Voices from Brussels

The war on the European continent has resulted in a new effort to strengthen the European Union's defence capabilities. However, beyond military support for Ukraine, is there a shared EU vision for its future security and defence policy?
 
Image: Shutterstock

In this episode Léa Marchal meets the leaders of the largest political groups in the European Parliament to reveal what MEPs are hoping to achieve in the run-up to the next European elections. Beyond the war in Ukraine, they want to show concrete results in the fight against inflation, social justice, easing migration flows and creating jobs.
 
MEP Iratxe Garcia Pérez at a plenary voting session early in 2023 © European Union 2023 - EP

The war in Ukraine has reshuffled the cards of the bloc’s defence and security policies and its relationship with NATO. Whether this will serve its geostrategic ambitions is still unclear. Listen to the first episode of a series on EU defence and security by journalist Vincenzo Genovese.
 
EU-NATO leadership sign third joint declaration in January 2023 © NATO, 2023

The EU has just put the finishing touches to a series of important texts targeting CO2 emissions in industry. While hitting the mark in terms of ambition, this latest Green Deal move is not likely to bear fruit as quickly as Brussels might have liked.
 
Coal plant / Shutterstock / kamilpetran

Search and rescue vessels in the central Mediterranean cause tensions among EU countries in the EU, while the Western Balkan route has seen the biggest increase in arrivals, causing great concern in Austria. Vincenzo Genovese takes us through interviews with MEPs and experts in Brussels to give us fresh - even chilling - news on EU migration policy.
 
Photo: Shutterstock

Nine months after the start of the war and eight sanction packages later, the Ukrainian army is making significant progress in pushing back the Russian army. This progress has not come about thanks to the restrictive measures imposed by the EU. But then what do these sanctions achieve? 
 
Anti-war rally in Spain © Photo by Al More on Shutterstock

The massive influx into the EU of people fleeing the war in Ukraine since February 2022 has triggered an unprecedented response of welcome and solidarity in the bloc. But whether this momentum will have a long-term impact on the EU’s migration policy is questionable.
 
Image: Volunteers help refugees from Ukraine at the railway station in Warsaw, Poland © Olha Solodenko, Shutterstock

La photo de famille des dirigeants de 44 pays européens à Prague le 6 octobre est peut-être le résultat le plus significatif du tout premier rassemblement sous l'égide de la Communauté politique européenne. Cette "plate-forme de coordination politique pour les pays européens de tout le continent", destinée à traiter des questions d'intérêt commun, peut-elle apporter de réels bénéfices ? Léa Marchal était à Prague et nous rapporte en ces nouvelles.

The family photo of the leaders of 44 European countries in Prague on 6 October is perhaps the most significant outcome of the first ever gathering under the aegis of the European Political Community. Can this 'political coordination platform for European countries across the continent', designed to address issues of common concern bring real benefits? Léa Marchal was in Prague - and has the story.

La Commission européenne a proposé une loi pour supprimer du marché européen les importations issues du travail forcé. Quel en sera vraiment l'impact? La journaliste Léa Marchal enquête - à Strasbourg cette fois - dans cet épisode en français de notre série "Voices from Brussels", produite par Euranet Plus.
Photo © Shutterstock (Femmes ouïgoures dans une usine de vêtements de la province du Xinjiang)