Radio Schuman

Doubts are growing over whether the European Parliament be able to approve the new European Commission, the EU's arm executive, on 27 November as planned.On Wednesday, the European People's Party (EPP), set to secure the most European commissioners, threatened to block the appointment of Spain's Teresa Ribera.They demanded the competition commissioner designate explain in a Spanish court why her government failed to anticipate floods in Spain that resulted in over 200 deaths and called for her resignation if she is found responsible.In response, socialists and liberals stated they would not support the Italian candidate Rafaele Fitto, a member of Giorgia Meloni's party, or Hungarian candidate Oliver Varhelyi, due to their far-right affiliations and controversial stances.The political deadlock has prompted EU executive President Ursula von der Leyen to intervene, urging party leaders to reach an agreement before next week's Parliament plenary session.Today Radio Schuman analyses the situation together with Euronews' Gerardo Fortuna.We also take a quick look at the agenda today, with the so-called 'Pfizer gate' hearing at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg and EU ministers in Brussels set to make important decisions on the 2025 annual EU budget.On the last part of the show, Radio Schuman looks at how high-speed battery powered trains will change European rail travel.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barroso, a former Portuguese Prime Minister, was President of the European Commission twice, from 2004 to 2014. It was under his presidency that Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU and that Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.In an interview with Euronews's Shona Murray, Barroso made clear that despite the backsliding of the rule of law in Europe, the EU should not solve political problems with institutional tools like treaty change; he also called Crimea a “special case,” and agreed with those who think the EU is much better prepared now if the re-elected US president Donald Trump withdraws the US from Ukraine.One of the highlights of the interview is when Barroso recounted a conversation with the president of the Russian federation Vladimir Putin, telling him he considered Ukraine was an “artificial country” created by the CIA and by the European Commission.Barroso also mentioned how many times he met Putin during his mandate at the European Commission. Can you guess how many?A quick look at the agenda today, with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen xxx.A brief overview of the European Parliament vote today on the deforestation law: will MEPs change the deadline for implementation and some parts of content of the legislation as the centre-right is proposing?On the last part of the show, we look at which famous national dishes risk to disappear because of climate change.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's too early to point the finger over deadly floods in Valencia, as tens of thousands protest a government response they see as inadequate, Spain's economy minister Carlos Cuerpo told Euronews in an exclusive interview that we feature on Radio Schuman today.Spain will do “whatever it takes” to help those afflicted by devastating floods, but it’s too early to start assigning blame, Cuerpo said.The deadly flooding in Valencia has claimed hundreds of lives, and led tens of thousands of protestors to take to the streets and call for the resignation of regional president Carlos Mazón. Cuerpo visited Brussels to request EU funding for reconstruction, particularly from agricultural and cohesion funds.In a packed agenda today, in Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz will address parliament with an election date now foreseen, while in Brussels both diplomats and the European Parliament have the US election outcome to chew over.In the last part of the show, Radio Schuman tells you how air taxes impact your wallet.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will UNRWA, which has provided emergency, education services and healthcare to millions of Palestinian refugees since 1949 survive the conflict in Gaza? The answer is not clear. Since the October 7 attack launched by Hamas against Israel, the UN agency has been at the heart of a controversy that puts its survival at risk. In October, lawmakers from the Knesset – Israel’s parliament - passed legislation that banned the agency from operating in Israeli territory months after claiming that 12 UNRWA staff members had been involved in the 7 October attack. The serious accusation caused fears that UNRWA had been infiltrated by Hamas, which is listed by the EU and the US as a terrorist organisation. It also led the European commission to review its support to the UN agency and a raft of EU countries - including France and Germany - to temporarily suspend funding, creating humanitarian challenges for Gazans struggling to access food, water and shelter.Last August, a UN internal investigation cleared 10 UNRWA employees and fired nine others for possible involvement in the 7 October attack. Most countries have resumed their financing of UNRWA… but what would be the consequences of the Israeli ban of UNRWA on the ground? What is UNRWA’s relationship with Hamas?Euronews's Stefan Grobe sat with Scott Anderson, the director of UNRWA in Gaza.We also take a quick look at the last round of commissioner-nominee hearings beginning today at the European Parliament.On the last part of the show, Radio Schuman looks at the future for AI driving - where the car might tailor the driver experience to personal tastes.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With some European leaders boycotting the COP 29 summit, opening in Baku today days after the re-election of Donald Trump as US president, who has compared climate change to a hoax, Radio Schuman talked with Euronews science reporter Jeremy Wilks about the prospects for the conference.With thousands of leaders, diplomats, climate experts, NGOs and journalists beating a path to the United Nations Climate talks in the Azeri capital, is there a real chance of success in their mission to hash out a new financial plan to develop clean energy and overcome the repercussions of extreme weather?We also take a quick look at the agenda today, with the European Parliament set to decide the fate of one nominee for the European Commission who's candidature has still not met with their approval - guess who?On the last part of the show, Radio Schuman look at the 2024 top travel destinations according to a travel agency.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Europe was unprepared for a Trump victory and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán could become the US 47th president's key interlocutor, former French European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton told Radio Schuman in an exclusive interview we feature today.We spoke to Breton as European leaders convened in Budapest for the Informal European Council, seeking to forge a unified stance on Trump’s declared intentions to end the Ukraine war “within 24 hours” and to impose tariffs on all foreign-manufactured goods entering the United States.According to Breton, Europe’s response will hinge on the EU’s institutions, which he believes must take on a stronger leadership role.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In various polls conducted across Europe days before the US elections, most Europeans sided with Kamala Harris. So the news of Trump’s re-election yesterday came as a disappointment for Harris supporters in Europe but it also bewildered many of them: where did her campaign go so wrong?Today Radio Schuman chews the question with Euronews' US election analyst Boyd Wagner.In the second part of the podcast, we take a quick look at the European Political Community summit today in Budapest and another round of European Commissioner-designates hearings in Brussels.On the last part of the show, Radio Schuman analyses whether neural data should be better protected.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Europe should strive to maintain a professional relationship with Donald Trump, ex-Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told Euronews' live election results show this morning.Today Radio Schuman draws exclusive reaction from the show including from Euronews' Washington DC correspondent, Stefan Grobe.How will the EU deal with a potential second Donald Trump presidency?We also take a quick look at European Commissioner nominees hearings at the European Parliament: who will be grilled today by MEPs?On the last part of the show, Radio Schuman explores European migration to the US over the years: is it increasing or declining?Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If Donald Trump wins today's election and carries through on his pledges to impose tariffs the EU needs to hit back with countermeasures and remain unified, Italian socialist MEP Brando Benifei tells Radio Schuman today.Trump's proposed 10% levy on EU goods could severely impact Europe’s export-dependent sectors, particularly automotive and machinery industries in countries like Germany, Italy, and Ireland. Benifei is a member of the parliamentary committee responsible for trade (INTA) and the head of the European Parliament delegation to the US.We also check in on the hearings for Commission nominees, focusing on Maroš Šefčovič, the designated EU Trade Commissioner at a time when the bloc faces potential trade conflicts with China and the US.Šefčovič emphasised the EU’s commitment to avoiding trade wars, rebalancing relations with China, and cooperating with whichever candidate wins the US election.We also take a quick look at today's Commissioners-designate hearings - asking what posers might be thrown at them.In the last part of the show, Radio Schuman looks at where the European Silicon Valley should be established.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today Radio Schuman spoke with German Green MEP Daniel Freund, as he drove through Pennsylvania, the critical state where Joe Biden narrowly defeated Trump by just 1.2% in 2020, and where Harris and Trump are once again locked in a very tight contest.Brussels and Europe will hold their breath tomorrow as millions of Americans head to the polls for a pivotal election with global repercussions.The race is razor-thin between Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican opponent, Donald Trump. Europeans will be keeping a close eye on the seven key battleground states where the election is likely to be decided: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.We also give a quick overview of European Commissioner-designates hearings and who will be heard today by MEPs.On the last part of the show, Radio Schuman explores in which EU countries are the most businesses being launched - spoiler alert: a very small country leads the ranking.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The EU will slap its new tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China for the next five years, but Beijing has been slammed the duties, filing an action with the WTO and launching anti-dumping investigations into European exports of brandy, pork and dairy products.Is this tug of war going to evolve into a full-fledge trade war? Could these tariffs slow down the energy transition and lead to fewer people buying EVs when combustion engines are supposed to be banned in 2035? If Donald Trump wins the US presidency next week, will that push the EU into a more conciliatory position with China? Today Radio Schuman answers these questions with Noah Barkin, a Senior Advisor with the independent research provider Rhodium Group which specialises on Europe-China relations.We also take a quick look at the Eurasian security conference in Belarus, where an EU member state minister will attend and speak. Guess who?On the last part of the show, Radio Schuman looks at jobs threatened by automation.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Petitions Committee (PETI) sees itself as a bridge between the EU and its citizens, drawing 35 MEPs from various political groups to review ordinary people's petitions. If these pass muster, MEPs can forward them to European Commission to consider legislative action.But a review of the committee’s activity from the previous legislative period raises questions. Over the last four years, Peti received only 6,991 petitions (1,357 in 2019 and 1,573 in 2022), a small number given the EU’s population of 450 million.Compared to the millions of signatures on platforms like Change.org or widespread social media complaints, this figure seems insignificant. Although the committee report highlights the number of opinions, resolutions, hearings, and questions it generated, it doesn’t specify how many petitions resulted in concrete legislation.Vice-chair Nils Ušakovs acknowledged operational issues when interviewed by Radio Schuman, noting that many of the petitions fail to address EU-related issues and that the European Commission often takes too long to respond. Ušakovs also admitted that the committee has limited influence, as it cannot compel the Commission to legislate.Today, we also make a quick overview a meeting of EU ambassadors, set to discuss reforms of the European Peace Facility.Lastly, Radio Schuman questions whether turning the clocks back twice a year might be damaging our health.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brussels and Tbilisi are growing increasingly distant: the recent election victory of the Georgian Dream party, marked by irregularities denounced by the opposition and EU observers, has deepened the mistrust.EU top diplomat Josep Borrell called to address electoral irregularities and implement reforms. Two laws have sparked significant debate in Brussels: the so-called "foreign agents" law, criticised as a tool to suppress freedom of civil society organizations, and a law limiting LGBTQ rights.Many Brussels officials say Georgia is and will become a nightmare if the Georgian Dream party continues to adopt legislation that takes the country further away from its EU aspirations.The EU has already frozen Georgia’s accession path and European Commission officials have stopped meetings with any high-ranking Georgian officials.  They now want the ruling Georgian Dream party to withdraw the two controversial laws and implement nine steps of reform it has deemed conditional to the granting of EU candidate status.The political crisis in Georgia also comes in the context of the launch this week of the EU's so-called enlargement package, an annual review assessing how far candidate countries have aligned themselves to EU standards.Is Georgia set to be the EU's new nightmare?Today Radio Schuman talks with Dionis Cenusa, political analyst at the Lithuanian based think tank Eastern Europe Studies Centre.We also take a quick look at Macron's visit to Morocco and what it mean for EU policies on migration.On the last part of the show, Radio Schuman explores which Europeans are most likely to live with their parents.Today's Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Georgios Leivaditis and Zacharia Vigneron. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Saturday, Georgia held parliamentary election that have been framed as a "referendum" on the country's choice between Europe and Russia. The country’s Central Election said the pro-Russian ruling party, Georgian dream had won 53.92 percent of the votes.However, the opposition disputed those results, and international and European observers spoke of a climate of hatred, intimidations and voting irregularities.Euronews spoke with different sides, including Maka Botchorishvili an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and Reinhold Lopatka, an Austrian MEP and one of the election observers from the European parliament. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has claimed the country is on course to join the EU and denied Russian influence, in an exclusive interview with Euronews on the eve of a crucial vote that he painted as a choice between war and peace.The poll comes at a crossroads for Georgia. Granted EU candidacy last year, Georgia's accession process was frozen after the government passed a controversial "foreign agents" law, similar to Russian legislation, which was panned European leaders.Another divisive law passed in September restricted LGBTQ+ rights, though President Salome Zourabichvili, a pro-European figure, refused to sign both bills.The country is deeply polarised and pro-EU protests have become a feature in the capital.We also take a quick look at two other elections in Europe - in Bulgaria and Lithuania - with socialists and centre right parties leading the polls.Radio Schuman also takes a look at the cringiest lines from European Commissioner designates in their job applications.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is there to fear for the EU about the BRICS summit, the group whose swelling ranks now account for 45% of the global population and 28% of the world’s GDP?Established in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the group aimed to reduce reliance on the US dollar, but has evolved into a geopolitical counterbalance to the G7, with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE joining, and NATO powerhouse Turkey looking to become a member.The current summit appears less a display of unity among like-minded nations so much as a demonstration of Russia’s influence in shaping a new global order, despite its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, from which three of the founding BRICS members have abstained from condemning in the UN resolution.Radio Schuman takes you to the summit today with Euronews reporter Jack Schickler.We also look at the announcement of the Sakharov Prize winner at the European Parliament, and which EU countries haven't yet started to implement the EU minimum wage directive, with the deadline for implementation approaching...Finally we check in on where most of millionaires will live in 2024 - spoiler alert: the leading European country is not in the EU.Today's Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday (21 October), Moldovans narrowly voted in favour of continuing the country's path toward EU membership, with the "No" vote leading until the final moments. The country's president Maia Sandu condemned Russian interference and accused "criminal groups" of attempting to undermine the vote in the former Soviet republic.Moldova will now hold the second round of presidential elections next month, where Sandu will face a pro-Russian opposition leader. This has raised concerns in Brussels about the continuation of Russia's "hybrid war" tactics, which could further destabilise Moldova and derail its EU aspirations.Similar concerns extend to Georgia, which holds parliamentary elections this Sunday and has long grappled with Russian interference.To discuss the potential political instability in Moldova and Georgia, we speak with Amanda Paul, Deputy Head of Europe in the World Programme and Senior Policy Analyst at the European Policy Center, specialising in Turkey, Ukraine, and the South Caucasus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims 10,000 North Korean troops are in training to support Russian forces in the war against Ukraine, risking the conflict escalating into a “world war”.European officials are yet to verify that, but if it's confirmed, there are fears North Korean involvement could intensify the war. Russia and its ally recently signed a partnership agreement to provide mutual military assistance in case of attack.Today we speak to senior Euronews reporter and Ukraine expert Sasha Vakulina on the implications of this for the EU, and whether it might accelerate Ukraine’s NATO membership bid.We also check in on the Parliament plenary in Strasbourg, where MEPs are voting on a significant legislative file about Ukraine, and on Moldovan politics, with EU reaction to the election results there.In the final part of the show, Radio Schuman explores top listed eco-friendly European cities and their transport options - spoiler alert: a huge overcrowded city is leading the ranking...Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The current migration debate is largely dominated by EU countries seeking to delegate migration management outside European territory, making borders increasingly impenetrable for asylum seekers and intensifying the return of migrants to their countries of origin.But some countries including Spain or Belgium have also opposed the idea of outsourcing irregular migration and building migrant centres in non-EU countries. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a news conference after the European Council summit last week that he rejected Italy's model of processing asylum claims in centers built outside of the EU, saying it created more trouble than solutions. Instead, he pledged for a more humane approach to migration, which could also support the pensions of declining European populations. Today Al-Sahlani talked with Radio Schuman, and echoed the same sentiment. She criticised von der Leyen for being complicit with a group of countries that push for migration offshoring and condemned the lack of a clear commitment in the Council’s outcomes regarding the implementation of the first EU migration and asylum package, which was approved during the last legislative term.A quick overview of the Agriculture and Fisheries meeting, where EU ministers are set to make some important decisions on Monday and Tuesday.Also a look at the state of play of Italy-Albania deal. It seems that the centre still does not host anyone for the moment, because of an Italian court judgments did not confirmed the detentions.On the last part of the show, we looked at why airlines are cutting their first-class - spoiler alert, they are commercialising an alternative.Today's Radio Schuman is hosted by Shona Murray, and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques. Audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The high-stakes European Council summit concluded on Thursday, with migration policy dominating the agenda.For the first time, leaders discussed so-called "return hubs" — centres in third countries where migrants within the EU, whose asylum claims have been rejected and cannot be repatriated, would be held.This, along with discussions around the European Union's asylum and migration pact, set to be implemented in 2026, signalled that leaders were potentially radically rethinking how the bloc approaches migration.However, final council conclusions made no mention of return hubs, and failed to provide a timeline for the EU's new migration pact.Leaders did, however, call on the European Commission to propose new legislation on deporting rejected asylum seekers still residing in the EU, and supported Poland's call to give nation states the right to temporarily suspend asylum applications.In a first, Ursula von der Leyen suggested that temporary and proportionate measures might be legally feasibleAlso on the podcast, Radio Schuman looks at the first ever far-right Patriots of Europe pre-summit meeting with exclusive sound bites from Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders.Finally, we ask where in Europe do people say they are the happiest? Spoiler alert: high rates of happiness tend to correlate with the amount of sun.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and music by Alexandre Jas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.