FEPS Talks

In this episode of FEPS Talks, Josep Borrell Fontelles (former EU HRVP, former European Parliament president, former foreign minister of Spain and former chair of the FEPS Scientific Council) shares his opinion about the current challenges which the global disruption pose for the European Union. He explains why it is so hard to forge a stronger, more effective common foreign policy, especially in times of war and the transition towards multipolarity. Josep Borrell advocates a closer coordination of defence policy within the EU, but highlights the risk of losing some of the soft power of the EU on the way. Europe can and must champion multilateralism and international law, in all contexts and geographic regions. He believes that progressive politicians and experts can learn from the Spanish example, and specifically the courageous and principled leadership of Pedro Sánchez. 📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcast

🎧 In the spirit of #IWD2026, listen to the latest episode of FEPS Talks focusing on #FeministForeignPolicy with Lina Gálvez, FEPS Vice-President and MEP and Toni Haastrup, Chair in Global Politics, School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester. 🌎 ♀️ As debates around multilateralism intensify and the global order shifts, rules we thought were here to stay are suddenly under threat. #FeministForeignPolicy can open a pathway to embed gender-responsive, justice-oriented thinking and an accountability framework into international relations, and to rethink what security, cooperation, and power should look like. In this conversation, Lina Gálvez, FEPS Vice-President and Chair of FEPS Scientific Council; S&D MEP and Chair of Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, and Toni Haastrup, Professor and Chair in Global Politics, School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester, discuss #FeministForeignPolicy in depth. The podcast recording is part of the initiative by FEPS in collaboration with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung on the Feminist Foreign Policy Progressive Voices Collective (FFPPVC). The Collective questions traditional approaches to foreign policy to enable an alternative account of foreign relations from the standpoint of the most disadvantaged. The work of the Collective provides insights into what might be the most challenging questions regarding feminist foreign policy today. The Collective is co-chaired by Ann Linde, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden and Machris Cabreros, Co-Chair of the network and Coordinator at Progressive Alliance. Foreign affairs is still designed with masculine power at its core, and feminists, especially women and the LGBTQIA+ community, continue to be underrepresented in this area - despite evidence proving a positive effect of diverse negotiation teams. They also warn about the growing anti-gender backlash and the political efforts to weaken democracy by targeting feminist movements. At a time of shrinking aid and increasing geopolitical competition, they stress the need for global #FeministSolidarity and renewed commitment to equality and human security.

🎧 Listen to the latest episode of FEPS Talks with FEPS President Nicolas Schmit! 🇪🇺 🇱🇺 Nicolas Schmit was the lead candidate of the European socialists at the 2024 elections for the European Parliament. As a former Minister in Luxembourg and EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, he has now returned as FEPS president to lead the progressive think tank and contribute to a social democratic reconstruction. ❗ In this conversation with FEPS Secretary-General László Andor, he points to the rise of the far-right which, aggravated by the transatlantic rupture, represents a great danger to Europe’s social models and democratic standards. For inspiration, he looks at the recent interventions of Canadian PM Mark Carney (on international order) and the election of Zohran Mamdani (regarding the importance of affordability and working conditions), and highlights the example of Spain under Pedro Sánchez, whose policies and political strategy offer good lessons and a timely orientation for our movement in Europe and globally.

In a year marked by political backsliding and a return to outdated economic thinking, FEPS is proud to name Mariana Mazzucato as its Progressive Person of the Year. Through books such as The Entrepreneurial State and The Big Con, Mariana Mazzucato has contributed to key debates on the role of the state and public purpose in the economy. In this special edition of FEPS Talks Podcast, renowned economist and author Mariana Mazzucato joins László Andor for a wide-ranging conversation on why economics is never neutral, and why the real challenge today is not fixing markets, but actively shaping them. From parasitic public-private partnerships to the limits of competitiveness, from the EU’s Green Deal and the Draghi report to state capacity, mission-driven industrial policy and dignity, Mazzucato challenges orthodox thinking and calls for a new political economy that serves people and planet. This interview is also part of the 2026 edition of the Progressive Yearbook edited by FEPS and launched during FEPS’ traditional New Year Reception at our Headquarters in Brussels.

Europe is facing a growing mental health crisis. From digital overload to workplace burnout and addiction, too many people are struggling to stay healthy in systems that make them ill. In this episode of FEPS Talks, François Balate, FEPS Policy Analyst on Social Affairs, sits down with three leading experts: Sara Bojarczuk (University of Warsaw), Aida Bikic (University of Southern Denmark) and Jana Michailidu (University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague), co-authors of the FEPS Policy Brief "Healthy Minds, Stronger Europe"

🇮🇪 Delivery Matters More Than Promises In this episode of the Progressive Pollsters FEPS Talks series, Kevin Cunningham, MD and founder of Ireland Thinks, joins Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Director for Research and Training, to reflect on the evolving dynamics of Irish politics — from shifting trust in institutions to the lessons progressives can draw from Ireland’s distinctive landscape. 🗳️ Cunningham explains how delivery, rather than rhetoric, shaped voter confidence during the cost-of-living crisis — and why Ireland’s absence of a strong radical right sets it apart. Yet, he also highlights the warning signs: growing frustration among younger voters, deep divides in housing and migration debates, and a widening gender gap — with young women more focused on Gaza and social justice, and young men increasingly concerned about immigration. 🌹 In the run-up to PES Congress in Amsterdam Progressive Mobilisation, the Next Left Progressive Pollsters series highlights the ongoing work of the FEPS-Karl-Renner-Institut's Progressive Pollsters network, which brings together leading pollsters and political analysts to discuss and reflect on key political and social trends shaping Europe’s destiny, especially following the European elections in 2024. 📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcast

Why are so many Europeans angry at politics today? Listen to the latest episode in the Progressive Pollsters FEPS Talks series with Bruno Jeanbart, Vice President of OpinionWay! From frustration with “broken” political systems to fears around identity and immigration, we look at why dissatisfaction dominates — and what that means for progressive movements. Are people really losing hope? Or can social democrats reconnect by addressing the basics: education, housing, welfare? 🌹 In the run-up to PES Congress in Amsterdam Progressive Mobilisation, the Next Left Progressive Pollsters series highlights the ongoing work of the FEPS-Karl-Renner-Institut's Progressive Pollsters network, which brings together leading pollsters and political analysts to discuss and reflect on key political and social trends shaping Europe’s destiny, especially following the European elections in 2024. 📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcast

Prof. Stephen Bronner has been leading an international network of scholars and experts to study dialogue and diplomacy in the world, with a particular focus on peace negotiations, in theory as well as practice. In this interview he presents his views on the Russo-Ukrainian war, but also on Israel and Palestine. He offers his assessment of the impact of the Alaska summit on the diplomacy surrounding the war in Ukraine, and elaborates on some concrete steps that could be made to bring the positions of the two sides closer to each other. He also connects the concept of peace with culture, encouraging the prevention of conflict to remain on the agenda, also as part of European foreign policy. One conclusion of the conversation is that the complexity of the maximum plan, for example, in the case of Palestine, should not be used as an excuse for not doing the absolute minimum to ensure the safety and security of the civilian population.

Discover the new podcast series "Progressive Pollsters". The second episode with Kaisa Vatanen focusing on the electoral prospects of European social democracy! 📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcast Over the course of four episodes, FEPS Director of Research and Training Ania Skrzypek, delves into topics including elections, populism, cost-of-living, housing, and more, with: ➡️ Marcin Duma, CEO of IBRIS, Poland ➡️ Kaisa Vatanen, Chief Officer, Datapraxis. ➡️ Bruno Jeanbart, Vice President, Opinion Way, France ➡️ Kevin Cunningham, MD and founder, Ireland Thinks All speakers are part of the Progressive Pollsters network, which brings together leading pollsters and political analysts to discuss and reflect on key political and social trends shaping Europe’s destiny, especially following the European elections in 2024.

Prof. James K. Galbraith shares his views about the dramatic changes in US politics and policy which we experienced in the past year. Europeans are still struggling to understand what produced Donald Trump and how consequential his second term in the White House can be. In the conversation with FEPS Secretary General László Andor, he explores both internal and external factors driving the political changes of our time, which also are reshaping transatlantic relations. Is Trump a conservative who is nostalgic for the 1950s or the 1920s? Or he is responding, in his own way, to contemporary challenges which Europeans are also facing? Can the US go backwards, or at some point it will be going forward again? And what the European response needs to be, especially what concerns strategic (monetary) autonomy. At the end of the conversation, he recommends to our listeners one book written by his father, John Kenneth Galbraith, and a recent one from himself too. James Kenneth Galbraith is an American economist. He is a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and at the Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin.

Discover the new podcast series "Progressive Pollsters". The first episode with Marcin Duma focusing on the far right is already available! 📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcast Over the course of four episodes, FEPS Director of Research and Training Ania Skrzypek, delves into topics including elections, populism, cost-of-living, housing, and more, with: ➡️ Marcin Duma, CEO of IBRIS, Poland ➡️ Kaisa Vatanen, Chief Officer, Datapraxis. ➡️ Bruno Jeanbart, Vice President, Opinion Way, France ➡️ Kevin Cunningham, MD and founder, Ireland Thinks All speakers are part of the Progressive Pollsters network, which brings together leading pollsters and political analysts to discuss and reflect on key political and social trends shaping Europe’s destiny, especially following the European elections in 2024.

We are often told that inflation “happens”, as if it is an unstoppable natural phenomenon. However, a new FEPS study shows that the inflation we experienced in 2021-2023 was largely caused by profiteering and speculation. 📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcast In this FEPS Talks episode, Ainara Bascuñana, FEPS Head of Communication discuss with the authors of 'The profit-price spiral in food and energy' Ben Tippet, Lecturer at King’s College London and Anna Kolesnichenko, FEPS Economic Policy Analyst. The discussion exposes the monopolistic structures within the food and energy sectors, where a handful of companies control global supply chains and manipulate prices. There is nothing unavoidable about this kind inflation, and it can and should be stopped. * There is a mistake in minute 00:14:06: It's not 20% but 2%*

In this episode of FEPS Talks, Secretary General László Andor talks with the former prime minister of Greece, George Papandreou, who in recent years has been focusing on questions of democracy in the Council of Europe. The main concern today is democratic backsliding, and in 2025 the United States is also among countries where we can observe such dramatic. According to Papandreou, the democratic questions are organically connected with the social ones, and the European Union itself also must address democratic deficits, especially what concerns economic governance. Looking back to the ancient Greek democratic legacy, Papandreou explores opportunities of direct democracy and recalls recent experiments with such methods. He also elaborates on the new horizons which digitalisation and artificial intelligence have opened up for democratic participation and governance.

📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcast 🇵🇸 “What about the 6th of October? What about the 5th? There was already occupation, siege, and no future.” As the war on Gaza continues, and while much of the international community remains inactive, Palestinians face mass displacement, starvation, and the systematic destruction of civilian life—from homes and schools to hospitals and water systems. In this FEPS Talks episode, we speak with Omar Shaban, economist, political analyst, and founder of the Gaza-based think tank PalThink for Strategic Studies, for a powerful and personal testimony on life under siege—and the broader political dynamics shaping the conflict. “20,000 orphans. 86,000 amputated children. What future are we giving them?” Omar exposes the human cost of the war, challenges Western media narratives, and reminds us that this is not just about Gaza. The illegal colonisation of the West Bank and the deliberate obstruction of Palestinian statehood are part of the same brutal reality. He also stresses that what is happening in Gaza has been described by credible international organisations as genocide. Despite unimaginable loss, Omar calls for a political future grounded in peace and justice: “Two-state solution, in a different modality, is still possible. Give PEACE a chance”

“We are discussing rearming, but Europe is a peace project and housing should be the first pillar”. In this episode of FEPS Talks, the Mayor of Athens Haris Doukas speaks with FEPS Policy Analyst François Balate on the housing crisis Europe is facing. Athens is one of the 15 European cities behind the "Mayors for Housing" Alliance, which is in Brussels this week to demand swift action from the EU on housing. On the ground, in cities like Athens, Barcelona and Rome, progressive mayors are already putting in place measures to make housing more accessible to their citizens. However, they cannot do it alone - they are calling for immediate, concrete actions and resources at the European level.

📺🔊 Available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcast Rethinking Security through Nuclear Disarmament with Florian Eblenkamp In this climate of militarisation and declining support for international law, some European countries are considering nuclear weapons a legitimate defence strategy, with calls even emerging for the development of a European nuclear programme. We interview Florian Eblenkamp, Advocacy Officer at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)—the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning organisation—to discuss the differing positions of European countries, NATO, and the broader international debate on nuclear disarmament. He demystifies the alleged military and deterrent effect of nuclear arms. Nuclear deterrence is based on the underlying threat of catastrophic mass destruction as a central part of policy, making it not only an ineffective strategy, but also a morally indefensible one. Florian challenges the perceived dichotomy between disarmament and safety, insisting that the two can—and must—reinforce one another in any just and sustainable global order.

🔊📺 Available on Youtube, Spotify and Apple Podcast Michelle O’Sullivan, Associate Professor at the University of Limerick, and member of FEPS Scientific Council, offers an assessment of recent developments in working conditions and industrial relations, including the successful crisis response to the Covid-19 pandemic. There are certainly fears that after a period of progress, Europe might be going backwards today, driven by the general intention to boost economic competitiveness. Her country, Ireland definitely suffered a setback 15 years ago, at the time of the great financial crisis, and the consequences are still felt. When it comes to contemporary employment reforms, according to Prof. O’Sullivan, one of the most interesting countries is the United Kingdom, where the government put forward important measures to improve labour relations, which deserve attention and support. The conversation ends with outlining some new ideas, like the 4-day work week, which is among the ideas that became subject of experiments and potentially can contribute to improve working conditions in Europe in the coming years.

Peace keeping expert Prof. John Karlsrud (head of the international NAVIGATOR research project) comments on the current European discussion regarding the creation and maintanence of peace in Ukraine. He puts forward concrete ideas regarding the composition of peace keeping forces in Ukraine, and clarifies why the United Nations could not have been more instrumental during the last 3 years of war. Prof. Karlsrud is strongly in favour of EU enlargement, including to foster peace in the Western Balkans, and finally he also comments on the broader European institutional architecture, highlighting the significance of old organisations like the OSCE and new ones like the EPC.

🔊📺 Available on Youtube, Spotify and Apple Podcast Now that the transatlantic alliance has come under pressure with actions and statements of the Trump administration, it becomes ever more urgent to address the issue of the EU’s reliance on US tech for its essential digital infrastructure. 80% of our technology is provided by foreign actors. That is why in this episode of FEPS Talks our guest Cecilia Rikap, Head of Research of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP), is interviewed by digital policy analyst Gerard Rinse Oosterwijk on her report - Reclaiming digital sovereignty: A roadmap to build a digital stack for people and the planet. What does it mean for Europe if tech oligarchs own the platforms that are the digital infrastructure that provides citizens with information? But more importantly, how do we get out of this situation and start building our capacity? We look at what a European tech stack in line with our values, the aims of the green transition and our rules for digital services and markets would look like. That is the only way to loosen the grip of the Big Tech companies, our society, and provide for the digital infrastructure needed to provide public services like education and health care in the 21st century. If you want to read more about how Europe can create its own digital model, you can read the Policy Study by FEPS and FES: Time to build a European digital ecosystem.

📺🔊 Available on Youtube Spotify and Apple Podcast As International Women’s Day 2025 approaches, feminist movements face mounting threats from rising authoritarianism and Big Tech’s growing role in shaping public discourse. In this episode, Laeticia Thissen (Senior Policy Analyst on Gender Equality, FEPS) speaks with Asha Allen (Director and Secretary General, Center for Democracy & Technology Europe) about the increasing censorship of feminist and LGBTQ+ advocacy by platforms like Meta and X, the rollback of diversity and inclusion commitments by major tech companies, and the growing wave of online gender-based violence. They explore the role of the EU Digital Services Act, the Directive on Violence Against Women and existing intersectionality methodologies for policy assessments, exploring how these measures can effectively curb disinformation, algorithmic bias, and platform-driven suppression. With Trump 2.0 emboldening anti-gender movements and far-right forces gaining ground, what can activists and policymakers do to resist digital suppression and protect equality? Tune in for a crucial conversation on the fight for feminist digital justice.

📺🔊 Available on Youtube Spotify and Apple Podcast In the latest episode, Vita Shnaider, a Ukrainian anthropologist and a researcher of housing policy, joins us to discuss how the country’s housing sector has been reshaped by a decade-long war and Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 in particular. We dive into the policies affecting displaced populations, examine the gaps in long-term housing solutions, and explore progressive strategies to rebuild a more equitable system. From rent regulation to social housing, we dive into the challenges and opportunities for Ukraine’s current war effort and its post-war recovery.

🔊 Available on Spotify and Apple Podcast How can Europe achieve a unified industrial strategy that balances competitiveness with social and regional cohesion? In this episode, FEPS welcomes Lukas Bertram, economist at the ZOE Institute for Future-Fit Economies, to delve into the findings of the recent policy study "A Unified Industrial Strategy for the EU." Together with FEPS Director of Studies and Policy David Rinaldi, Lukas explores what it means to be strategic in fostering industrial renewal and the pivotal role of the public sector. The podcast clarifies the interlinkages between concepts like industrial policy and strategic autonomy, while addressing risks to territorial cohesion in Europe’s competitiveness agenda. Lukas also shares insights on aligning EU and local policymaking for effective reindustrialization and offers a forward-looking perspective on creating an economy fit for the future. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion that connects policy, strategy, and social values.

British economist and Professor Jonathan Portes (King’s College, London) explores how UK—EU relations have developed since the entry of the Labour government in July 2024. He explains that while regret among many is felt in Britain, not a single step of reintegration would be easy in the foreseeable future. There has been talk about some "low hanging fruits” (e.g. student mobility), but this also would require some political courage and concentration. Nevertheless, the EU and the UK share some serious concerns like economic competiveness, on which they could work together. While the UK historically assumed to have a special relationship with the US, now it also is a target for the new trade wars promised by Trump. This might become another factor pushing the EU and UK together into a common effort to uphold multilateralism and a relatively open international trade system.

🔊📺 Available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts In this episode of FEPS Talks, Anne Van Lancker (President of SOLIDAR and former MEP from Belgium) speaks about the evolving social agenda of the EU. Civil society organisations united in SOLIDAR consider the European Pillar of Social Rights as a game changer and an inspiration for social policy action in the EU with further potential to generate improvements. Behind us is a “Golden Age” of social policy initiatives at EU level but now there is a lot to do for implementation. Furthermore, since recently a poverty reduction target was set, an upcoming anti-poverty strategy from the European Commission will be a vital tool. Declaring housing to be a European concern is also appreciated, and social NGOs are ready to contribute to a common effort to learn from good practice and develop an effective EU policy in this area. Such developments prove that EU social policy has evolved well beyond what Jacaques Delors outlined three decades ago, but perhaps even more is needed, especially for a better coordination of economic and social policies, not least to ensure that there would be no return to austerity but an investment orientation is pursued instead.

🔊📺 Available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts In this episode of FEPS Talk, Policy Analyst Matteo Dressler sits down with Dr. Gefjon Off to unpack emerging differences in the political attitudes and voting patterns of young men and women. Drawing on Gefjon’s own research and insights from a rapidly evolving field, we explore whether young women are truly growing more progressive while young men gravitate to the right—and, if so, what these shifts mean for progressive policymakers as they chart a path forward.

🔊📺 Available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts In this episode of FEPS Talks, we sit down with Professor Eugenia Caracciolo di Torella to explore the transformative role of care in advancing gender equality. Drawing from her chapter in this new book initiated by FEPS and Fondation Jean Jaurès, "A New Gender Equality Contract for Europe," Eugenia sheds light on the challenges and opportunities of integrating care as a cornerstone of progressive policies. From the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic to the potential of the EU Care Strategy, this conversation highlights why care is central to building an equitable and sustainable future for Europe.

🔊📺 Available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts With just days until the US presidential election and the COP29 climate conference, the global response to climate change hangs in the balance. Rocked by pandemic, war and a cost-of-living crisis, the commitment of countries and citizens to ambitious climate policy is being tested as never before. But the climate crisis has not gone away. In this episode, Stephen Minas, author of the FEPS Primer ‘Climate Progress in the EU and the World’, and Thomas Fröhlich, FEPS Policy Analyst on Climate, discuss international climate politics, what actually happens at COP and what to expect from COP29. They also consider the unique capacity of progressives to shape a climate politics of ambition, justice and solidarity, including through delivering a ‘just transition’. The need for better communication of climate policy, the opportunities of climate action and reasons for hope amid crisis are also discussed. 📗 https://bit.ly/ClimateProgressEU

🔊 Available on Spotify and Apple Podcast https://bit.ly/FEPSTalks157 In this episode of our podcast FEPS Talks, Gerard Rinse Oosterwijk, FEPS policy analyst on digital, interviews Ivana Bartoletti. She is the Global Chief Privacy & AI Governance Officer of Wipro and an executive Fellow at Pamplin Business School, Virginia Tech, and author of FEPS Primer Series book on 'A Digital Union based on European Values'. Ivana Bartoletti's work offers insight into how digital policy has been made at the EU level, the main tools used, the most important actors and the path forward. In the podcast, we discussed the evolution of the digital ecosystem from the internet to decentralisation to comprehend the changes that foundational models bring into our world. The aim is to understand the full range of activities undertaken by the EU, in its ambition to achieve technological sovereignty. 📘 https://bit.ly/DigitalEUValues

🔊📺 Available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts In this episode of FEPS Talks, host Matteo Dressler, our Policy Analyst for democracy and participation, sits down with Sabrina Repp, the youngest member of the European Parliament representing the S&D Group. With a background in activism for Germany's Young Socialists (JUSOS), Sabrina brings a fresh and youthful perspective to European politics. The conversation touches on her experience as a young MEP, as well as the recent elections in Eastern Germany, where the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) made significant gains. Sabrina provides insight into the political climate in her home region and reflects on what these results could mean for the broader European political landscape. Together, they discuss the role of young voters, the rise of radical right parties, and how Social Democrats can better connect with younger generations. Sabrina also shares her thoughts on how the European Parliament can address the issues fueling the far-right's success, especially through her work on youth- and regional policies. Tune in to hear Sabrina's firsthand experiences and her vision for a more engaged, democratic future.

🔊📺 Available on Spotify, Youtube and Apple Podcast FEPS Head of Communications Ainara Bascuñana interviews Ottilia Maunganidze, lawyer and Head of Special Projects in the office of the Executive Director at the Institute of Security Studies, based in South Africa, and member of the Progressive Migration Group. Following the Progressive Migration Group Conference on September 10, Ottilia discusses the New Pact on Migration and Asylum from the viewpoint of African countries and the pressing need to abandon the current stagnant and toxic narratives on migration that portray migration as a threat when it is a major driver of development and prosperity. Over the course of two years, the Progressive #Migration Group - equally composed of EU and African experts - produced a series of policy proposals on a human-rights and development approach to #Migration and asylum and recommendations on adopting a new narrative. Find out more about the work of the Progressive Migration Group https://bit.ly/ProgressiveMigrationGroup

Matthias Kollatz has been working on public finance in various positions: as Vice-President of the EIB in Luxembourg but then as Financial Senator of Berlin. Here he shares his views about what changes the great financial crisis of 2008-9 brought about, and how important it has been in a post-crisis model to elevate promotional banks into a more central role. He acknowledges some important steps of this financial transition, like the Juncker Plan that was launched in 2014. However, he believes that the German debt break (Schuldenbremse) is a product of a time when the investment needs of the economy were underestimated, and in particular there was no proper estimation of the financial implications of the Green Deal. In order to deliver enough and the right type of climate investment, the EU and its member states need to upgrade their public and promotional banking capacity, but also reform their fiscal rules. Through similar innovations, adequate financing of social needs like housing could also be within reach. It is not the green and social ambitions that should be lowered but the common investment capacities of Europe that need to be upgraded.

🔊 Available on Spotify and Apple Podcast Professor Iain Begg (European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science) shares his views about two reports which have become key talking points in 2024 in EU circles: one written by Enrico Letta and another one authored by Mario Draghi. Though reports often fade away after they are published, the EU is bound to discuss the internal market as well as competitiveness to develop a coherent economic policy for the coming cycle. According to Prof. Begg, a thorough analysis of the EU's finances (not just the conventional budget, but the wider 'galaxy' of off-budget mechanisms) would be justified. A fresh approach, including establishing an EU level financial framework and a sharper focus on EU public goods is needed. A new progressive reform should build on the legacy of the Juncker Plan (2014) but also the Next Generation EU (2020) which may inspire common solutions in support of our climate but also defence policies. In 2025, the European Commission needs to present its proposals for a new Multiannual Financial Framework. Now is the time to launch wide-ranging debates –without taboos— on key elements of the EU budget: cohesion as well as agricultural policy, but also new expenditure programmes. Reforms to these major policy fields will be necessary given the broader interest in EU enlargement which, at least from a budgetary perspective, should not be as tricky as one might believe.

🔊📺 Available on Spotify, Youtube and Apple Podcast In this episode of FEPS Talks we welcome Sergei Stanishev, who is leaving the European Parliament after ten years. He summarises his insights gathered as a MEP, but also as the President of the Party of European Socialists, a position he held between 2011 and 2022. He assesses the EP election outcome from a socialist perspective, and reflects on the evolution of EU social democratic politics over the recent decades. The conversation reaches out to topics including the Green Deal, migration, as well as the prospects of creating peace in Eastern Europe again. Stanishev concludes the podcast by outlining political tasks and strategic priorities for the upcoming period. Stanishev reminds the listeners that originally, social democracy faced the rise of industial capitalism, which had to be reformed. Today, the mission is to tame the formidable technological and economic trasformations, and put them in the service of the people.

This podcast was recorded just a few hours after the polling stations across the EU closed. It features Matthias Ecke, a returning Member of the European Parliament from SPD in Germany. Together with him, Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Director for Research and Training, dives into the campaign's evaluation, analyses the outcomes and considers successful progressive strategies for the future. Jointly, they search for answers on how to halt the march of the right-wing radicals further and safeguard politics from aggression, but even more so, how to bring the attention of the citizens back to the key progressive proposals.

🔊📺 Available on Spotify, Youtube and Apple Podcast This episode of FEPS Talks features Joanna Maycock, an award-winning feminist campaigner and co-author of the policy study “Women Civil Society Organisation Leaders for systemic change.” Interviewed by Ainara Bascuñana, Head of Communications at FEPS, Joanna analyses how transformational feminist leadership is the key to addressing society's increasingly complex challenges and to a paradigm shift towards more sustainable, caring and inclusive societies. They also delve into the study's findings, bringing to the forefront the data and remaining barriers female CSO leaders face in the workplace. The episode concludes with recommendations on how to change the work culture and support feminist leadership in Europe. Read “Women CSO leaders for systemic change” 📕 https://bit.ly/WomenCSOLeadersForChange

🔊📺 Available on Spotify, Youtube and Apple Podcast In this episode of FEPS Talks, MEP Agnes Jongerious, Head of the Dutch Delegation to the S&D Group, for which she’s also coordinator in the EMPL committee, looks back at the activities of this legislature to take stock of the achievements done on minimum wages and platform work. She explains the relevance of representing workers’ interests within the European Parliament and stresses the work done with the progressive family at the European level, in collaboration with the EU Commissioner Schmit and PES, for which she leads the Social Europe Network. Interviewed by FEPS Director David Rinaldi, Agnes is not short of ideas for the next European Legislature and suggests making bold steps on public procurement, minimum income, and a European local employment guarantee, in line with the zero unemployment areas that are emerging in different member states.

🔊📺 Available on Spotify, Youtube and Apple Podcast Inspired by the recent conference organised by the Belgian presidency of the EU Council on Social Europe, ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch shares her assessment of the „La Hulpe declaration”, and expresses some regret for the lack of full support from the side of business. She offers a shortlist of the most important achievements of the current EU mandate, praising EU Commissioners Nicolas Schmit and Helena Dalli. She elaborates on the high risk of returning to an austerity focused macroeconomic policy in the EU, while the workers of Europe would need a new orientation for investment and job creation, especially to facilitate a just transition. We learn that the Unions are awaiting the new MEPs and the incoming European Commission with very concrete demands and policy ideas. At the very end of the conversation, Esther Lynch also reveals her personal plans for Labour Day.

Professor Jonas Pontusson is sharing his views about the need for a “social democratic renewal”. There is no simple recipe for this, and one needs to research political economy as well as sociology for a proper assessment of the dynamics of progressive politics today. But the discussions on the decline of social democracy already started in the early 1990s, after which the rise of the “Third Way” created a feeling of revival for a while. In the long run, a most critical relationship is the one between social democracy and the working class. The assumption that the working class automatically supports socialists was probably never true, but today the relevance of the social democratic programme is highlighted by the growing inequalities and the rise of the so-called precariat. Sweden offers an example for a more resilient social democratic organisation and representation. Nevertheless, it also applies there that the offer must stress better the economic agenda: improving redistribution and finding ways to strengthen economic democracy. In various countries, new forms of workers’ activism give hope for revitalising the labour movement and social democratic politics as well.

Brexit is not an issue of the past but the present, and it remains with us for the foreseeable future. FEPS Secretary General László Andor discusses its causes and consequences with Professor Catherine Barnard (University of Cambridge, Trinity College). They agree that in 2016 the pro-Brexit side in reality voted against EU membership, but not for a clear vision of the UK outside of the EU, and the UK is still working out what it wants to be as a country and where. The animosity against the EU had developed over time and across political spectrums, not just within the backbenchers of the Conservatives. Without the UK, however, the EU is finding it easier to move towards a Social Union to ensure that welfare states can be made more resilient.

Professor Björn Hacker authored a book about Social Europe for the FEPS Primer Series. Secretary General László Andor interviews him about some key aspects of the book, and especially about the evolution of the paradigm. Key thinkers and political leaders like Willy Brandt, Jacques Delors and Maria Joao Rodrigues are mentioned during the conversation, which also elaborates on why the assessment of EU social policy must pay attention to economic governance at the same time. A key part of this joint reflection focuses on the significance of the 2017 European Pillar of Social Rights, and the conversation ends with discussing further needs and opportunities to develop the EU social dimension.

In this episode of FEPS Talks, Professor Emerita Marguerite Mendell (Concordia University) shares some lessons from her long-term engagement with the development of the social economy in Quebec, but also her contribution to related discussions in Europe and various international organisations. In her view, a number of European countries offer remarkable examples of social economy transitions and experiments, and also at European Union level there have been important initiatives to develop the necessary ecosystem. The question that remains nevertheless is how to assure implementation within member countries. Going beyond a transatlantic comparison, she also mentions recent efforts from African countries. At the end of the conversation with FEPS Secretary General László Andor she explains the connection between her commitment to the social economy and the inspiration stemming from the study of the works of Karl Polanyi.

Teresa Ribera, Third Vice-President of the Spanish Government and Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, receives the Progressive Person of the Year award from the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) this Wednesday, January 24th, 2024. Ribera is an outstanding leader and international policymaker in the fight against climate change who has helped European socialists develop a robust climate agenda over the past decade. FEPS awards the title of Progressive Person of the Year to social democratic policymakers who contributed to the most important progressive policy initiatives of the past year. Previous recipients include Frans Timmermans, Sanna Marin, and Roberto Gualtieri. 🎤 Event: https://bit.ly/PYB2024 📕 Book: https://bit.ly/ProgressiveYerabook2024

Emeritus Professor Jeffrey Henderson explains the key factors behind the outstanding growth performance of the Chinese economy in the past 40 years. He opines that this era of rapid growth seems to be coming to an end, but the systemic rivalry between China and the USA remains a dominant issue in the period ahead. The position Europe takes in regard to this rivalry will be decisive for our global future. The volume and nature of Chinese investment and the methods applied to access natural resources and acquire advanced technology justify a derisking strategy on the side of the European Union. However, it is important to view this global economic competition without racist undertones. While facing competitive pressures, Europe should avoid the blind alley of military confrontation and look for opportunities to learn and build productive cooperation as well.

FEPS Talks invited Israeli political scientist and former minister Yossi Beilin to reflect on the tragic developments in Israel in the past month. Dr Beilin was an active participant of the Oslo peace process in the 1990s and, together with FEPS Secretary General László Andor, he elaborates on the chances of a new peace process after the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas. He compares this shock to that of 9/11 in 2001 suffered by the United States, and highlights the role of leaders who need to find a constructive solution to such complex situations. Dr. Beilin insists that a new peace process is possible, but for that both the United States and the European Union need to develop a different approach than in the past decade. He proposes (with a Palestinian group, led by JD Hiba Husseini) a Palestinian-Israeli Confederation, which will follow the EU model.

Brazil's political landscape fascinates experts across the globe due to its vibrant democracy, complex socio-political landscape, and the country's ability to navigate diverse ideologies and challenges while continuously striving for progress. Brazil's voice and actions have the potential to shape global policies and contribute to finding solutions to pressing global challenges, such as climate change, sustainable development, and changing peace and security architecture. What will the presidency of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva bring? To find out more listen to our new episode on EU-Brazil relations with Maiara Folly, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Plataforma CIPÓ & Andriy Korniychuk, FEPS Policy Analyst on International Affairs.

FEPS Secretary General László Andor speaks with Dr. Steffen Angenendt, Senior Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin. Dr. Angenendt has been involved in migration research and debates in the last three decades and offers an overview of the evolution of policies in German and European context. The 2015 migration crisis is a major milestone which gave rise to Willkommenskultur in Germany but also put more light on the death of thousands of migrants trying to arrive to the EU in difficult circumstances. The two speakers assess the efforts of the EU which has been trying to complete a „migration pact” and the reasons for various European governments taking diverse positions. Dr. Angenendt points to some critical measures that could help improve the practice of managing migration through EU borders and underlines the importance of dialogue between European and African experts.

In Barcelona, FEPS Secretary General, László Andor, talks with Professor Gösta Esping-Andersen, whose name is familiar to all who have studied sociology or political economy in the last 30 years. They explore the connection between the role of families in reproduction, the quest for gender equality, and rising social inequalities. Professor Esping-Andersen shares his view about the resilience of welfare states against crises such as the pandemic but also the current war in Ukraine, and he does not hide his opinion on the migration policy of the Danish government. The link between social democratic identity and the universalist welfare state appears as a key part of the conversation, which ends with outlining a potential role for the European Union in support of the well-being of children.

Anna Diamantopoulou, President of DIKTIO, former minister in Greece and former EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, engages in a talk with David Rinaldi, FEPS Director of Studies and Policy, to reflect on the ongoing and upcoming societal transformations that require innovation and ambition on welfare policy. The exchange looks at the contribution of the Commission’s ‘High-Level Group on the Future of Social Protection in the EU and of the Welfare State in the EU Members’ which President Diamantopoulou chaired. What are the implications of moving towards a life-course perspective? What are the political lines around care and family policy that will shape the future of this policy field? How to finance welfare if stagflation endures?

Benedicta Lasi, Secretary General of Socialist International engages in a lively debate with Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Director for Research and Training, about the political ambition that inspired the opening of the new chapter of the SI. She shares insights regarding the strategy that will make this international organisation a powerhouse able to rise to the contemporary global challenge and support the cooperation of the sister parties worldwide.

The coming decades will be characterised by two significant technology challenges: climate change mitigation and digitalisation. The technological transition associated with climate change follows clear and well-defined goals. In contrast, digitalisation does not pursue a clear objective and is commonly understood as a self-driving process of technological progress. During this FEPS Talk, Dr Kerstin Hötte, University of Oxford and the Alan Turing Institute and Gerard Oosterwijk, FEPS digital policy analyst, discuss the positive and negative interactions across processes of technological advances involved in both climate change mitigation and digitalisation. They touch on green data spaces as an opportunity to create more transparency on the climate impact and the action needed on different levels, but also report on publicly listed companies and promote sustainable investment.