Friends Of Europe Podcasts

9 February 2023: In this Frankly Speaking Podcast, host Jamie Shea is joined by Paul Taylor, Senior Fellow for Peace, Security & Defence, to discuss how things stand in the war in Ukraine. Ahead of the visit President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may pay in Brussels today – leaked by European Parliament officials – we delve into how a war of attrition has begun to wear armed forces down, and why now more than ever Western unity must hold firm.

2 February 2023: In this Frankly Speaking Podcast, host Seán Flynn is joined by Evan Da Costa Marques and Louis Augry, journalist at France Info and RFI to discuss to whether memes pose a threat to disinformation and whether the current form of the Digital Services Act is sufficient in dealing with them. Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say

15 December 2022: In this Frankly Speaking Podcast, host Jamie Shea is joined by Senior Fellows for Peace, Security and Defence, Paul Taylor and Chris Kremidas Courtney to hazard a personal prediction for what to expect geopolitically in 2023. Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say.

8 December 2022: In this Frankly Speaking Podcast, host Jamie Shea is joined by Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence, Paul Taylor, to discuss Friends of Europe’s latest European Defence Study on the Western Balkan region. Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say. Linked Content: Seize the geopolitical moment: The Western Balkans and European security: https://www.friendsofeurope.org/insights/seize-the-geopolitical-moment-the-western-balkans-and-european-security

1 December 2022: In this Frankly Speaking Podcast, host Paul Taylor is joined by Alexander Stubb, Director of the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute and former prime minister of Finland to discuss Finland’s accession to NATO and where the EU is at with the Ukraine war facing into the winter. Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say.

10 November 2022: In this Frankly Speaking Podcast, host Jamie Shea is joined by Senior Fellows for Peace, Security and Defence, Paul Taylor and Chris Kremidas Courtney, to discuss the latest developments on the frontline in Ukraine, the crises around energy and military supplies facing into the winter, and whether Western solidarity can hold true. Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say. --------------------- Linked Content --------------------- Kiel Institute For the World Economy news report: “Coverage in container shipping declines, sanctions hit Russia’s trade hard” https://www.ifw-kiel.de/publications/media-information/2022/congestion-in-container-shipping-declines-sanctions-hit-russias-trade-hard/ European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations: https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/eu-civil-protection-mechanism_en

20 October 2022: In this Frankly Speaking Podcast, host Jamie Shea is joined by Negar Mortazavi, Journalist and European Young Leader (EYL40), to discuss the Iran in Focus report published by Friends of Europe in the context of Iran’s recent mass protests calling for regime change. Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say. -------------------- Linked Content --------------------- Friends of Europe’s “Iran in Focus” report: ttps://www.friendsofeurope.org/insights/iran-in-focus/

13 October 2022: In this Frankly Speaking Podcast, host Paul Taylor is joined by Chris Kremidas Courtney, Senior Fellow for Peace, Security & Defence, and Alexandros Diakopoulos, Former National Security Advisor; Vice Admiral (Retd); Managing Director for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid at Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss Turkey’s quest for strategic autonomy and its ambitions for a ‘Blue Homeland’ in the eastern Mediterranean. Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say. ---------------------- Linked Content ---------------------- Alexandros Diakopoulos’s article on Turkey’s ‘Blue Homeland’ ambitions: https://www.friendsofeurope.org/insights/turkeys-blue-homeland-ambitions-why-europe-cant-afford-to-sit-on-the-fence-but-turkey-can/ Alexandros Diakopoulos and Nikos Stournaras’s full report: Turkey’s quest for Strategic Autonomy: https://frnds.eu/3Vo0alK The European Commission Türkiye Report 2022: https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/turkiye-report-2022_en

6 October 2022: In this Frankly Speaking Podcast, host Jamie Shea is joined by Paul Taylor, Senior Fellow for Peace, Security & Defence, and Peter Ricketts, Member of the House of Lords to discuss Britain’s role in the upcoming EU Summit in Prague, the European Political Community, and why Anglo-French relations may have deteriorated. Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say.

29 September 2022: In this Frankly Speaking Podcast, host Jamie Shea is joined by Chris Kremidas Courtney, Senior Fellow for Peace, Security & Defence, and Liam Gibson, journalist for Nikkei Asia, Al Jazeera, and Taipei Times, to give a geopolitical, economic, and technological overview of the Indo-Pacific region, and what hopes exist for trans-Pacific cooperation between the US and the liberal Asian democracies as well as China. The tech race is well under way with China leaps and bounds ahead of the rest in 5G, the US blazing a trail in quantum computing, and AI a toss-up. What lessons can the West learn from the Indo-Pacific, and what does the West do well that the Indo-Pacific could stand to gain? Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say. --------------------- Linked Content --------------------- Tabletop Report: “Europe in 2030: strengthening public-private cooperation in hybrid crises”: https://www.friendsofeurope.org/insights/europe-in-2030-strengthening-public-private-cooperation-in-hybri

22 September 2022: Host Dharmendra Kanani is joined this week by Paul Taylor, Senior Fellow for Peace, Security & Defence, and Tomáš Petříček, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, to discuss the Czech presidency of the Council of the European Union. We examine the priorities of the presidency in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the energy price hikes, and the cost of living crisis. Taking on the mantle after France’s six-months in office, the Czechs are working fast to rewrite their agenda. We ask fundamental questions about the presidency itself: what is its purpose, and why do we need it? How deeply should the Czech presidency be responsible for diplomatic outreach to Hungary and Poland, two countries backsliding on rule of law? And is there room to engage with Turkey’s enlargement concerns? Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say. --------------------- Linked Content --------------------- Paul Taylor’s European Defence Study, Murky Waters: https://www.friendsofeuro

15 September 2022: Host Jamie Shea is joined this week by Ambassador Vsevolod Chentsov, Head of the Mission of Ukraine to the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, to discuss the EU-Ukraine Association Council – the first meeting since the war broke out. Massive Ukrainian advances south of Kharkiv totalling 6,000km2 this past week have seen Russian forces on the backfoot, abandoning equipment and ammunition reserves. How likely is it that Ukraine can liberate all its territory in due course? Is the European Peace Facility (EPF) working? And how can the EU and Ukraine come closer together on key security issues, especially around the demilitarisation the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant? Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say. Linked Content The European Peace Facility: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/european-peace-facility/ The EEAS proposal for a Ukrainian training mission: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/what-more-can-we-do-ukraine_en

8 September 2022: Kickstarting our brand-new season of the Frankly Speaking Podcast, we delve into the question of European resilience against hybrid crises. In this special, host Jamie Shea is joined by Senior Fellow and lead author of the tabletop report, Chris Kremidas-Courtney, and Hanna Linderstål, CEO and Founder of EARHART Business protection agency. We discuss the metaverse, extended reality, and what safety measures Europe can take to protect itself against hybrid threats down the line. Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say. _____________ Linked Content: Tabletop Report: “Europe in 2030: strengthening public-private cooperation in hybrid crises”: https://www.friendsofeurope.org/insights/europe-in-2030-strengthening-public-private-cooperation-in-hybrid-crises/ Paul Taylor’s European Defence Study: “Running out of space: European security in space”: https://www.friendsofeurope.org/insights/running-out-of-space-european-security-in-space/ Friends of Europe’s Peace, Security, and Def

5 July 2022: In Episode 18 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking Podcast’s special on the war in Ukraine, host Paul Taylor is joined by Director of Global Risk Analysis at Control Risks Group, Oksana Antonenko, and Senior Fellow for Peace, Security, and Defence at Friends of Europe, Jamie Shea. We discuss the outlook for Russian gas supplies to Europe, the financial and economic situation of Ukraine, and the outcome of last week’s NATO Summit in Madrid. Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say.

23 June 2022: In Episode 17 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking Podcast’s special on the war in Ukraine, host Jamie Shea is joined by our Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence, Paul Taylor. We discuss the connections between space-based capabilities and the surprisingly significant role they have played in the evolution of the Ukrainian conflict. Fresh off the launch of Taylor’s latest European Defence Study entitled “Running out of space: European security in space” on 20 June, we cover the power dynamics that exist between vying nations, from powering the internet, to running our banking systems, and why it matters for Europe. Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say.

16 June 2022: In Episode 16 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking Podcast’s special on the war in Ukraine, host Tracey D’Afters is joined by our Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence, Paul Taylor and guest speaker Elena Daly, Independent Expert for Sovereign Debt. We discuss why Western sanctions may prevent Russia from using global financial systems to service its sovereign debt, and what impact that may have. If Russia cannot pay it would result in the first major default on foreign debt since the Bolshevik revolution over a century ago. And with the Ukraine economy suffering, how will their creditworthiness fare, and what should the West do to support it? Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say.

9 June 2022: In Episode 15 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking Podcast’s special on the war in Ukraine, host Tracey D’Afters is joined by our Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence, Paul Taylor and guest speaker Holy Ranaivozanany who is Head of Advocacy and Outreach at the Africa-Europe Foundation. We discuss the implications of the war on Ukraine on the African Continent and ask if the Africa-Europe partnership is ready for the testing times ahead; how the emerging geopolitical differences affect the partnership; how long have we got before the food crisis becomes an issue for African countries. Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say.

2 June 2022: In Episode 14 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking Podcast’s special on the war in Ukraine, host Tracey D’Afters is joined by our Senior Fellows for Peace, Security and Defence, Paul Taylor and Jamie Shea. Energy is top of the agenda. With the EU deal to ban Russian oil this week, we discuss how effective these oil sanctions are likely to be and whether the EU would go a step further and adopt an embargo on Russian gas. We ask Jamie for an update on what’s happening on the ground in Ukraine and Russia’s ongoing military strategy. Paul considers the role that Turkey can play in mediation. And finally, we ask: ‘is the West still united or losing its way when it comes to the strategic approach towards the war in Ukraine?’

19 May 2022: In Episode 13 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking Podcast special on the war in Ukraine host, Tracey D’Afters is joined by Paul Taylor, Senior Fellow from Peace, Defence and Security and guest speaker Camilla Toulmin who is a British economist and former Director of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and our senior fellow in sustainable energy. Camilla joins live from the Sustainable Energy for All Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, where she is representing the Africa Europe Foundation (AEF). Note about the AEF The Africa-Europe Foundation is co-founded by Friends of Europe and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, in partnership with the African Climate Foundation and the ONE Campaign and with a multitude of stakeholders from civil society, business, policymaking and the youth sector across Africa and Europe. The purpose of the Africa-Europe Foundation is to facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogue, catalyse partnerships and unlock new opportunities that can transform Africa-Europe

12 May 2022: Episode 12 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking Podcast special on the war in Ukraine this week is hosted live from Zagreb, Croatia, where our European Young Leaders (EYL40) programme is hosting a three-day seminar on the topic of ‘Saving Democracy From Itself’. We explore the concept of ‘constructive journalism’ and why ensuring a free and open press can embolden democracies everywhere. Listen to former war correspondent, researcher on Libya and 2013 EYL40 - Mary Fitzgerald - and our Senior Fellow and expert in disinformation and cybersecurity - Chris Kremidas-Courtney.