics and ideology aside, the U.S.-led multinational shoot-down of hundreds of Iranian projectiles coming at Israel last weekend was an impressive feat of military-industrial engineering. So that’s what trillions of dollars and hegemonic-driven regional cooperation buys you. Neat. Unless you’re Ukraine. Then you’re probably wondering — as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is — why no fire-in-the-skies love for me? Defending Ukrainian airspace from Russian air attack and Israel’s from Iran is not one-to-one, but the double standards are there nonetheless. They are all the more glaring given how Ukraine’s security directly affects wider Europe’s than Israel’s. With Martin fresh back from a work trip to Brussels, he brings us stories from the Belgian (and European-ish?) capital he is not ashamed to say he loves. And he may be in good company, as new polling suggests European citizens have a crush the supranational legislature they will soon be voting for again. Plus, Simon Van Dorpe from Follow the Money joins us to discuss his investigatory work into transparency and corruption. Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts: * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * EUObserver Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too! As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. Facts matter.ds This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

Not even sickness can keep Martin from the news. Thanks to his suffering, listeners get treated to his extra-savory radio voice. And there are many savory items to get through. William takes great pleasure in watching wonky soothsayers read the tea leaves of what it all means when electoral fortunes break one way or another. Last week it was Turkey; this week it was Poland. Then we turn to the state of education, especially around Africa — home to some of the world’s youngest populations and the most in need of resources. The European Union is a big player in that sort of development aid. We speak to Laura Frigenti, the CEO of one of the EU’s biggest partners on that front, about the importance of education not only for the individual and the immediate society, but for long-term security and stability around the world. The big story is, of course, Germany’s day in international court, facing allegations of aiding Israel’s genocide in Gaza — as Nicaragua (and not only) view it. Both sides at the ICJ in the Hague presented compelling evidence to support their respective cases: Nicaragua basically said that German officials know of violations of international law and yet have not changed course on its “reason of state” to support Israel; Germany says that’s nonsense — its support for Israel could in no way help commit genocide, if there even is one taking place at all. Nicaragua’s beef is misplaced, Germany’s lawyers repeatedly argued. William was there for both days of oral arguments and kept his followers up-to-date. Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts: * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * EUObserver Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too! As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. Facts matter.ds This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

Very little happens quickly in the European Union. How much Germany has to do with that may be more correlation than causation, though the parallel is strong. For a coalition government that came into power at the end of 2021 “daring more progress,” it has taken more than half its term to do what many similar countries have already done. Pot is, finally, more or less legal. Whatever the political, economic, and social repercussions now, it will be a relief to stop hearing about every step of the tortured legislative process that was required to pass a fairly mild reform. Germany must be smoking something, though, because a major state-backed bank thought it was a good idea to freeze the assets of an anti-Zionist Jewish peace organization. It’s a highly unusual move that sounds like a past Germany — and Sparkasse, the bank, has been rather tight-lipped as to why it did so. Theories abound, however, and the incident dovetails with the bigger silencing campaign the German state and its affiliated institutions have waged against Israel critics. The chair of Jewish Voice for Just Peace in the Middle East joins us to discuss the situation. Read EUobserver’s story here. Otherwise, there are local Turkish elections to discuss. And Bulgaria and Romania join the Schengen club. Mostly, anyway. Plus, what “Pfizergate” tells us about the European Commission and its leader, Ursula von der Leyen. Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts: * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * EUObserver Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too! As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. Facts matter.ds This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

Remember when loosely affiliated terror groups carrying out isolated, but deadly attacks in the name of religious fundamentalist ideology posed the gravest threat to European security? Weren’t those the good ol’ days. Now, following a brazen terror attack in Moscow, they’re back. And so is ISIS — at least in terms of getting talked about. This week’s Euroscopic takes some time to consider the political consequences of a terror threat that never really went away. Security hawks and law-and-order nationalists make good bedfellows, as matters of public safety and border/migration policy dovetail ahead of a European election year. But the most focus goes to Israel’s ongoing campaign in Gaza and the increasing international isolation it faces as a result. Amid recording this episode, the United Nations Security Council finally agreed enough on a resolution endorsing some sort of ceasefire. Just before it did, Palestine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Husam Zomlot, joined us to explain why he is hopeful despite the humanitarian catastrophe that is as avoidable as it is seemingly unending. Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts: * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * EUObserver Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too! In light of time and production constraints, there is no way we can unpack every claim and position made by our interview subjects in real time. To at least attempt to compensate for that, we would like to include more information here regarding some of Zomlot’s comments. In addition to the well-publicized UN report finding “reasonable grounds” for sexual violence committed by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack in Israel, the UN has also expressed grave concern for sexual and other unwarranted violence against civilians committed by Israeli troops in Gaza. While “genocide” is a disputed term currently at the center of legal proceedings, the International Court of Justice did agree, in its Jan. 26 ruling, that “at least some of the acts and omissions alleged by South Africa to have been committed by Israel in Gaza appear to be capable of falling within the provisions of the (Genocide) Convention.” In an updated news release, the ICJ added more “provisional measures,” including stronger calls for Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, avoid acts of genocide, and provide the court a report substantiating its efforts to those ends. A second case, which Nicaragua has brought against Germany alleging complicity in genocide, will be heard in early April. Mahmoud Abbas has been president of the Palestinian Authority since 2005. Elections were indefinitely postponed in 2021. A complex feedback loop of Israeli policy that represses Palestinian self-determination and Palestinian political ossification has created a crisis of democratic legitimacy. Polling suggests increasing public support for Hamas, including in the West Bank where it does not rule, less because of its brutal tactics and extremist ideology, and more as a release valve of popular anger. A deeper overview of Palestinian politics can be found here. The use of hospitals and other civilian infrastructure by Hamas is Israel’s justification for targeting these places. While Hamas presence among the civilian population is well documented, to what extent they have commandeered facilities like hospitals is a matter of dispute. As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

Countries don’t interfere in other countries’ domestic politics — officially, anyway — but it is hardly a secret that the European Union fears a Trump Comeback. The EU is firmly Team Biden. Well, except for maybe Hungary. That’s why it was interesting to watch the reaction to comments by Barack Obama — another Democratic president the EU has a huge crush on — when he came to Antwerp to participate in a tech conference. Among other things, he suggested that perhaps NATO’s European contingent needs to step up its defense game. A Trumpian talking point delivered with Obamaniac cool. The exchange makes for a good jumping off point for Martin and William to discuss the ins and outs and ups and downs of the transatlantic relationship: before, during, after, and — possibly — again with Donald J. Trump. It’s as bad as you think it is, but also not and also different. American global hegemony has been around for so long that it’s too big to fail — even if some would like it to. We’ve also got the latest on middling support for Ukraine, movement on action against Israel, and thoughts about an unsurprising victory for Vladimir Putin. Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts: * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * EUObserver Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too! As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. Facts matter.ds This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

It has been a busy week in European politics, and much of it has to do with the woman at the top and the executive office she runs. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen came back from Bucharest, the capital of Romania and site of her EPP’s congress, last week officially anointed the conservative’s pick for another go in the top job. But questions linger over how much support she really has. That’s an issue for von der Leyen the candidate. Von der Leyen the president has others. Her Commission keeps facing tough questions over repeated “cash for migration” deals. There’s also a cash-for-Orban trade that European Parliament is so suspicious of they might take the Commission to court over it in a precedent-setting case. Elena Sánchez Nicolás oversees coverage of these and other stories as EUobserver’s managing editor. She joins us to tell us what’s on her plate in an “ask the editor” segment we hope to make a regular feature of the pod. Then, history professor and Ukraine/Russia guy Michael Kimmage calls in from Washington, D.C. with his helpful insights into the war in Ukraine — how we got here and where it might be going. He has a forthcoming book on that very subject. Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts: * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * EUObserver Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too! Notes: * In case you haven’t heard it already, here’s more on the Oscars acceptance speech we play a clip of. * Editorial change: William, not Martin, edited this episode. As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. Facts matter.ds This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

What does an MEP and a U.S. Army general (ret.) have in common? (Besides this podcast.) Both are looking to 2024 and asking, in his own way, what do we as a society want? Damian Boeselager, the pan-EU Volt party’s only representative in Brussels, explains the baked-in disconnect between how the European Union works and why it gets so little credit for doing anything. Even as pro-EU national governments make the case for the importance of the bloc, they then often like to steal its thunder. One thing the EU does appear to be intent on is adding a defense feather to the regulatory, economic, and fiscal feathers already in its cap. An EU army may be a long way off (if it ever comes), but weapon production and procurement seem like goals most can get behind. Getting there will require a new way that the EU looks at itself — not to be mention a lot of money for a new bucket of policy initiatives. All good, as long as it doesn’t cannibalize NATO, says Lt. Gen. (ret.) Ben Hodges. The former commander of U.S. Army Europe wants the West to get real about Ukraine: Set a goal, make a plan, and get there. Ignore the nuclear noise. Winning in Ukraine, however, might be tough when one of its biggest backers can’t keep its phone lines secure. We tried — really! — not to talk about Germany this week, but Germany wouldn’t let us. So we run through the Taurus and eavesdropping affair(s) as speedily as possible. Plus, France makes history that American Democrats could only balk at. Poland and Brussels bury the €137 billion axe over rule of law — provisionally, of course. Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts: * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * EUObserver Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too! The music clip that you surely know and love is here in full. As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. Facts matter.ds This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

French authorities seem pretty convinced that Russia was looking to exploit the country’s political sensitivity towards all-things antisemitism. Meanwhile, Germany seems confused about what antisemitism even is. At national and European levels, domestic politics appear to be coming under pressure from a number of angles, and the farmers are — literally — at the gates. Thankfully, the view from above is harmonious once again — and it only took 649 days to get there. Hungary at last approved Sweden’s entry into NATO, just in time for French President Emmanuel Macron to open the door to some kind of European troop presence in Ukraine. Välkommen till klubben! For the Russian take, we speak to Mikhail Komin, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and EUobserver contributor. Later in the episode, we head out to the cool-kid streets of Berlin’s Neukölln district, where the people who brought you DiEM25 are gathering signatures to get on the ballot for June’s European elections. We talk to the aspiring party’s would-be Spitzenkandidat (lead candidate), Karin de Rigo, about what’s happened to the left and why she thinks her party can do better. Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts: * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * EUObserver Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. We’d love to see you over there, too! PS: The clip of music used is by Dinos Bouzanis et al., performed live at Cafe Karanfil in Neukölln. Correction #1: Due to a note-reading error while recording, we mistakenly called Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra instead the name of the area he comes from — Masafer Yatta. We apologize for the hasty oversight. Correction #2: Due to conflicting definitions of “party” and “movement,” it is important to distinguish the difference between MERA25 and DiEM25. The best way to do that is to let the groups speak for themselves, which are linked to above. Clarification: The interview with Mikhail was recorded Monday, Feb. 26. We spoke to Karin on Tuesday, Feb. 27. Events and details may have changed between recording on Wednesday, Feb. 28, and when you listen to the episode. As a tiny operation, we do our best to spellcheck, factcheck, and contextualize all the information presented in the podcast. But pobody’s nerfect. If you hear something that doesn’t sound right — write! We welcome your feedback. Facts matter. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

The Munich Security Conference celebrated its diamond jubilee last weekend. A who’s who of global security and foreign affairs elite gathered for three days of panels, receptions, and sideline talks that shape larger events as much as they reveal something about them. Ian Bremmer, founder of the Eurasia Group, was one of the many insiders to take part in the MSC. He joins us to offer a few of his takeaways of a security conference happening in increasingly insecure times. News of the death of Alexei Navalny set the mood for the conference. While expressions of condolences came easily, the harder task will be what policymakers mean when they say they will hold Russia “accountable.” Anton Shekhovtsov, an EUobserver contributor, shares his thoughts on Russia after Navalny. We’ve also got a wrap of some of the major headlines to happen this week, including an EU contribution to a Red Sea naval operation, increasing impatience with Israel, and the latest in the march towards European parliament elections. Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this venture with our partner, EUobserver. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and get us where your ears go for podcasts: * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * EUObserver Among other things, Martin Gak writes Inconclusive Thoughts; and William Glucroft writes The ‘Schland. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

“Strategic autonomy” is the buzzword that seems will neither go away nor come to fruition. The European Union has ample reason to get its security ducks in a row, and didn’t need former and maybe future President Donald Trump for a reminder. But there’s no stopping Trump. His latest loudmouth remarks on NATO members not pulling their weight has the transatlantic alliance once again in damage-control mode. For what that and other foreign policy fires mean for the EU, we chat with EUObserver’s Andrew Rettman. He also gives us a rundown on the race for the bloc’s top jobs that will be up for grabs come parliamentary elections in June. You can read his latest about that here. When it comes to Trump, of course, it’s often less about what he says than how he says it. His views on foreigners and immigrants are well known, but it’s not like the EU’s are much more enlightened. We touch on the latest migration deal with a third country and a few other issues percolating this week. Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this new venture. We welcome your feedback, so be in touch! You can subscribe here and listen on a platform of your choice: * Apple Podcasts * Spotify * EUObserver Get more of and William’s . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

It’s been a busy few months since our last episode — in more ways than one. A lot has happened in the world, in Europe, and to our little podcast. After much behind-the-scenes work, we are pleased to relaunch our weekly roundup of news around and affecting Europe — this time with friends in high places. Euroscopic is partnering with the Brussels-based, nonprofit news platform EUobserver, which has been reporting on European issues for more than two decades. It’s a perfect match at a perfect time. In addition to helping with distribution and promotion, EUO offers a wealth of human expertise that promises great interviews and insightful commentary for our episodes. In this episode, EUO reporter Nikolaj Nielsen joins us from Brussels. He tells us a bit about his recent reporting trip to war-ravaged eastern Ukraine. He was there just as EU pols were pushing hard to get €50 billion in Ukraine aid past Hungarian obstinance. We connect the two stories, and touch on a few other simmering issues. Listen in and stay tuned as we further develop this new venture. We’re excited to be here and hope you are, too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

Here we are. Again. Only this time it’s worse because the next time is always worse. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

Russia can keep hammering away at Ukraine for as long as Vladimir Putin wants to. Unfortunately for Ukraine, its defense relies on pesky democratic consensus, which is far less predictable than authoritarian whim. Listen above, get it on your favorite podcast platform, or watch the full episode on YouTube: Check out the menu for this episode — and do subscribe to our YouTube channel! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

If there are three issues the European Union seems unable to solve, but loves to debate, it’s migration, borders, and enlargement. All three have come together this week, and will push us into next. Check out the menu for this episode — and do subscribe to our YouTube channel! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

For our tenth episode, we are trying something new: LIVE. Euroscopic streamed live to YouTube on Saturday, Sept. 23. If you missed it, have a listen (or watch) back here. Check out the menu for this episode — and do subscribe to our YouTube channel! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

Germany interrupts your brunch to bring you this important emergency message. But don’t worry — it’s just a test. Not a test: earthquakes in Morocco, floods in Libya, and the EU’s responsibility regarding both. Meanwhile, Martin walks us through what’s at stake with the race to lead the European Investment Bank, while William wonders why anyone should care about the State of the Union address that happened this week. (Spoiler: You don’t really, but it does tell us a thing or two about European elections coming up in the spring.) Plus, a couple other stories that made headlines this week, the biggest impacts from which are well down the line. Read the full menu here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com

Clearly someone needed to make a lot of caponata in Spain, because $500,000 worth of olive oil got stolen. That’s a headache for the world’s largest producer of olive oil, but not as bad as getting listed as a terrorist organization, which the United Kingdom is poised to do for Wagner. Ukraine is also shaking things up militarily. The main dish: Yet more examples trickling in of how the center-right is looking increasingly like the far-right. Does it matter? Martin and William bring you these and other stories from around Europe. Read the full menu here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit euroscopic.substack.com