BRUBBLE

Europe has invented a lot of stuff - from kindergarten to the seatbelt to chicken mcnuggets. So to unpack all of this, Dan and Simon take a completely uneducated stab at ranking each* European country by their inventions.

From the Isle of Man to Svalbard, from New Caledonia to Sint Maarten, there are a lot of European "Dependant Territories". So, in Dan and Simon take a look at all of them and examine who they are, what they do, and what makes them special. Check out pt 1 on YouTube, which released a few days ago: https://youtu.be/j8FVngMBkVM Check out pt 2 on YouTube, which released a few days ago: https://youtu.be/GIpPe53TZUo

From Greenland to the Falklands, from Gibraltar to French Polynesia, there are a lot of European "Dependant Territories". So, in Dan and Simon take a look at all of them and examine who they are, what they do, and what makes them special. Tune in in a few days for Part 2! Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/j8FVngMBkVM

A bit of a different podcast this time around: I read some books in 2024. Here, I review them with a mixture of emotions. Watch this podcast in video format on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0C0MWkKfhU&t=9s. Timestamps: 00:47 - The Mysteries (Bill Watterson & John Kascht) 07:23 - Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ray Bradbury) 10:50 - The Edible Woman (Margaret Atwood) 17:56 - Hollywood (Gore Vidal) 23:00 - The Last Empire (Gore Vidal) 29:14 - A Decent Life (Todd May) 34:47 - The Cider House Rules (John Irving) 39:22 - Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka) 44:07 - Cocksure (Mordecai Richler) 47:11 - The Psychology of Money (Morgan Housel) 53:08 - Joshua, Then and Now (Mordecai Richler) 56:22 - Home Sweet Home (Mordecai Richler) 1:01:39 - Straw Dogs & The Silence of Animals (John Gray) 1:07:57 - Why Nations Fail (Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson) 1:14:10 - Picture This (Joseph Heller) 1:16:50 - A Sort of Life (Graham Greene) 1:22:44 - Life Before Man (Margaret Atwood) ++++++++++++++ Music credits: Synth 52684 (1 with FX) by Beetlemuse. License: Attribution 4.0

From Qatargate to Hungarian MEPs and from Ibiza to Croatian "secret clubs", politics is filled with scandals. But scandals often say as much about the strength of our democracies as it does about the idiocrasy of those who get involved with them. In this (very long) episode of the BRUBBLE podcast, join Dan and Simon as we navigate a tier list of over 35 recent European political scandals. We unpack a lot of terrible behaviour, but also take a look at how each scandal changed Europe - for better or worse. And, of course, if you want to see our faces, check us out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uRrc9Ma744 ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations*

Back for a summery-special, Dan and Simon take a look at 32 European tourism slogans to find out which one actually wants to make us go there. From Slovakia (Come to Slovakia Good Idea) to the UK (See Things Differently) to Latvia (Magnetic Latvia), there's a range of tourism slogans out there, from corporate blandness to creative misses. So, what makes a good slogan? Which nation really did it best? Well, listen and let us know! And, of course, if you want to see our faces, check us out on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hEeKvfhD-N4 ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations*

As we head into the summer of 2024, we’re coming off the European parliamentary elections – a moment serving as the inflection point each 4 years for setting the agenda of European politics. But let’s rewind a few years to 2016, where digital emerged – and has remained – as a top priority for the EU. However, while we all agreed on the urgency, we didn’t all agree on the actions to be taken. In this context, we saw a group of EU digital frontrunners form the “Digital 9” (or, D9) with the aim of growing the European digital market. Today, I’m joined by Clara – and we’re going to unpack who the D9 are, what they’ve done, and how we think they’ll grow and evolve into the next few years. ________________ Do check out Clara's recent publication for CEPA unpacking the D9+: https://cepa.org/comprehensive-reports/boosting-europes-digital-leaders-a-new-momentum-for-the-d9/ And, if you're in the Brussels area and would like to be on the BRUBBLE podcast, please contact Simon at brubblepodcast@gmail.com or connect with me on twitter @simon_vanhoeve)! ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations*

Time is something universal that nobody escapes – not even the policy and advocacy people or our world! While we all know there are debates about issues like Daylight Savings Time and Time Zones, Time Policy is a field that can go much deeper to explore political, social, and economic inequalities. Today, spend some time with us on the BRUBBLE podcast as I talk to Ariadna, who’s a full-time advocate of Time. She joins me to open our perspectives on what Time is, and how we can use it to explore some key challenges we face, from the local to the international level. ________________ And, if you're in the Brussels area and would like to be on the BRUBBLE podcast, please contact Simon at brubblepodcast@gmail.com or connect with me on twitter @simon_vanhoeve)! ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations**

Every month or so, we sit down here at the BRUBBLE podcast to do a more fun episode looking at various parts of European culture... From Picasso to Monet, and da Vinci to Munch, European countries have produced some great artists who've made some great paintings. But... which country has the best painting? Join Simon and Dan as we spend a few hours trying to figure that out! And, go watch along on YouTube as well, where you can see all the paintings as we discuss! https://youtu.be/uRCZyQbaCl8 ________________ And, if you're in the Brussels area and would like to be on the BRUBBLE podcast, please contact Simon at brubblepodcast@gmail.com or connect with me on twitter @simon_vanhoeve)! ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations*

Financial literacy is one of the most important skills one can have. And while this skill is not exactly commonplace in Western Europe, the picture becomes even more drastic when looking at Eastern Europe – where in some countries, up to 80% of adults can be considered financially illiterate. In particular, woman can particularly be impacted by this gap. Cristina saw this gap – and started FeminEast, a movement to educate more women in Eastern Europe about financial literacy. Join us today as we discuss why financial literacy is so important, how it impacts different people across Europe, and also examine what can be done from the European level. ________________ Feel free to connect with Cristina Reach on instagram @cristinapogo / https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinapogo/ Check out FeminEast: - Website: www.femineast.eu - Instagram: @femin_east / https://www.linkedin.com/company/femineast Learn more about some of the stats we mentioned: - EU barometer survey: https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2953 - State of financial education in the EU: https://www.bruegel.org/policy-brief/state-financial-knowledge-european-union And, if you're in the Brussels area and would like to be on the BRUBBLE podcast, please contact Simon at brubblepodcast@gmail.com or connect with me on twitter @simon_vanhoeve)! ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations*

We know that the Russian aggression in Ukraine poses an existential threat not only to Europe, but also European values. Thus, Europe remains committed to Ukraine’s defence – a commitment that goes beyond just rhetoric. And in doing so, we’ve seen in recent months real questions being asked about the state and strength of Europe’s defense industrial base – resulting in the EC recently publishing the European defence industrial strategy in early March 2024. So, what does this strategy mean for Europe? What do we think of its ideas? What implications will it have for our support for Ukraine? And how will this further Europe’s ambitions of Economic Security? Joining me to dive into this topic is one returning voice for this podcast – Gareth – and one new voice, Lucia. ________________ And, if you're in the Brussels area and would like to be on the BRUBBLE podcast, please contact Simon at brubblepodcast@gmail.com or connect with me on twitter @simon_vanhoeve)! ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations*

As we all know, Europe today is in the midst of a wave of elections – including not only key domestic races, but also the European parliamentary elections. And one of the key themes that we’re seeing advocates lobby this year is that we have a real chance to make great strides on gender balance and representation, especially as currently only 41% of MEPs are women. And we also have the real possibility this year to see all four major institutions being led by women. But this does not mean that women are not facing unique challenges in our continued journey for equal representation… So, in today’s episode of the BRUBBLE podcast, we’re going to dive into what issues women candidates are uniquely facing in the 2024 elections – and also what we can do to support their journey. Joining me to cast their votes here today are Jéromine and Veronica from the European Women’s Lobby! ________________ If you want to learn a bit more about the European Women's Lobby, their advocacy, and their work, please see a few of the resources listed below! - Taking Stock of Women’s Representation in Politics across Europe Report: https://womenlobby.org/Representation2023 - HerNetHerRights resource pack: https://www.womenlobby.org/Read-and-share-HerNetHerRights-Resource-Pack-Report - EWL Pledge for the elections https://www.womenlobby.org/Pledge2024?lang=en - EWL Manifesto for the elections https://www.womenlobby.org/Manifesto2024?lang=en - EWL Lobbying kit https://www.womenlobby.org/EWL-Manifesto-for-the-EU-Elections-2024-Lobbying-Kit?lang=en And, if you're in the Brussels area and would like to be on the BRUBBLE podcast, please contact Simon at brubblepodcast@gmail.com or connect with me on twitter @simon_vanhoeve)! ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations*

Happy April Fool's! For ages, people have reported seeing animals, figures, and beasts which... really shouldn't exist. Of course, our American neighbours have a their fair share of tall tales about "cryptids". But us Europeans also partake in this! So, join Dan and Simon as we take a critical and historical look at 32 of Europe's most infamous cryptids and mythical creatures, ranging from the Loch Ness Monster to La bête du Gévaudan, and Fairies to Nixies in this two-hour long April Fool's Special! ________________ Watch the podcast and our beautiful faces on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0ntRWIHxiZw ________________ And, if you're in the Brussels area and would like to be on the BRUBBLE podcast, please contact Simon at brubblepodcast@gmail.com or connect with me on twitter @simon_vanhoeve)! ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations*

I’m going to wager that when I talk to my grandchildren, the biggest thing that has changed over our lives has been technology. After all, in my lifetime, we went from fax machines and dial-up internet to smartphones and artificial intelligence. For us who are interested in this transformation, an especially important topic to follow has been how governments have been adapting to the digital transformation and technology. And adapt they have – especially at this moment in time, we’re seeing most of our governments embrace these technologies full heartedly. So, in today’s episode of the BRUBBLE podcast, I want to explore a bit not only how governments are adapting to today’s digital era, but also what the issues are that they’re facing and how they’re tackling them. And joining me to do just that is Luke, who authors a weekly newsletter called interweave.gov, exploring just this! ________________ Subscribe to the Interweave.gov newsletter: https://interweavegov.substack.com/! And, if you're in the Brussels area and would like to be on the BRUBBLE podcast, please contact Simon at brubblepodcast@gmail.com or connect with me on twitter @simon_vanhoeve)! ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations*

As the European Elections draw closer, we’re hearing a lot about the issues that are impacting the average European. But the average European is 44 years old... So, what are the issues that matter for young Europeans? How have these issues changed in the past year, and across geographies? And most importantly, what can we, as young Europeans do, to achieve progress on these issues? Joining Simon today to dive into these issues are Fabiana and Andreea from the European Youth Forum. A few months ago, they launched the 2023 Youth Progress Index, a tool that collected data and insights from across the world to score each country on a variety of metrics relevant to young people. ________________ Check out the 2023 Youth Progress Index here: https://www.youthforum.org/topics/youth-progress-index, or at https://youthprogressindex.org/. And, if you're in the Brussels area and would like to be on the BRUBBLE podcast, please contact Simon at brubblepodcast@gmail.com or connect with me on twitter @simon_vanhoeve)! ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations*

One day, I’d like to be a homeowner – but as I see housing prices, this dream seems further and further away every day. As many are noting, Europe is currently in a housing crisis, facing both issues of housing shortages and affordability. And these issues often compound to disproportionately impact the least well off in our societies. So, what really is the European housing crisis? What’s causing it? How is it impacting Europeans? And – most importantly – how do we solve this issue across all levels of governance? Joining me today to open the intellectual door on this issue is Anna from Eurocities, who’ll break down the crisis and the roles we can all play in addressing it! ________________ And, if you're in the Brussels area and would like to be on the BRUBBLE podcast, please contact Simon at brubblepodcast@gmail.com or connect with me on twitter @simon_vanhoeve)! ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations**

It's a new year - and a new episode of ranking random political-ish stuff on this episode of the BRUBBLE podcast! Have you ever looked at the alphabet-soup of international organizations and wondered which one of them have the best logos? While, we did - and we set out to find the answer. Today, watch us dissect 32 of the most iconic international institution logos and see who wins in a march-madness style bracket! ________________ Watch the podcast and our beautiful faces on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Tr9fFGc6IZY ________________ And, if you're in the Brussels area and would like to be on the BRUBBLE podcast, please contact Simon at brubblepodcast@gmail.com or connect with me on twitter @simon_vanhoeve)! ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations*

According to EC President von der Leyen, EU Africa relations are a key focus for our union. Thus, it was quite concerning to see, during the late summer/early autumn of 2023, a new wave of undemocratic coups sweeping across Africa, particularly targeting Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Gabon. Thus, a few months now removed from these coups, it might be an apt point to look back and reflect a bit on the EU-Africa relationship. So, how has the EU-Africa relationship changed over the past few years? What are the perspectives on both sides? And how is this relationship continuing to change, especially highlighted by these recent coups? Joining me to provide some expertise on these big topics are Kawsar and Ricardo! ________________ Feel free to check out.... Ricardo's recent contributions on a piece examining an EU strategy for coups: https://europeandemocracyhub.epd.eu/crafting-an-eu-strategy-for-coups/ Kawsar's recent writings for the ECDPM on Niger's coup: https://ecdpm.org/work/nigers-coup-sahels-jihadist-threat-complex-path-ahead-eu Kawsar talking on a different podcast, Mind the Gap, on gender expertise in international cooperation: https://ecdpm.org/work/episode-1-are-we-critical-enough-gender-expertise And, if you're in the Brussels area and would like to be on the BRUBBLE podcast, please contact Simon at brubblepodcast@gmail.com or connect with me on twitter @simon_vanhoeve)! ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations*

It’s been a busy year for European politics: wars have been raging, new legislation has been passing, and elections have been voted. But if we were to gather all the top stories of the past year and make a top 10, what would it look like? Well, Joao, Julien, Niko, and I decided to do just that. Join us as we go over the top stories of the year and debate our way into our collective top 10! And don't forget to check us out on YouTube to see the video recording! ______________ Follow us on Twitter: Nikos: twitter.com/NikTheos Julien: twitter.com/JulienHoez Simon: twitter.com/simon_vanhoeve ________________ If you're in the Brussels area and would like to be on the BRUBBLE podcast, please contact Simon at brubblepodcast@gmail.com or contact me twitter (@simon_vanhoeve)!

Welcome back to another episode of the BRUBBLE podcast! We're back with our favorite, light-hearted political-ish series: RANKING, where we determine what the best really is. Simon and Dan team back up to take a big swing at finding out, once and for all, what the best European Landmark is. To do that, we've taken 32 iconic landmarks and put them in a march-madness style bracket. Listen or watch to see what we think makes a good national landmark! ________________ And, if you're in the Brussels area and would like to be on the BRUBBLE podcast, please contact Simon at brubblepodcast@gmail.com or connect with me on twitter @simon_vanhoeve)! ________________ **Please note that the BRUBBLE podcast is solely a personal project that contains only personal views and is not related to any entities or organizations*