Talking Europe

As FRANCE 24 covers another grim milestone in Ukraine – four years of full-scale war – Talking Europe hosts the former president of the EU Council, Charles Michel, who was in the job when that geopolitical earthquake struck the European continent on February 24, 2022. We also bring you a special feature, “Ukraine: Europe on the front line”, about the EU's wide-ranging support for Ukraine, by our reporter Mélina Huet.

As part of FRANCE 24's and Talking Europe's coverage of the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine, we host veteran diplomat Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine's ambassador to the European Union. He highlights the critical assistance the EU is providing for the country's military, budgetary, and energy needs, saying that the solidarity shown by Ukraine's European allies "cannot be underestimated".

Europe's regions are in danger of being squeezed as the EU considers sweeping changes to the way its 27 member states spend their money, warns the European official tasked with reducing inequalities among the bloc's hundreds of towns and regions.

Worries that too much time on social media may be hurting children's mental health, and creating addictions as harmful as alcohol or cigarettes, are sparking growing calls across Europe to block minors under the age of 15 or 16 from access to platforms.

Shared economic and security interests still bind Europe and the United States, even as trust has eroded, insults have flown and rhetoric has hardened in the transatlantic relationship, Brando Benifei, the chair of the delegation for relations with the United States at the European Parliament, tells FRANCE 24 in Talking Europe.

Europe has experienced numerous crises since Donald Trump returned to the White House: on trade and tariffs; on Ukraine; and perhaps the most surreal one – on Greenland. The latter was unprecedented: NATO's leading member, the US, openly expressing its territorial designs on another NATO member, Denmark. With each emergency, the same calls have been heard for Europe to wake up and take its destiny into its own hands. But how should the EU and the European members of NATO actually make a strategic shift? We put the question to two MEPs. 

As Europe faces unprecedented geopolitical headwinds, from the Ukraine war to Donald Trump's designs on Greenland, we speak to the EU Commissioner in charge of the economy, productivity, and simplification: Valdis Dombrovskis. A former prime minister of Latvia, Dombrovskis is very much a Brussels insider, serving in various high-profile roles in the EU Commission since 2016, and as a member of the European Parliament in 2004-2009.

On January 1, Bulgaria officially joined the eurozone, becoming the 21st country to join the European single currency. Sofia's adoption of the euro brings hope of major economic benefits, but it also comes at a moment of deep political polarisation and mass anti-corruption protests, which culminated in the resignation of both the country's government and president.

One of the most pressing issues in the EU is the housing crisis. Wages are not keeping up with the rising costs of accommodation, and paying the rent is a challenge for many – never mind trying to get on the property ladder. Meanwhile, homelessness has got worse. Our guest is the EU's first housing commissioner, although his brief also covers energy – a key issue as the bloc tries to become more independent. Dan Jorgensen is a Danish Social Democrat, and in Denmark he was minister for climate and energy, and minister for development cooperation and global climate policy, before taking up the Energy and Housing portfolio for the EU in 2024.

EU member states have backed a hardening of migration policy, endorsing the controversial idea of "return hubs" beyond EU borders to process asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected. This as a key EU Migration and Asylum Pact is set to come into effect in June. We ask why this more hardline approach is taking shape, and what our guests think of the "hubs" concept.

For US President Donald Trump, mocking a country or a leader is not just a reality TV-style soundbite, it is an early warning sign of military action. Trump scorned Nicolas Maduro for "playing tough" before snatching the Venezuelan leader. Now he contemptuously talks of Denmark "adding two more dogsleds" to defend Greenland. European countries do appear to be taking this latest threat seriously, but can they actually stop Trump from taking over Greenland? And how do they navigate this crisis when they must also stay focused on Ukraine? We put these questions to Rasmus Jarlov, chair of the defence committee in the Danish parliament.

A majority of EU member states have voted in favour of a landmark free trade deal with Latin American countries. The Mercosur agreement has been 25 years in the making, and its supporters are adamant that it will assert Europe's geostrategic position and benefit consumers. But despite the green light from the EU Council, Mercosur continues to face opposition from countries such as France, as well as from many farmers in the EU. Meanwhile, the European Parliament still has to have its final say. We discuss the deal with two MEPs.

Nearly four years into Russia's full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine grinds on, and the search for a viable off-ramp looks increasingly narrow. Speaking to FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert, France's ambassador to Ukraine, Gaël Veyssière, delivers a pointed rebuttal to Moscow's battlefield narrative, warning that the Kremlin's perception and reality are increasingly at odds.

As 2026 gets off to a rocky start, Europe finds itself squeezed between brute force and awkward dependence. After the US seizure of Venezuela's leader, President Donald Trump has openly floated using military force to acquire Greenland, part of NATO member Denmark. European leaders insist it will not happen. The harder question is whether they could stop it if Washington decided otherwise.

Farmers in the EU have protested on many occasions over unfair foreign competition and the viability of their businesses. They gathered again in Brussels on December 18, while an EU summit was going on, this time focusing their ire on the Mercosur free trade agreement between the EU and Latin American countries. We speak to Elli Tsiforou, the Secretary-General of COPA-COGECA, the umbrella organisation of farmers and agri-cooperatives in the EU.

A major step away from naivety – that's how EU officials describe moves to crack down on cheap Chinese parcels flooding the European market. The EU is edging closer to abolishing the customs exemption on packages valued at under €150. For now, the EU has agreed to impose a temporary €3 customs fee on small parcels, effective from July 1, 2026.

Romania is on NATO's eastern flank, and it is feeling the heat from drone incursions attributed to Russia, and from the Trump administration's strategic shift away from Europe. We speak to Romanian President Nicușor Dan about how his country is faring with these headwinds, and also about tough economic reforms that have put pressure on his fragile coalition government.

The European Parliament is set to adopt its negotiating mandate on Mercosur, after which talks on the final shape of a trade deal can begin. The accord with Latin American countries would create a free trade area of more than 700 million people, at a time when the EU is locked in trade conflicts with China and the US. But despite promises of safeguards for European farmers, fears of being undercut by unfair competition have not disappeared. So is this deal an unprecedented opportunity, or a threat to key economic areas in Europe?

With France going through major government instability and facing an alarmingly high public debt, and with Europe struggling to find its diplomatic feet as the US pursues talks to end the war in Ukraine, we speak to a seasoned political figure at the French and European level. Pierre Moscovici is the First President of the French Court of Auditors, a former EU Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, and was a minister of the economy and finance in the former Socialist government in France.

A ceasefire in Ukraine remains a distant prospect, to say nothing of an actual peace settlement. US diplomatic efforts in Moscow have become bogged down, with no compromise in sight on the fundamental issues, especially the territorial ones. Meanwhile, the EU seems to be relegated to a relatively minor diplomatic role – reacting to the Trump plan with a counter-proposal, and continuing to hold meetings of the "coalition of the willing" to help Kyiv.

The EU was caught off guard when US President Donald Trump unveiled his 28-point plan for peace in Ukraine on November 21 – a document that Brussels and Kyiv see as being heavily favourable to the Kremlin. The EU has since presented a counter-proposal, but the bloc has given the impression of reacting to events rather than driving them. This after an apparent US-Russian rapprochement in Alaska last August set off alarm bells in Ukraine and in the EU. We speak to the foreign minister and deputy prime minister of Belgium, Maxime Prévot. His country is a crucial player as it holds most of the frozen Russian assets in the Euroclear depository.

Wealth inequality is on the rise around the world and right here in Europe. The wealthiest 5 percent of the population in the Eurozone control 45 percent of net household wealth. Just three countries on the continent have imposed a tax on individual net wealth: Norway, Switzerland and EU member state Spain. 

“Everyone has a role to play”, those are the words of today's guest Carl-Oskar Bohlin, Sweden's first minister for civil defence since 1947. Bohlin has become a key figure in Sweden's evolving security landscape, as threats against Europe are rapidly increasing by the day. Grey zone aggression – covert actions that fall short of open military conflict – is on the rise, and countries along Russia's eastern flank are on the frontline: from cyber attacks, disinformation and drone sightings. As the war in Ukraine is set to enter its fourth year and with no end in sight, countries like Sweden are urging European allies to take civilian preparedness seriously. Carl-Oskar Bohlin speaks to us during a visit to Paris. 

As 2025 draws to a close, the European continent is facing the most pressing of problems: how to raise financial support for Ukraine, almost four years into Russia's full-blown invasion. Kyiv's financial resilience is eroding and thanks to an unpredictable Trump administration questioning the cost of collective defence, Europe is now faced with shouldering the burden. EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen warned this week that urgent measures are needed to fill Ukraine's €135 billion budget shortfall for the next two years. One option would be tapping €185 billion in frozen Russian assets –a move that has faced opposition from the likes of Belgium, where most of the assets are located. If no agreement is made among member states before the end of the year, it could have disastrous consequences. Von Der Leyen has stressed that what happens in Ukraine is fundamental not only to the country's survival but to Europe's future. We debate the future of financing Ukraine with our guests at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Denmark's rotating presidency of the EU has been juggling a lot of difficult political balls: the climate negotiations ahead of the COP30 in Brazil, the "simplification" omnibuses that have run into political battles in the European Parliament, and much else. We travel to Copenhagen to talk to Denmark's Minister for European Affairs, Marie Bjerre, about how the presidency is going, and how the small country is dealing with the big geopolitical headwinds blowing into Denmark.

Montenegro is considered to be one of the frontrunners to join the European Union, and it hopes to enter the bloc and the eurozone in 2028. The Western Balkans country of around 620,000 people began accession talks in 2012. Six years earlier, in 2006, it had emerged as an independent state after the end of the former Union of Serbia and Montenegro. We host the country's president, Jakov Milatović. He is a young pro-European reformer who says he is determined to follow the Euro-Atlantic path. Milatović is an Oxford-trained economist and was minister of economic development before being elected president of Montenegro in 2023.

Multiple European countries have reported incursions into their airspace by presumed Russian drones in recent weeks and months. That is a particular concern to so-called "frontline states" of the EU and NATO. We speak to Latvia's Foreign Minister Baiba Braže about the EU's drone readiness, Russia sanctions, hybrid warfare and the issue of migrant pushbacks.

On the tenth anniversary of France's worst peacetime massacre, we speak to the EU's Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Bartjan Wegter. He tells us what lessons have been learned from the November 13, 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, and what is being done at the EU level to counter threats. He also warns of the need for heightened vigilance, because even though the so-called "ISIS caliphate" ended in 2019, the group has been "agile in adjusting its strategy" and is "focusing on the online environment to recruit individuals in the EU", he explains.

FRANCE 24 secured an exclusive interview with Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, at the Paris Peace Forum. At this year's edition, there was fretting about violence that undermines the international order, but also a renewed call for global cooperation. Kallas, who has been in the job for about a year after being prime minister of Estonia, tells us that her "big goal is to make Europe a geopolitical power; that we would matter on the world stage."

The EU Council insists that the EU must leave next month's COP30 climate summit in Brazil with a clear path forward to keeping a lid on 1.5°C of warming. But is that target already out of reach? Our guest says that the world is actually on course for 2.9°C of warming, and that the international community is failing to live up to the promise of the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement. Isabella Lövin is a prominent Green MEP, a former minister for the environment and climate in the Swedish government, a former minister for international development cooperation, and a former deputy prime minister of Sweden.

It was described as an unhappy marriage — and it ended in June. The four-party government in the Netherlands collapsed when far-right leader Geert Wilders pulled his PVV party out of the coalition, citing his partners' inaction on migration and asylum issues. That breakdown led to snap parliamentary elections being called, which are due to take place on 29 October. Beyond the personalities and personal rivalries, the issues in the Dutch election reflect some of the major political battles unfolding across the EU — particularly on migration and the green transition. We debate what's at stake with our guests.

At a jam-packed EU summit in Brussels on 23 October, dominated by the thorny issue of using frozen Russian assets, we caught up with the Deputy Minister for European Affairs of Cyprus, Marilena Raouna. Although Belgium was at the centre of haggling over how to turn the Russian assets into a “reparation loan” to help Ukraine, it is not the only country concerned by the issue. Cyprus has frozen €1.2 billion in Russian assets. Raouna emphasises that Cyprus has “completely turned the page” on Russian money flowing through the country and that supporting Ukraine will be a “top priority” when Cyprus assumes the rotating EU presidency in January 2026.

As political and economic turmoil continues in France, we speak to the influential former EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton. A former minister of economy and finance in the French government, Breton gives us his reading of the debt situation in France, as well as of France's current standing in the European Union. We also talk about the obstacles to a more integrated EU defence industry – something that Breton was closely involved with in the European Commission during his tenure in 2019-2024.

Elections in Europe are a rollercoaster these days. EU elites were relieved when the pro-EU camp won the parliamentary vote in Moldova, but the Czech legislative election turned out quite differently. Andrej Babiš, a populist and self-proclaimed Trumpist, won the ballot, staging a comeback similar to his colleague in neighbouring Slovakia, Robert Fico. Babiš's victory is clearly a boon to Eurosceptic forces since it was he who, together with Hungary's leader Viktor Orban, set up the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament. But does his win have an impact on the EU's help for Ukraine? And on dealing with a more assertive Kremlin, which seems to be testing Europe with drone incursions? We put these questions to two MEPs.

Moldovans have voted in what is arguably the country's most pivotal election since independence in 1991. Our guest says that there was "a big danger that pro-Russian forces might have drawn Moldova into Russia's war against Ukraine". But that danger was averted, and voters gave a clear thumbs-up to Moldova's European future and its desire to join the EU. We analyse the result of this parliamentary vote with Nicu Popescu, a former deputy prime minister and former foreign minister of Moldova.

Several new portfolios have been created in the current European Commission, to reflect the EU's changing priorities. One of those is a Commissioner for the Mediterranean. This is a crucial region for the EU, as the bloc grapples with difficult issues such as migration, climate and energy. The EU wants to pursue this southern pivot by signing a Pact for the Mediterranean with North African and Middle Eastern countries. Our guest is the EU's Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Suica. She is a Croatian centre-right politician and she held the Democracy and Demography portfolio in the first von der Leyen Commission, from 2019 to 2024. She has also been an MEP. 

We sit down with Valdis Dombrovskis, EU Commissioner for Economy and Productivity and a former prime minister of Latvia. He comments on the recent drone incursions into EU airspace. He also discusses France's budget deficit, which is around 5.4 percent of GDP, meaning it is well over the criteria set out in the EU's Stability Pact. 

We sit down with two MEPs to discuss France's ballooning debt and deficit, both of which are much higher than the limits set out in the EU's Stability Pact. France being the second-largest economy in the EU, its current political and economic instability could also have an impact on the other member states. So how concerned should Europe be? 

We sat down with Theodoros Rousopoulos, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the continent's oldest political body. The assembly, also known as PACE, is sometimes called the driving force of the whole organisation, bringing together parliamentary delegations from 46 member states. But is this parliamentary diplomacy successful in pushing back against the democratic backsliding that is evident within the Council of Europe itself? And what instruments does PACE have to deal with members that do not uphold the core values of human rights, democratic norms and the rule of law? 

As the academic year begins, many students will embark on what has become a rite of passage: studying abroad for part of their course. However, the Erasmus+ programme is not limited to university undergraduates and postgraduates. Since its expansion in 2014, apprentices, trainers, job-seekers, and others have also benefited from these international exchanges. Founded in 1987 as Erasmus, the scheme has supported the personal and professional growth of more than 16 million people. Currently, 33 countries participate fully in Erasmus+ activities, including all 27 EU member states. Yet, Erasmus+ faces challenges, particularly regarding social inclusion. We discuss these issues with our MEPs, who serve on the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education (CULT).

Amid the doom and gloom about France's political crisis and the public deficit, our guest maintains that the country is still economically attractive and still the second power in the European Union. Clément Beaune is France's High Commissioner for Strategy and Planning, a former secretary of state for European Affairs and a former minister-delegate for Europe in French governments. He supposes that the current political fragmentation will not disappear with elections in the years to come, and urges French political forces to find the kind of compromises that have enabled coalition governments to function in other European countries.

It was a keenly awaited speech and the theatrics did not disappoint. Boos and heckles punctuated EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's key address of this new political season, the 2025 State of the Union. At one point the president of the European Parliament had to intervene and threaten some of the more vocal MEPs with expulsion from the chamber.