Podcasts about European External Action Service

'War, sanctions and western disunity' As Russia's invasion of Ukraine is in its fourth year and efforts to pause the conflict have both intensified and become more complex, David O'Sullivan, the EU's Sanctions Envoy since January 2023, discusses the use of sanctions by the EU and others on Russia. Since the invasion in 2022, sixteen packages of sanctions have sought to prevent Russia from accessing dual-use and advanced technologies for the manufacturing of cutting-edge weapons, and to degrade Russia's ability to finance its war of aggression. Mr O'Sullivan discusses the evolution and efficacy of these measures and how the changed posture of the US vis-à-vis the conflict in recent months has affected EU sanctions policy. About the Speaker: David O'Sullivan spent most of his career, before formally retiring in 2019, in a series of senior roles at the European Commission, including Secretary-General of the European Commission; Chief Operating Officer of the European External Action Service; Director General for Trade; and Chief of Staff to Commission President, Romano Prodi. He also served as Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to the United States from November 2014 until February 2019, which included more than half of the first term of US president Donald Trump. Prior to taking up his role as EU Sanctions Envoy, David was Director General of the IIEA.

Baroness Catherine Ashton, formerly the European Union's lead for foreign and security strategy, discusses challenges, opportunities and tips for collaborative strategy-making. As the EU's first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Baroness Ashton was at the heart of international strategy making between 2009 and 2014 working on some of the world's most intractable problems. She was appointed by the UN Security Council to lead the P5+1 negotiations for a nuclear deal with Iran and was in post when Russia first invaded Ukraine, seizing Crimea and parts of the Donbas in 2014. She also led peace negotiations in the Western Balkans between Serbia and Kosovo, for which she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. In this episode, she reflects on strategy-making in an international and supranational context, the challenges facing Europe today and how ‘false binaries' – such as those that posit the EU and NATO as being in opposition – stifle effective strategy elaboration. She argues that strategy makers need preparedness of thought and action, the ability to ground their ambition both in reality but also in individual and organisational values, as well as the will to ask, and respond to, the key question of any adaptive strategy, ‘And then what?'. In an illustrious career, The Rt Hon The Baroness Catherine Ashton of Upholland LG GCMG PC was a minister, Leader of the House of Lords, the UK's first female Commissioner in the European Union and the High Representative and First Vice President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in the Barroso Commission establishing the European External Action Service as a major actor in international affairs.

What is BRICS, really — a loose coalition of emerging economies, or a growing challenge to Western-led global governance? In this episode, we take a deep dive into the origins, goals, and internal dynamics of BRICS, the group that brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa — and now a new wave of members. Why do such diverse countries come together under one banner? What does BRICS actually do, and how effective is it in turning ambition into action? We explore China's and Russia's strategic interests, the Global South's discontent with the current international system, and whether BRICS could offer a real alternative to institutions like the UN, G7, IMF, or World Bank. We also discuss recent developments — from the war in Ukraine to U.S. trade policy — and ask: Is BRICS moving toward a shared ideology? Can economic cooperation within the bloc grow? And how realistic is the idea of a BRICS currency — or the broader push toward de-dollarizing global trade? To unpack all this and more, we're joined by Ingrid D'Hooghe and Ksenia Radchenkova, offering insights on geopolitics, economics, and the shifting architecture of international power.Guests:Dr. Ingrid d'Hooghe is Senior Research Associate at the China Centre of the Clingendael Institute and Senior Research Fellow at the LeidenAsiaCentre, The Netherlands. Her areas of expertise include China's strategic thinking and policy making in areas such as international relations and diplomacy, global governance, and science and technology.D'Hooghe holds a Master's degree in Sinology from Leiden University, The Netherlands, and a PhD in political science from Antwerp University, Belgium. She started her career as a policy officer at the Dutch Embassy in Beijing in the period 1989 – 1991 and has since worked as a China researcher and lecturer at various universities and think tanks, and as an advisor to Dutch government organizations, the European Commission, and European research institutions. She also presents at top universities and think tanks around the globe, and at institutions such as the European External Action Service and NATO. She publishes in academic and popular journals and appears regularly in the media. Recent publications address European universities' S&T collaboration with China, and China's maritime activities in disputed areas in the South China Sea.Ksenia Radchenkova, BA. spec. M.Sc. Ph.D is a Post-Doctoral Researcher and Coordinator for Eastern European, Eurasian and Asian research and cooperation projects at the Section Global Governance at the Institute for the Foundations of Law of the University of Graz. She was awarded her Bachelor's and Specialist's degrees in Sinology and Chinese Economy from the Far Eastern State University in Vladivostok, Russia. She subsequently obtained her Master of Science degree in Technology Economy Management from Xiamen University, People's Republic of China. Following several years of professional experience in the field of international trade as an operations manager, Radchenkova returned to academic pursuits in Austria, where she successfully defended her PhD in Law and Politics, entitled "The Concept of Sovereignty in Political and Legal Discourse in Russia and China", at the University of Graz, Austria. Radchenkova's current position entails the integration of her business experience with her academic background, with the objective of enhancing the international connections of the University of Graz. She is also committed to the promotion of excellence in research within the domain of international relations and politics. Moderation:Marylia Hushcha, Researcher and Project Manager at the IIP.The episode was recorded on 17 April 2025 with the support of The Austria Future Fund and the Conflict Peace Democracy Cluster of the Federal Ministry of the Republic of Austria - Education, Science and Research.

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Alessandro Accorsi, a senior analyst for social media and conflict at the International Crisis Group. Prior to joining ICG, he worked for five years at the European External Action Service, where he led a taskforce countering foreign interference and information manipulation in the Middle East. He also worked for five years as a freelance journalist in Cairo. Transcript: "Alessandro Accorsi: Disinformation Warfare in the Middle East," CSIS, February 13, 2025. Alessandro Accorsi's recent work: "How Israel Mastered Information Warfare in Gaza," Foreign Policy, March 11, 2024.

Legal experts from the European Commission, the European External Action Service, the Council of Europe, Ukraine, and representatives from 37 countries agreed on the legal framework for a special tribunal to try Vladimir Putin and his officials for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.The experts finalized the so-called ‘Schuman draft Statute', the core legal text governing the tribunal's functioning.But, will this tribunal really bring justice? Will Putin ever pay for what he has done in Ukraine?Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the ChinaPower podcast Meia Nouwens joins us to discuss the major themes and takeaways from the 2024 Shangri-La Dialogue. She discusses this year's record number of high-level participants and the significance of the dialogue for regional security. Nouwens unpacks both Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun's and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's speeches and analyzes what they can tell us about the current state of U.S.-China relations. Finally, Nouwens speaks to how China's participation and actions this year differed from previous years and what messages China may have been conveying regarding its approach to global security going forward. Meia Nouwens is a senior fellow for Chinese Security and Defense Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).  Her expertise lies in Chinese cross-service defense analysis, China's defense industry and innovation, as well as China's regional strategic affairs and international relations. She leads IISS research on China's Digital Silk Road and was a co-lead of the China Security Project with the Mercator Institute for China Studies. Prior to commencing at IISS, she worked for the European External Action Service as a policy officer in Taipei, and as a trade analyst in the EU's delegation to New Zealand. Meia holds a BA Hons in international relations and political science from Macquarie University, a master's in international relations and diplomacy from Leiden University in conjunction with the Clingendael Institute, and an MPhil in modern Chinese studies from the University of Oxford and Peking University.

In this address to the IIEA, Lutz Güllner, Head of Division for Strategic Communications and Information Analysis at the European External Action Service, discusses the issue of disinformation and foreign information manipulation and their implications for the EU's democratic resilience. Mr Güllner also focuses on the ways in which the EU is responding to foreign disinformation and provides his expert opinion on the further steps the EU could take in this domain. About the Speaker: Lutz Güllner is Head of Division for Strategic Communications and Information Analysis in the European External Action Service. As part of his work, he focuses on how to address disinformation threats and foreign manipulative interference targeting the EU and for the EU's neighbourhood region. Prior to his current position he served as Head of the EEAS's foreign and security policy communication team (2017-2019) and as Head of the European Commission's Directorate General for Trade's communication team (2013-17). He was also Deputy Head of the Trade Strategy Unit and responsible for the coordination of EU-US trade and economic relations.

How does the European Union conduct its foreign policy in a turbulent world? Since its creation in 2010, what has the European External Action Service learned from shocks and crises? Jan Eijking speaks to former EEAS Managing Director for Africa and for the Middle East, Dr Nicholas Westcott, who is Professor of Practice at SOAS University of London. We spoke about crisis in the Sahel, the EU's engagements in Libya and Syria, and the future of the EU in a turbulent world. More about the EEASMore about Nick WestcottMore background on EU diplomacyGlobal Shocks is the official podcast of the Oxford Martin Programme on Changing Global Orders, University of Oxford. Changing Global Orders is a collaboration of members of the Faculty of History and the Department of Politics and International Relations. Our co-directors are Professor Andrew Thompson, Professor Patricia Clavin, Professor Louise Fawcett, and Professor Andrew Hurrell. Our postdoctoral fellows are Dr Boyd van Dijk and Dr Jan Eijking. Host and producer: Jan Eijking (University of Oxford)Music: “Space!” by HoliznaCC0, CC0 1.0Logo: Roger Gray (Oxford Martin School)Audio consultant: Melissa FitzGerald (Zinc Media)Website: changingglobalorders.web.ox.ac.ukTwitter/X: twitter.com/OxGlobalOrdersChanging Global Orders is a programme of the Oxford Martin School. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jim is joined by very special guest Lutz Güllner, Head of Strategic Communications at the EU's European External Action Service, to discuss disinformation challenges in a big election year, and how breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence alter this threat.  Along with Jim's AI-expert colleague Pete Wilson, Lutz kindly sets out his perspectives from the frontline of the EU's efforts to tackle coordinated disinformation campaigns.   It is a challenge that requires action across a wide perimeter of the EU's policymaking remit, stretching from sanctions policy, to societal education, to the responsibilities of tech platforms; as well as to the EEAS's own EUvsDisinfo website, which we guarantee is utterly unlike any other EU online material you have ever read.   All this is very much in focus amid recent high-profile deepfakes and the EU's own imminent encounter with the voters: the 6-9 June European Elections, the largest multi-national democratic exercise in the world.   In this new era, to protect our democracy, the integrity of elections needs to be able to withstand almost perfect imitation of reality.  Follow us on social and find out about new episodes   X @FleishmanEU  LinkedIn @FleishmanHillard EU  Instagram @FleishmanHillardEU 

Last week, Polityka Insight and The European Council on Foreign Relations hosted the Warsaw European Conversation. We focused on Europe, prosperity, security, and war. During the conference we went offstage to record six fascinating conversations with our esteemed panellists. The result of which are two podcasts. In today's episode, Magdalena Cedro spoke to the co-founder and director of ECFR, Mark Leonard, and to Stefano Sannino, Secretary General of the European External Action Service. In the third conversation, Julia Cydejko speaks to Quentin Genard of the European Climate Foundation.

Early next month, the European Union and China are set to hold the 24th bilateral summit. The last EU-China summit was held via video conference in April 2022. It took place against the background of China's countermeasures to EU sanctions on human rights, Chinese economic coercion and trade measures against the single market, and most importantly, Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and Beijing's unwillingness to condemn the invasion. Earlier this year, the European Council reaffirmed the EU's multifaceted policy approach towards China, which is based on the judgment that China is simultaneously a partner, a competitor, and a systemic rival. However, that balancing act is getting more and more difficult.Host Bonnie Glaser is joined by Mr. Gunnar Wiegand, who has recently retired from the post of Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service, which he held for 7 ½ years. He is now a visiting professor at the College of Europe and the Paris School of International Affairs, and as of November 1, 2023, he has joined GMF's Indo-Pacific program as a visiting distinguished fellow.  Timestamps[01:39] EU-China Relations on the Eve of the 24th Bilateral Summit[05:13] Impact of the War in Ukraine on EU-China Relations[07:29] How could China alleviate concerns in Europe? [09:33] De-risking in the European Union[15:27] Proportionate and Precise Economic Security[18:27] How similar are EU and US perceptions of China?[22:13] The EU's Stance on Taiwan[26:19] How can EU contribute to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait?[27:21] Outcomes of the Biden-Xi Summit

When she was chosen as the EU's first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP) in 2009, Catherine Ashton admits she "felt no exhilaration", fearing she had "few obvious credentials and lukewarm support". On leaving office five years later - 19 months before the Brexit referendum - this former British minister had confounded her inner doubter. A new European External Action Service had been built from scratch and the HR/VP had become a pivotal global player - brokering what had seemed an impossible settlement between Serbia and Kosovo and performing the role of closer in the multi-party Iranian nuclear negotiations. Ashton's memoirs of those five years - And Then What?: Inside Stories of 21st-Century Diplomacy (Elliott & Thompson, 2023) - go behind the scenes during critical moments in recent diplomatic history including Egypt's excruciating transition from dictatorship to uneasy democracy, the Iranian nuclear deal, the fragile Serb-Kosovan talks, and the 2014 Ukrainian crisis and its aftermath. She writes: "Success is rarely the effect of one moment but of thousands of interlocking actions over a sustained period; and tiny details, especially in difficult negotiations, can make the difference between success and failure even if they seem arbitrary or inconsequential". *Her book recommendations are Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis by Graham Allison (Longman, 1971) and Never by Ken Follett (Macmillan, 2021) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

When she was chosen as the EU's first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP) in 2009, Catherine Ashton admits she "felt no exhilaration", fearing she had "few obvious credentials and lukewarm support". On leaving office five years later - 19 months before the Brexit referendum - this former British minister had confounded her inner doubter. A new European External Action Service had been built from scratch and the HR/VP had become a pivotal global player - brokering what had seemed an impossible settlement between Serbia and Kosovo and performing the role of closer in the multi-party Iranian nuclear negotiations. Ashton's memoirs of those five years - And Then What?: Inside Stories of 21st-Century Diplomacy (Elliott & Thompson, 2023) - go behind the scenes during critical moments in recent diplomatic history including Egypt's excruciating transition from dictatorship to uneasy democracy, the Iranian nuclear deal, the fragile Serb-Kosovan talks, and the 2014 Ukrainian crisis and its aftermath. She writes: "Success is rarely the effect of one moment but of thousands of interlocking actions over a sustained period; and tiny details, especially in difficult negotiations, can make the difference between success and failure even if they seem arbitrary or inconsequential". *Her book recommendations are Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis by Graham Allison (Longman, 1971) and Never by Ken Follett (Macmillan, 2021) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

When she was chosen as the EU's first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP) in 2009, Catherine Ashton admits she "felt no exhilaration", fearing she had "few obvious credentials and lukewarm support". On leaving office five years later - 19 months before the Brexit referendum - this former British minister had confounded her inner doubter. A new European External Action Service had been built from scratch and the HR/VP had become a pivotal global player - brokering what had seemed an impossible settlement between Serbia and Kosovo and performing the role of closer in the multi-party Iranian nuclear negotiations. Ashton's memoirs of those five years - And Then What?: Inside Stories of 21st-Century Diplomacy (Elliott & Thompson, 2023) - go behind the scenes during critical moments in recent diplomatic history including Egypt's excruciating transition from dictatorship to uneasy democracy, the Iranian nuclear deal, the fragile Serb-Kosovan talks, and the 2014 Ukrainian crisis and its aftermath. She writes: "Success is rarely the effect of one moment but of thousands of interlocking actions over a sustained period; and tiny details, especially in difficult negotiations, can make the difference between success and failure even if they seem arbitrary or inconsequential". *Her book recommendations are Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis by Graham Allison (Longman, 1971) and Never by Ken Follett (Macmillan, 2021) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

When she was chosen as the EU's first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP) in 2009, Catherine Ashton admits she "felt no exhilaration", fearing she had "few obvious credentials and lukewarm support". On leaving office five years later - 19 months before the Brexit referendum - this former British minister had confounded her inner doubter. A new European External Action Service had been built from scratch and the HR/VP had become a pivotal global player - brokering what had seemed an impossible settlement between Serbia and Kosovo and performing the role of closer in the multi-party Iranian nuclear negotiations. Ashton's memoirs of those five years - And Then What?: Inside Stories of 21st-Century Diplomacy (Elliott & Thompson, 2023) - go behind the scenes during critical moments in recent diplomatic history including Egypt's excruciating transition from dictatorship to uneasy democracy, the Iranian nuclear deal, the fragile Serb-Kosovan talks, and the 2014 Ukrainian crisis and its aftermath. She writes: "Success is rarely the effect of one moment but of thousands of interlocking actions over a sustained period; and tiny details, especially in difficult negotiations, can make the difference between success and failure even if they seem arbitrary or inconsequential". *Her book recommendations are Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis by Graham Allison (Longman, 1971) and Never by Ken Follett (Macmillan, 2021) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

When she was chosen as the EU's first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP) in 2009, Catherine Ashton admits she "felt no exhilaration", fearing she had "few obvious credentials and lukewarm support". On leaving office five years later - 19 months before the Brexit referendum - this former British minister had confounded her inner doubter. A new European External Action Service had been built from scratch and the HR/VP had become a pivotal global player - brokering what had seemed an impossible settlement between Serbia and Kosovo and performing the role of closer in the multi-party Iranian nuclear negotiations. Ashton's memoirs of those five years - And Then What?: Inside Stories of 21st-Century Diplomacy (Elliott & Thompson, 2023) - go behind the scenes during critical moments in recent diplomatic history including Egypt's excruciating transition from dictatorship to uneasy democracy, the Iranian nuclear deal, the fragile Serb-Kosovan talks, and the 2014 Ukrainian crisis and its aftermath. She writes: "Success is rarely the effect of one moment but of thousands of interlocking actions over a sustained period; and tiny details, especially in difficult negotiations, can make the difference between success and failure even if they seem arbitrary or inconsequential". *Her book recommendations are Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis by Graham Allison (Longman, 1971) and Never by Ken Follett (Macmillan, 2021) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

When she was chosen as the EU's first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP) in 2009, Catherine Ashton admits she "felt no exhilaration", fearing she had "few obvious credentials and lukewarm support". On leaving office five years later - 19 months before the Brexit referendum - this former British minister had confounded her inner doubter. A new European External Action Service had been built from scratch and the HR/VP had become a pivotal global player - brokering what had seemed an impossible settlement between Serbia and Kosovo and performing the role of closer in the multi-party Iranian nuclear negotiations. Ashton's memoirs of those five years - And Then What?: Inside Stories of 21st-Century Diplomacy (Elliott & Thompson, 2023) - go behind the scenes during critical moments in recent diplomatic history including Egypt's excruciating transition from dictatorship to uneasy democracy, the Iranian nuclear deal, the fragile Serb-Kosovan talks, and the 2014 Ukrainian crisis and its aftermath. She writes: "Success is rarely the effect of one moment but of thousands of interlocking actions over a sustained period; and tiny details, especially in difficult negotiations, can make the difference between success and failure even if they seem arbitrary or inconsequential". *Her book recommendations are Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis by Graham Allison (Longman, 1971) and Never by Ken Follett (Macmillan, 2021) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When she was chosen as the EU's first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP) in 2009, Catherine Ashton admits she "felt no exhilaration", fearing she had "few obvious credentials and lukewarm support". On leaving office five years later - 19 months before the Brexit referendum - this former British minister had confounded her inner doubter. A new European External Action Service had been built from scratch and the HR/VP had become a pivotal global player - brokering what had seemed an impossible settlement between Serbia and Kosovo and performing the role of closer in the multi-party Iranian nuclear negotiations. Ashton's memoirs of those five years - And Then What?: Inside Stories of 21st-Century Diplomacy (Elliott & Thompson, 2023) - go behind the scenes during critical moments in recent diplomatic history including Egypt's excruciating transition from dictatorship to uneasy democracy, the Iranian nuclear deal, the fragile Serb-Kosovan talks, and the 2014 Ukrainian crisis and its aftermath. She writes: "Success is rarely the effect of one moment but of thousands of interlocking actions over a sustained period; and tiny details, especially in difficult negotiations, can make the difference between success and failure even if they seem arbitrary or inconsequential". *Her book recommendations are Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis by Graham Allison (Longman, 1971) and Never by Ken Follett (Macmillan, 2021) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/eastern-european-studies

When she was chosen as the EU's first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP) in 2009, Catherine Ashton admits she "felt no exhilaration", fearing she had "few obvious credentials and lukewarm support". On leaving office five years later - 19 months before the Brexit referendum - this former British minister had confounded her inner doubter. A new European External Action Service had been built from scratch and the HR/VP had become a pivotal global player - brokering what had seemed an impossible settlement between Serbia and Kosovo and performing the role of closer in the multi-party Iranian nuclear negotiations. Ashton's memoirs of those five years - And Then What?: Inside Stories of 21st-Century Diplomacy (Elliott & Thompson, 2023) - go behind the scenes during critical moments in recent diplomatic history including Egypt's excruciating transition from dictatorship to uneasy democracy, the Iranian nuclear deal, the fragile Serb-Kosovan talks, and the 2014 Ukrainian crisis and its aftermath. She writes: "Success is rarely the effect of one moment but of thousands of interlocking actions over a sustained period; and tiny details, especially in difficult negotiations, can make the difference between success and failure even if they seem arbitrary or inconsequential". *Her book recommendations are Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis by Graham Allison (Longman, 1971) and Never by Ken Follett (Macmillan, 2021) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When she was chosen as the EU's first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP) in 2009, Catherine Ashton admits she "felt no exhilaration", fearing she had "few obvious credentials and lukewarm support". On leaving office five years later - 19 months before the Brexit referendum - this former British minister had confounded her inner doubter. A new European External Action Service had been built from scratch and the HR/VP had become a pivotal global player - brokering what had seemed an impossible settlement between Serbia and Kosovo and performing the role of closer in the multi-party Iranian nuclear negotiations. Ashton's memoirs of those five years - And Then What?: Inside Stories of 21st-Century Diplomacy (Elliott & Thompson, 2023) - go behind the scenes during critical moments in recent diplomatic history including Egypt's excruciating transition from dictatorship to uneasy democracy, the Iranian nuclear deal, the fragile Serb-Kosovan talks, and the 2014 Ukrainian crisis and its aftermath. She writes: "Success is rarely the effect of one moment but of thousands of interlocking actions over a sustained period; and tiny details, especially in difficult negotiations, can make the difference between success and failure even if they seem arbitrary or inconsequential". *Her book recommendations are Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis by Graham Allison (Longman, 1971) and Never by Ken Follett (Macmillan, 2021) Tim Gwynn Jones is an economic and political-risk analyst at Medley Advisors, who also writes the Twenty-Four Two newsletter on Substack and hosts the In The Room podcast series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was recorded at the first ever Indo-Pacific Forum at the Brussels School of Governance, hosted by our partners, the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy. The forum was an opportunity for experts and policymakers from across both Europe and the Indo-Pacific to come together to talk about some really important issues - and for us to take them to one side to record them. Delegates discussed the geopolitical landscape - in particular, the US-China rivalry and how countries in the Indo-Pacific are responding to it - and what Europe's role in all of that might be. There was a session on the major security and defence trends taking place in the region, and one on the quickly changing landscape of technology and supply chains. To give you a flavour of the event, we talked to experts from each of the panels. Firstly Yuichi Hosoya, Professor of International Politics at Keio University, spoke on the balance of power in the region and how it's changed over time. Yoon Jung Choi, Director of the Center for Indo-Pacific Studies at South Korea's Sejong Institute, explained global supply chains and digital partnerships between Europe and Indo-Pacific countries. And lastly  Richard Tibbels, Special Envoy for the Indo-Pacific at the European External Action Service, talked about how the EU sees its role in the region - and what the trends over the next few years might be.  

A cyber-attack has never been qualified as an armed attack, but cyber operations will continue to be used to assist military goals, as we are witnessing in Ukraine. Applying cyber defence measures to defend critical digital assets, both military or civilian, should be an important part of any effective response strategy. But what does constitute an armed attack in cyberspace? Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar, Director of the Digital Society Institute at ESMT Berlin and previously Ambassador for Cyber Diplomacy and Director General for the Cyber Diplomacy Department at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, acknowledges the answer varies depending on a country's dependency on digital technologies, it's cyber resilience and robustness of key infrastructures, and its cyber defence and offense posture. Heli talks to Ronan about her background, when a cyber attack could be defined as an armed attack, the Estonian cyber attack in 2007, how to respond to cyber attacks and more. More about Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar: Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar has been the Director of the Digital Society Institute at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin since January 2022. From 2018 to 2021, she served as Ambassador for Cyber Diplomacy and Director General for the Cyber Diplomacy Department at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she led the efforts to promote international law and cyber norms during Estonia's tenure on the United Nations Security Council. From 2012 to 2018, Heli worked as a Head of Cyber Policy Coordination at the European External Action Service, where she coordinated EU external relations on cyber issues and co-led preparations of European Cyber Security Strategies. She set up EU strategic level cyber dialogues with the United States, India, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, and China as well as international organizations. She also kicked off EU global cyber capacity building programs and steered the development of the EU Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox to bolster European response to malicious cyber activities. In 2011, she was assigned to the NATO International Staff to prepare the NATO Cyber Defence Policy. Heli has been working on cyber and tech policies since 2007 when she led the development of the first whole-of-government Estonian Cyber Security Strategy.

Catherine Nicholson interviews Stefano Sannino, the head of the EU's global network of 144 ambassadors and heads of delegation. The Secretary General of the European External Action Service addresses the West's concerns about the latest joint Russian-Belarusian military activities, warning that further EU sanctions against Minsk could be on the way. He also discusses the growing Russia-Iran military partnership, and touches on the EU's relations with China and the UK.

On this episode of Defence Deconstructed, Cleo Paskal is joined by H.E. Kareen Rispal, H.E. Christophe Penot, H.E. Gabriele Visentin, RAdm Jean-Mathieu Rey, and Jonathan Fried to discuss the convergences between the French, European, and Canadian Indo-Pacific visions. Participants Bio: Kareen Rispal was the French Ambassador to Canada from 2017 to March 2022. She is now the Inspector General of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Christophe Penot is France's first Ambassador to the Indo-Pacific since October 2021. Previously, he served as France's Ambassador to Australia and was stationed in Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam. He also worked in the UK and Canada.  Gabriele Visentin is the EU Special Envoy for the Indo-Pacific since September 2021. He has been an official of the European External Action Service since 2011, where he served as Head of the Parliamentary Affairs Division.  Rear Admiral Jean-Mathieu Rey is the French Joint commander of the Asia-Pacific zone. A senior naval Special Forces officer with operational experience mainly in the Indo Pacific area, he was previously deployed to the French Foreign Ministry as an adviser for security and defence cooperation in Asia and South America.  Jonathan Fried is a former Canadian diplomat whose career spanned law, economics and trade. He is now Senior Advisor with Bennett Jones, LLP, the Albright Stonebridge Group, Senior Associate to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Advisor to Llewellyn Consulting.  Cleo Paskal is an Associate Fellow with Chatham House, London, U.K. and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow for the Indo-Pacific with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Washington, D.C. She serves on the International Board of Advisors, Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies (India) and the International Board of Advisors, Global Counter-Terrorism Council, India. Host Bio: Dave Perry is President of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (www.cgai.ca/david_perry) Recording Date: 117 Feb 2022 Follow the Canadian Global Affairs Institute on Facebook, Twitter (@CAGlobalAffairs), or on LinkedIn. Head over to our website at www.cgai.ca for more commentary. Produced by Charlotte Duval-Lantoine. Music credits to Drew Phillips

Policy differences between Europe and Africa have been widening, and while there may be warm words about a new partnership when the leaders of the EU and African Union meet in Brussels, there are unlikely to be breakthroughs on key African demands. One area where Europeans and Africans have long seen eye-to-eye is fighting jihadists, and Europe has not hesitated to ally with African autocrats who promise a measure of stability. Could Françafrique — the French sphere of influence that outlived the end of French colonialism — still be revived on a European scale, as Eurafrique? Nick Westcott is the director of the Royal African Society in London and he was the first managing director for Africa at the EU's European External Action Service. Faten Aggad is a senior advisor at the African Climate Foundation and she was formerly a senior advisor for negotiations with the EU with the African Union High Representative in Addis Ababa. Elissa Jobson is director for global advocacy at the International Crisis Group and she was previously the group's main liaison with the African Union. The Open Society European Policy Institute partnered with EU Scream in making this episode.Support the show (https://euscream.com/donate/)

We're heading to familiar territory again on this week's podcast - the Indo-Pacific. Increasingly, the area is becoming the centre of the geopolitical conversation being had all around the world.  China's showcasing of its increasing might there is a big reason for this of course. But the sheer size of this complex region and the wealth of its resources means the Indo-Pacific's many other diverse players cannot be overlooked. How can the United States and its European allies best manage relations with the powers in this all-important region - and how should the transatlantic allies work together to best serve their respective goals? Our guests this week could not be better placed to answer those questions. Admiral Harry Harris was US ambassador to South Korea from 2018 to 2021. Before that he served as the commander of the US Pacific Command, which has now been renamed the Indo Pacific Command, and also served as direct representative to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Secretaries of State, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry. We're also delighted to welcome Dr Michael Reiterer back to Asia Matters, who has an equally distinguished career as a long term diplomat. He has worked for his own national service, and also the European External Action Service. He served as EU ambassador to Korea, from 2017 to 2020 - where he crossed over with Admiral Harris. He is now a distinguished professor at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Brussels School of Governance.This episode is a recording of a webinar held in collaboration with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, and Senior Associate Fellow Raffaello Pantucci is our host for this episode. The podcast is part of a project on transatlantic dialogue on China that RUSI is running at the moment with Chatham House, which has been generously supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.As ever, you can find more information on our website -  www.asiamatterspod.com 

It is important to reflect internationally on climate-altering approaches such as Solar Radiation Modification, in case the world is not capable of meeting the mitigation challenge, says Marc Vanheukelen the European External Action Service's ambassador at large for climate diplomacy during a C2GTalk interview. But these approaches should not become an “alibi for inaction. International governance will be needed, but strategically it is best not to move too quickly, but rather first familiarize smaller groups with these ideas, at the expert level, and then to start moving these ideas gradually up the policy ladder as discussions gain traction. Marc Vanheukelen is "hors classe" adviser and ambassador at large for climate diplomacy at the EU's External Action Service. From 2015 till 2019 he was the EU ambassador to the World Trade Organisation in Geneva. Prior to his ambassadorial posting, Vanheukelen was director in DG TRADE (European Commission) responsible for sustainable development, economic partnership agreements, and agri-food and fisheries, preceded by his role as head of cabinet for former EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht. He has also served as head of cabinet to the former Belgian minister for foreign affairs. This interview was recorded on May 25, 2021, and is available with interpretation into 中文, Español, and Français. For more, including an edited transcript, please go to C2G's website.

In this episode, we sat down with Javier Niño Pérez, Director/Deputy Management Director for the Americas at the European External Action Service, and Cristina Lobillo Borrero, Director of Energy Policy at DG ENER of the European Commission, for our first in-person event and interview since the onset of the pandemic. We discuss policy and diplomatic priorities for EU-Latin American relations and explore topics such as the European Green Deal, digital transformation, and more. This episode was produced in collaboration with the Latin American Policy Association at Georgetown. The Europe Desk is a podcast from the BMW Center for German and European Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. It brings together leading experts working on the most pertinent issues facing Europe and transatlantic relations today. Music by Sam Kyzivat and Breakmaster Cylinder Production by Nick Lokker and Jakob Winkler Communications by Iris Thatcher, Shelby Emami, Mason Kane, Colleen Dougherty, and Flora Adamian Design by Sarah Diebboll https://cges.georgetown.edu/podcast Twitter and Instagram: @theeuropedesk If you would like a transcript of this episode, more information about the Center's events, or have any feedback, please email: theeuropedesk@georgetown.edu.

As the world's geopolitical and economic balance shifts eastwards, the Indo-Pacific region is emerging as an area of vital strategic importance. However, it is also a region of rising tensions and increasing geopolitical competition. The EU's Indo-Pacific strategy, presented in September 2021, is a significant moment for the development of EU policy in this region. This event explores Europe's deepening engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, and encompasses the perspectives of the EU, Member States and regional actors. About the Speakers: George Cunningham, is a Strategic Adviser on Asia-Pacific Affairs in the European External Action Service. He was previously Deputy EU Ambassador to Afghanistan (2016-18). Before this he served as EEAS Deputy Head of Division for China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Mongolia (2012-16). Shada Islam  is an advisor and analyst on Europe's relations with Asia and Africa. She is a member of the European Policy Centre's Strategic Council and she is a Non-resident fellow at the Center for Global Development. In 2017, she was selected as one of the 20 most influential women in Brussels by the magazine Politico. Dr Frédéric Grare is a Senior Policy Fellow with the Asia Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. He previously worked in the  French Ministry for Europe and External Affairs where he focused on the Indo-Pacific. Prior to this he served as the South Asia programme director at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Over the course of the past weeks, the EU's agenda was filled with Indo-Pacific related developments ranging from the successful release of the EU's Indo-Pacific strategy to shock linked to the cancellation of the French military sale to Australia and the announcement of the AUKUS alliance.In this episode, we talk with Mr. Gunnar Wiegand, the Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service, an institute at the forefront of the EU's engagement with the Indo-Pacific region and China.The conversation touches on a range of strategic issues related to the EU's ambitions and capabilities in the region, EU-China relations in the Indo-Pacific, EU-Taiwan ties and transatlantic cooperation.---If you are interested in our research on EU-China topics you may want to subscribe to our biweekly MERICS Europe China 360° Brief.

Today's guest is Erwan Fouéré, Associate Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies, where he focuses on the EU's role in the Balkans, with a specific focus on Macedonia. Prior to joining CEPS, Erwan served for 38 years with the EU institutions in various capacities, including at Headquarters and the European External Action Service. His most recent appointment was as Special Representative for the Irish 2012 Chairmanship of the OSCE. In this episode, Alon and Erwan discuss a multitude of issues surrounding the European Union and the Western Balkans region, including the enlargement of the EU, particularly in relation to the Western Balkans, and the lack of consistency within EU foreign policy regarding enlargement. In addition, they examine the impediments to progress within the EU itself: the unanimity rule and what steps can be taken to mitigate its negative impacts, and what can be done about member states such as Poland and Hungary, which are departing from democratic governance and the values of the EU itself. A full transcript of the episode can be found here: http://alonben-meir.com/audio/on-the-issues-episode-76-erwan-fouere/ Full Bio: After having pursued a career spanning 38 years with the EU institutions, during which he assumed various responsibilities both at Headquarters and more particularly in the EU's External Service, Erwan Fouéré has joined CEPS as an Associate Senior Research Fellow. His area of research is on the EU's role in the Balkans, seen from various angles (security & stability, enlargement, domestic politics), with a specific focus on Macedonia. More generally, he will also assess the impact of the Lisbon Treaty on the EU's performance, with specific reference to the role of EU Special Representatives. Prior to joining CEPS, Erwan Fouéré's most recent appointment was as Special Representative for the Irish 2012 Chairmanship of the OSCE, with special responsibility for the Transdniestrian settlement process. He was the first to assume joint responsibilities of EU Special Representative and Head of Delegation in the EU External Service when he was appointed in this double capacity in Macedonia (2005), where he served for five years up to his retirement from the EU Institutions. Before that, he was Head of Delegation in Slovenia leading to accession, the first Head of Delegation in South Africa (1994) and the first Head of EC Delegations in Mexico and Cuba (1989). He was also Deputy Head of the Delegation for Relations with Latin America based in Caracas (1984). At headquarters, he worked successively on the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) and relations with East European Countries, on international relations in the field of the environment, and on EU relations with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). He was a post graduate research assistant at the Max Kohnstamm Institute for European Affairs (1970-72), and a Guest Scholar at the Brookings Institution (1983). He has lectured at several European universities on EU Foreign and Security Policy, and was a regular contributor to EU Masters Course of Human Rights (2000-2010).

*) EU: Iran nuclear deal talks closer to saving 2015 deal The European Union has said that negotiators are closer to saving the Iran nuclear deal but sticking points remain. The announcement from Enrique Mora of the European External Action Service comes a day after Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline judge, won Iran's presidential election. Sunday's meeting was part of regular discussions aimed at bringing the US back to the 2015 pact and Iran back into compliance with curbs on its nuclear programme. *) Ethiopia votes in greatest electoral test yet for Abiy Ethiopia has begun voting in general elections, the greatest electoral test yet for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Tigray's war and logistical issues mean ballots wouldn't be cast in more than 100 constituencies of the 547 across the country. Abiy's ruling Prosperity Party is widely expected to retain power as opposition groups accused it of harassment, manipulation and threats of violence that echo abuses of the past. *) Libya reopens highway linking east and west Libya's unity government has reopened the coastal highway linking the country's east and west, which remained closed for years due to fighting. Interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said the announcement was another key step in a UN-led peace process. The highway connects the war-torn North African country's border with Tunisia to its frontier with Egypt. *) Armenian PM's party wins snap parliamentary vote Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's party has won snap parliamentary elections with 53.9 percent of the vote. His rival ex-president Robert Kocharyan's alliance received 21 percent of the vote, the election commission said. Early elections were called by Pashinyan in a bid to ease public anger over a peace deal he signed with Azerbaijan in November. And finally ... *) Italy beat Wales, both advance to round of 16 at Euro 2020 Matteo # scored the only goal as Italy made its three wins out of three games at Euro 2020 by beating Wales 1-0, with both teams advancing to the last 16. The win means Italy will play the runner-up from Group C in the next round, with Wales facing the team that comes second in Group B. Italy extended their unbeaten run to 30 games with 25 wins and five draws, a feat last achieved under two-time World Cup winner coach Vittorio Pozzo between 1935 and 1939.

Stefano Sannino, Secretary General of the European External Action Service, talks to Paul Adamson about the EEAS's performance and how it is responding to new foreign and security policy challenges.

Stefano Sannino, Secretary General of the European External Action Service, talks to Paul Adamson about the EEAS's performance and how it is responding to new foreign and security policy challenges.

In this episode, we took a look at how the Russian government and its media networks used their power and reach to discredit Covid vaccines made by Western companies and how it boosted its own Sputnik V Covid jab -- and how this might backfire. Experts say that attributing anonymous or obfuscated social media profiles is tricky, but they tend to be remarkably consistent and align with the goal of promoting Sputnik V at the expense of Western, but not Chinese vaccines. We talked to Seb Cubbon, a research analyst at First Draft (one of their reports here), Miriam Matthews, senior behavioral and social scientist at RAND, Olga Dobrovidova, a Russian science journalist, Bret Schafer from the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), Peter Stano, lead spokesperson at the European External Action Service, which is the EU's diplomatic service, and Peter Balasz, a former diplomat and professor emeritus, Central European University.  You can read more about vaccine disinformation in the New York Times, CNN and other sources. A link to the transcript is here. Our reporting is supported by Journalismfund.eu, Media Lab Bayern and Alfred Toepfer Stiftung. Please subscribe to this show on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Google Podcasts, Spotify or another platform of your choice. Follow us on Facebook as @theinoculation, on Twitter as @TInoculation, and on Instagram as @the_inoculation

This week Asia Matters joins forces with the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Brussels School of Governance, home to a rich expertise on Asia and working to enhance understanding of Europe's security challenges in the region. Our first in what will be a series of episodes is on disinformation.  Disinformation has become somewhat of a buzzword over the last few years, particularly in the wake of Russian interference into the 2016 US election. But what exactly do we mean when we talk about 'disinformation' - and who is spreading it, and how?  Governments, academics and journalists have been playing ever closer attention to the phenomenon, especially when it comes to state actors - and for Europe, the US and its allies, that means Russia and China in particular. But faced with a vast array of actors and motives - from pro-Kremlin troll farms to China's so-called wolf warrior diplomats - what efforts can governments take to lessen their impact? To discuss this, we are joined by Lutz Guellner, the Head of Strategic Communications at the European External Action Service , the EU's diplomatic service. And Bonji Ohara, an expert in defence issues and Senior Fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, joins us from Tokyo. For more on this episode, including a reading list, our website asiamatterspod.com has all you need - you can also give us feedback and subscribe to our mailing list there. 

At this event, Mr. Brian Glynn, Director-General, Americas, at the European External Action Service gives an overview of EU relations with Latin America in the context of the Pacific Alliance. A panel of the Resident Ambassadors of Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Chile in Ireland will then present their vision for the future of the Pacific Alliance on the occasion of its 10th anniversary. The experts will highlight the nature of the Pacific Alliance and the role of its Observer States; other topics include the opportunities to foster economic integration; the impact of the Pacific Alliance on its citizens; and the advantages of further economic connections between Ireland, the EU and Pacific Alliance countries. About the Speakers: Speakers for this event include Mr. Brian Glynn, Director-General, Americas, European External Action Service and Their Excellencies, the Resident Ambassadors to Ireland from Colombia, Patricia Cortés; Mexico, Miguel Malfavón; Peru, Ana María Sanchez and Chile, Carla Serazzi.

Interesting conversation with Michael Mann who has been Special Envoy for Arctic matters since April 1, 2020. Prior to that, he spent two and a half years as the EU's Ambassador to Iceland. Between 2011 and 2017, he was head of Strategic Communications at the European External Action Service, doubling up as Chief Spokesperson to High Representative/Vice President Catherine Ashton from 2011 to 2014. Mr Mann worked as a European Commission Spokesperson between 2002 and 2011, covering a wide range of portfolios. He began his career in Brussels as a journalist, working for the Financial Times, Reuters and Bloomberg News, among other media. Michael Mann has been very active in public outreach via webinars and press interviews during the lockdown. A recent, major interview with him can be found here: https://geopolitique.eu/en/2021/01/18/exclusive-interview-with-michael-mann-eus-ambassador-at-large-for-the-arctic-special-envoy-for-arctic-matters/ Regarding the EU Arctic policy as per March 2021: The EU Arctic Policy is primarily expressed in the Joint Communication on An Integrated European Union for the Arctic (published in April 2016 by the High Representative and the Commission): https://eeas.europa.eu/archives/docs/arctic_region/docs/160427_joint-communication-an-integrated-european-union-policy-for-the-arctic_en.pdf A summary of the recent public consultation on the EU Arctic Policy can be found here: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/497bfd35-5f8a-11eb-b487-01aa75ed71a1 HRVP Borrell addressed the Arctic Frontiers conference on 2 February 2021. Important messages for general understanding of our current thinking. https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/92475/arctic-speech-high-representativevice-president-josep-borrell-arctic-frontiers-conference_en

Virtual education in a social distancing world is episode 2/13 in the new GCSP Podcast Series. Dr Paul Vallet interviews Ms Alexandra Thiry, Head of Learning Innovation and Impact at the GCSP. They discuss virtual education, trends, innovation and learning methodology. Here are some resources she references in this podcast: - https://sealifelong.web.app/ - TOPP Competencies for Live Online Trainers Source: LaBorie, K./Stone, T. 2015: Interact and Engage, ATD Press, pp 114-116 - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/virtual-leadership-development-1-joel-nielsen/?trk=public_profile_article_view Dr Paul Vallet: Welcome to the Geneva Centre for Security Policy podcast. Thank you for tuning in. I'm your host Dr Paul Vallet, Associate Fellow with the GCSP Global Fellowship Initiative. I will accompany you on the next 12 weeks to explain some of the latest global issues affecting peace, security, and international cooperation. Speaking with subject matter experts following with our examination of a year of disruptions caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic after discussing last week, its lessons for sanitary crisis management. Today we'll focus on another aspect that has necessitated the handling not just of immediate effects, but also long-term ones, that of education. Education has been impacted across the globe and for all ages and types of courses, one year on in several countries, much concern has been expressed about the negative impact of the interruption of schooling from the first grade to the university. What if, however, this disruption has been the occasion for new opportunities and methods for education to endure? As international executive education features among the core missions with GCSP, today, I'm talking with Alexandra Thiry, who is the Head of Learning Innovation and Impact at the GCSP. She has held this position since 2016, After joining the GCSP in 2012, to support the senior management's implementation of strategic initiatives and partnerships. She's a certified learning professional with work experience with the International Committee of the Red Cross and then European External Action Service. Welcome to the podcast Alexandra. My first question to you is, are there specific ways in which the pandemic has impacted executive education and called for special solutions? Ms Alexandra Thiry: Thank you so much for having me. I'm really delighted to be here and to participate in this podcast series about the impact of COVID-19 and specifically talk about executive education. Before coming to your question, let me first of all frame a little bit the context of where we are with executive education and COVID pandemic. The COVID-19 crisis has sustainably impacted literally every aspect of life. First, it has changed the way people connect. So, with all the restrictions on in-person gatherings, the digital tools have to a certain extent replace the human face to face experience in our everyday life. So, second pandemic has impacted how people communicate. And here I'm thinking of wearing masks whenever we are in public, and masking our facial expressions and the effect that this has on comprehending people's emotions and intentions, and specifically the impact this has on building trust, which is so important in the peace and security domain and also in diplomacy. Third, COVID-19 has changed the way people interact. So, the physical distancing, and also seeing people as potential sources of infection is certainly something that is new. And it also to a certain extent, impacts how we see executive education during this crisis. And finally, it has affected how people work. A survey from Deloitte, conducted in April 2020 revealed that the number of people working from home in Switzerland has doubled during the crisis.

Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings and former Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council, talks to Paul Adamson about US foreign and security policy priorities after the presidential elections, the future of NATO and the European External Action Service and the UK's position on the world stage after Brexit.

Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings and former Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council, talks to Paul Adamson about US foreign and security policy priorities after the presidential elections, the future of NATO and the European External Action Service and the UK's position on the world stage after Brexit.

A flood of misinformation and disinformation followed Covid-19's arrival to Ireland. You likely saw a lot of this firsthand. Maybe it was the rumours of the Irish military being deployed to enforce lockdown, or a suggestion that drinking water would prevent you from catching Covid-19. It has become a significant feature of public discourse on the crisis in recent weeks and months, but is it here to stay, or as we begin to live alongside the virus until a vaccine arrives, will it simply ebb away? TheJournal.ie examined this in a webinar last week, organised in partnership with the European Parliament Office in Ireland. Presenter Sinéad O'Carroll was joined by our own Deputy Editor, and the lead of TheJournal.ie's FactCheck project, Christine Bohan as well as FullFact's Nicola Aitken, Per Enerud of the European External Action Service and MEP Billy Kelleher.

Clare and Mick discuss parliamentary dress codes, propaganda efforts by the European External Action Service and the work they have been getting up to over the last week in their seven parliamentary committees.

Christian Leffler, former Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service, talks to Paul Adamson about the creation of the EEAS and challenges in forging EU foreign and security policy.

The Chinese regime has launched a global campaign of disinformation, propaganda, diplomacy, and threats to dissuade both the international calls to investigate the origin of the CCP virus in China and the growing numbers of class action lawsuits. In the EU, the European External Action Service wrote a report exposing the CCP’s disinformation efforts around the virus, and the Chinese regime lobbied to have the report censored. Three citizen journalists running the nCoVMemory Github page were arrested in China. These and several other efforts by the regime have been exposed to the public and are now backfiring on the Chinese Communist Party. And while the CCP is being accused by nations including the United States, the UK, and India of leveraging the virus for business takeovers around the world, its operations are now taking a hit from the virus. These stories and more in this episode of Crossroads. ⭕️ Subscribe for updates : http://bit.ly/CrossroadsYT ⭕️ Donate to support our work: https://www.bestgift.tv/crossroads Contact us: crossroadsjoshua@gmail.com https://twitter.com/crossroads_josh https://www.facebook.com/CrossroadsET

Christian Leffler, former Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service, talks to Paul Adamson about the creation of the EEAS and challenges in forging EU foreign and security policy.

Aggiornamento sull'app per combattere il Covid; funzionalità del sito del Comune di Roma per segnalare assembramenti; il grillino Davide Barillari e il suo sito "Salute Regione Lazio"; Facebook sta pensando di limitare l'inoltro a persone e liste per bloccare le fake news; fake news sul sostegno di 70 euro al giorno in Germania per lavoratori che si sono dovuti fermare per Covid; Salvini e il post su Twitter che accusa i cinesi per il virus; rapporto della European External Action Service; Internet e pandemia; la stampa 3D per trasformare le maschere da sub in presidi ospedalieri; dietro le quinte si cerca di tenere in piedi Internet; TeamViewer; filaindiana.it; sito USA vendeva un “vaccino” gratis per il Covid; attacco all'OMS; il trojan che promette di individuare le persone infette; attacco ransomware agli ospedali spagnoli.

Aggiornamento sull’app per combattere il Covid; funzionalità del sito del Comune di Roma per segnalare assembramenti; il grillino Davide Barillari e il suo sito "Salute Regione Lazio"; Facebook sta pensando di limitare l’inoltro a persone e liste per bloccare le fake news; fake news sul sostegno di 70 euro al giorno in Germania per lavoratori che si sono dovuti fermare per Covid; Salvini e il post su Twitter che accusa i cinesi per il virus; rapporto della European External Action Service; Internet e pandemia; la stampa 3D per trasformare le maschere da sub in presidi ospedalieri; dietro le quinte si cerca di tenere in piedi Internet; TeamViewer; filaindiana.it; sito USA vendeva un “vaccino” gratis per il Covid; attacco all’OMS; il trojan che promette di individuare le persone infette; attacco ransomware agli ospedali spagnoli.

Aggiornamento sull’app per combattere il Covid; funzionalità del sito del Comune di Roma per segnalare assembramenti; il grillino Davide Barillari e il suo sito "Salute Regione Lazio"; Facebook sta pensando di limitare l’inoltro a persone e liste per bloccare le fake news; fake news sul sostegno di 70 euro al giorno in Germania per lavoratori che si sono dovuti fermare per Covid; Salvini e il post su Twitter che accusa i cinesi per il virus; rapporto della European External Action Service; Internet e pandemia; la stampa 3D per trasformare le maschere da sub in presidi ospedalieri; dietro le quinte si cerca di tenere in piedi Internet; TeamViewer; filaindiana.it; sito USA vendeva un “vaccino” gratis per il Covid; attacco all’OMS; il trojan che promette di individuare le persone infette; attacco ransomware agli ospedali spagnoli.

The European Union has mobilized huge financial, political and security resources to stabilize the Balkans, often serving the flagship policy of offering EU membership to qualifying countries. The wars of the 1990s and the economic hardships that followed have been largely overcome, but enlargement has stalled and the region’s uncertainties continue. The logic of EU enlargement is in even greater trouble further east in Turkey. Here media freedoms have shrunk, relations have strained over Turkey’s incursion into north-east Syria and the two sides are struggling to find a common policy on helping almost four million Syrian refugees in the country.  Angelina Eichhorst, Deputy Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia / Director of Western Europe, Western Balkans, and Turkey at the European External Action Service, joins Hugh and Olga this week to discuss how the EU and its eastern neighbors can navigate periods of more strained relations and why continued engagement and dialogue is crucial for long-term stability and prosperity.  “We must shape our interests together, not by sitting at different tables”. 

Senior Communications Officer Martin Caudron talks to Lutz Guellner, Head of the Strategic Communications Division at the European External Action Service, on the EU's response to information operations from malign foreign actors in the margins of his visit to Washington, DC following the meeting of the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism in Ottawa mid-November 2019.

On this week's episode of The Global Cable, we take a deep dive into cybersecurity with two experts in the field – Duncan Hollis, Professor of Law at Temple University and a Perry World House Visiting Fellow, and Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar, Estonia's first ever Ambassador for Cybersecurity. Professor Hollis' scholarship engages with issues of international law and cybersecurity. Before joining Temple, he worked at the State Department, where he was the attorney-adviser for treaty affairs, working on the negotiation, conclusion, and implementation of U.S. treaties, and legal counsel for the Department's Bureau of Oceans, International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. Ambassador Tiirmaa-Klaar was named her country's first ever Ambassador-at-Large for Cybersecurity in 2018. As the victim of one of the first major cyberattacks in 2007, Estonia has pioneered cybersecurity policy at the international level. Tiirmaa-Klaar was Estonia's National Cyber Coordinator from 2007 to 2010, where she developed the world's first whole-of-government cybersecurity. She later worked in cybersecurity strategy for NATO, and the European External Action Service. On The Global Cable, they talk about how cybersecurity has changed in the last twenty years; why the Estonia attack in 2007 was the forerunner of modern hybrid warfare; the role for private sector companies in cybersecurity; and more. Music & Produced by Tre Hester.

50 years of European foreign policy cooperation: what is it for? 17 October 2019, 17.00 – 18.45 Venue: European Studies Center, St. Anthony´s College, Oxford Speakers: Ben Tonra (University College Dublin); Richard Whitman (University of Kent); Alexander Kmentt (Kings College London). Chair: Heidi Maurer (DPIR, University of Oxford) Co-sponsored by NORTIA: Network on Research and Teaching in EU Foreign Affairs. -------------------------- What did 50 years of foreign policy cooperation, 25 years of Common Foreign and Security Policy, and 10 years of Lisbon Treaty reforms deliver for the international identity of the EU and its member states? Is the EU foreign policy system, with the current status of the High Representative as quasi-Foreign Minister and the European External Action Service fit for the changing international system? Can the EU deliver as non-traditional foreign policy actor in an increasingly contesting international arena? This seminar is to scrutinize the past, current and future state of European Foreign Policy cooperation and of the EU as an international actor. In light of the appointment of the next High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the looming of a no-deal Brexit in October 2019, our roundtable participants are going to reflect on challenges and opportunities for European action in international affairs. CONTENTS ------------------------------------------ 0:00 - 0:36: Introduction by Heidi Maurer ------------------------------------------ ROUND 1: Looking back – what do we see? ------------------------------------------- • What are the main achievements of European foreign policy cooperation in the past 50 years? • The EU is (still) a peculiar foreign policy actor. What are the three aspects that in your view made the EU different? 0:36 – 11.56: Alexander Kmentt, former Austrian PSC 12.41 - 20:10: Ben Tonra, University College Dublin 20.36 - 34.36: Richard Whitman, University of Kent 34.36: Heidi Maurer synthesizes main observations of round 1 ROUND 2: looking forward – The EU fit for purpose as international actor? Is the EU foreign policy system, with the current status of the HR/VP and the role of the EEAS fit for the changing international system? Can the EU deliver as non-traditional foreign policy actor? • If yes, what advantages should we Europeans be aware of? What threats should we consider? If no, what weaknesses should we acknowledge, what opportunities for innovation should we envision? • What short / mid / long term recommendations for EU innovation in foreign policy would you give? 35.56: Heidi Maurer 37.29 - 45.41: Alexander Kmentt on future outlook 46.21 - 51.21: Ben Tonra: What can we fix and is there something to fix? 51.26-58.06: Richard Whitman 58.06-59.34: Heidi Maurer's final summary 59.34: Q&A / Discussion

Ursula von der Leyen’s agenda for the European Commission. This is a big chapter and - we fear - a long episode. The last chapter (and last of our episodes on v.d.Leyen’s political guidelines) is all about democracy; about securing our democracy and safeguarding our European democratic electoral processes, which of course is very fitting as the UK’s political parties have gone all out for their own general election campaigns with various stories already emerging about referendum validity, foreign interference and manipulation of the electorate.  Rich and Carola try desperately to not get hung up too much on UK’s election news, which with all the gaffs coming out from all sides is admittedly rather tempting. But they cover the proposed Conference of Europe, attempt to fill out a questionnaire about the European Union (link to online questionnaire below), discuss the value of the civil service and then Rich has a rant about Carola calling the Westminster parliament the mother of all parliaments and finds a more fitting likening in a doddering great-great grandmother with hearing aids and challenged with mobility.  Moving away from Brexitland’s inability to move in any direction, they have a bit of fun quoting from an article that discussed what happened with the Spitzenkandidaten-system, but written in the form of a murder mystery. Be prepared for many suspects and many culprits as the reasons why the Spitzenkandidatsystem failed this time around has quite complex contexts. This will hopefully be resolved during v.d.Leyen’s tenure, as laid out in the last paragraphs of the guidelines of v.d.Leyen, who has promised to resolve and pin down ways the European Union will select its leaders in the future.  Main Source Ursula Von Der Leyen: Political guidelines for the next Commission (2019-2024) - "A Union that strives for more: My agenda for Europe" 16 July 2019  (pdf English Version (https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/political-guidelines-next-commission_en.pdf) ) Coverage about expense scandals related to Nigel Farage BBC (04/06/2019): Nigel Farage refuses to attend EU hearing into Arron Banks cash (www (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48516348) )   Guardian (21/05/2019): EU to investigates Nigel Farage over expenses funded by Arron Banks (www (https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/21/eu-investigate-nigel-farage-failure-declare-expenses-arron-banks) )     Conference of Europe Consultation on the Future of Europe (www (https://ec.europa.eu/commission/priorities/democratic-change/future-europe/consultation-future-europe_en) ), including    online consultation (www (https://ec.europa.eu/consultation/runner/Future-of-Europe?surveylanguage=en) )  white paper (www (https://ec.europa.eu/commission/future-europe/white-paper-future-europe-and-way-forward_en) )  and how to get involved in citizen dialogue initiatives (www (https://ec.europa.eu/info/events/citizens-dialogues_en) )    Other ways for citizens to have a voice and understand more about the EU European Citizen Initiatives: “Get a greater say in the policies that affect your lives. The European Citizens' Initiative is a unique and innovative way for citizens to shape Europe by calling on the European Commission to make a legislative proposal. Once an initiative gathers 1 million signatures, the Commission decides on what follow-up action to take.” (www (https://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/welcome?lg=en&pk_source=facebook&pk_medium=social_media&pk_campaign=eci_launch_en) )   What Europe does for me (www (https://what-europe-does-for-me.eu/en/portal) )   Spitzenkandidatensystem Andrew Gray, Jacopo Barigazzi and Maïa de La Baume in Politico (07/05/19): Who killed the spiztenkandidat. No shortage of suspects in drama over how EU should be governed. (www (https://www.politico.eu/article/who-killed-the-spitzenkandidat-european-parliament-election-2019-transition/) )   Electoral Interference and EUvsDisino EUvsDisinfo (www) is the flagship project of the European External Action Service’s East StratCom Task Force. It was established in 2015 to better forecast, address, and respond to the Russian Federation’s ongoing disinformation campaigns affecting the European Union, its Member States, and countries in the shared neighbourhood. EUvsDisinfo’s core objective is to increase public awareness and understanding of the Kremlin’s disinformation operations, and to help citizens in Europe and beyond develop resistance to digital information and media manipulation. (www (https://euvsdisinfo.eu/about/) )  Electoral Interference (www (https://euvsdisinfo.eu/methods-of-foreign-electoral-interference/) )

Rachel Ellehuus (Deputy Director and Senior Fellow with the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies) moderates a panel on "Developing a more Capable EU: Transatlantic Burden Sharing, PESCO and the Future of European Defense" at the EU-Foreign Policy Defense Forum, with Jorge Domecq (Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency), Ambassador Tina Kaidanow (Senior Advisor, International Cooperation, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment), Pierre Delsaux (Deputy Director General, DG GROW, European Commission), Brigadier General Heinz Krieb (Director of Concepts & Capability Directorate of the European Union Military Staff of the European External Action Service), and Elbridge Colby (Director of the Defense Program, Center for a New American Security).

Derek Chollet (Executive VP for Security and Defense Policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States) talks about trends, threats and opportunities related to European security with Pedro Serrano (Deputy Secretary General for Common Security and Defense Policy and Crisis Response at the European External Action Service), Julie Fisher (Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Europe and the EU), and Edward Randall Royce (former U.S. Representative and Chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs) during the EU-Foreign Policy Defense Forum.

During the 2019 EU & Foreign Policy Magazine Defense Forum in Washington D.C., Senior Media Advisor Kasper Zeuthen sat down with Pedro Serrano, Deputy Secretary General for CSDP and Crisis Response at the European External Action Service, to discuss the EU's evolving security and defense presence, engagement with partners, the transatlantic security alliance, the interplay between soft and hard power, and the biggest threats to Europe's security.    

I am honored to have a special guest for today’s episode, Pierre Vimont. During his thirty-eight-year diplomatic career with the French foreign service, he served as the first executive secretary-general of the European External Action Service, ambassador to the United States, and ambassador to the European Union. Mr. Vimont was appointed as the chief of staff to three former French foreign ministers. He holds the title, Ambassador of France, a dignity bestowed for life to only a few French career diplomats. More recently he served as the Special Envoy for the French initiative for a Middle East Peace Conference, and is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe. In this extra-long episode, we discuss a variety of issues concerning the United States and the European Union, the possibility of a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the ending of the civil war in Syria, the war in Yemen, and the withdrawal of the US from the Iran deal and its implications.

Kal Korff - The Iran nuclear deal framework was a preliminary framework agreement reached in 2015 between the Islamic Republic of Iran and a group of world powers: the P5+1 (the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, and China—plus Germany) and the European Union.Negotiations for a framework deal over the nuclear program of Iran took place between the foreign ministers of the countries at a series of meetings held from March 26 to April 2, 2015 in Lausanne, Switzerland. On April 2 the talks came to a conclusion and a press conference was held by Federica Mogherini (High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) and Mohammad Javad Zarif (Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran) to announce that the eight parties had reached an agreement on a framework deal. The parties announced, "Today, we have taken a decisive step: we have reached solutions on key parameters of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," which they intended to complete by June 30. Announcing the framework, Foreign Minister Zarif stated: "No agreement has been reached so we do not have any obligation yet. Nobody has obligations now other than obligations that we already undertook under the Joint Plan of Action that we adopted in Geneva in November 2013." The framework deal was embodied in a document published by the EU's European External Action Service titled Joint Statement by EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif Switzerland,[1] and in a document published by the U.S. Department of State titled Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran's Nuclear Program.[6]On July 14, 2015, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Iran and the P5+1 and EU, a comprehensive agreement based on the April 2015 framework, was announced. On May 8, 2018, United States President Donald Trump announced the United States was withdrawing from the deal.

On June 21, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Mike Doran welcomed Nick Westcott, the European External Action Service�s Managing Director for the MENA, to discuss European views on these issues and others, as well as avenues for cooperation moving forward.

On June 21, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Mike Doran welcomed Nick Westcott, the European External Action Service�s Managing Director for the MENA, to discuss European views on these issues and others, as well as avenues for cooperation moving forward.

EU interns gathered outside the European External Action Service building on Place Schuman on Monday to protest against unpaid internships. The demonstration in Brussels coincided with gatherings elsewhere in the world and was coordinated with the Global Intern Coalition on the UN day of social justice.

World leaders gathered at the United Nations in September 2016 for an unprecedented summit focused on discussing major movements of refugees and migrants. This historic gathering, spurred in part by the massive asylum seeker and migrant flows to Europe in 2015, was intended to launch a strengthened global effort to coordinate responses to refugee and migration flows. The absence of concrete commitments in the resulting New York Declaration disappointed many observers.  During this Migration Policy Institute Europe event in Brussels, leading experts discussed how the slow progress on multilateral cooperation around migration evidenced in New York has particular salience for the European Union. Speakers included the European External Action Service’s Managing Director for Global Issues, the Director General for Asylum and Migration Policy in Sweden’s Ministry of Justice, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development’s Southern Dimension Director, and a key advisor to the UN Special Representative for Migration, in a discussion moderated by the Director of MPI Europe.  The discussants examined what lessons the European Union’s experience offers for the prospect of multilateral cooperation on migration at the global level? What implications might better global coordination have for cooperation within the European Union? And finally, is there a role for EU institutions, and the EU-28, to play in ensuring that the UN effort to strengthen global collaboration is concrete and meaningful? 

With only a few months following his election victory, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is faced with his first crisis over a discriminatory pilot scheme that would've seen Palestinian workers banned from using Israeli buses in the occupied West Bank. The proposal has been scrapped. However, as ECFR's director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme, Daniel Levy argues, the government Netanyahu has put together will see on a number of occasions "this kind of visible ugliness floating to the surface in ways that people have tried to gloss over in the past". Picture credits (cc) European External Action Service -www.flickr.com/photos/eeas/

Friday Late is a weekly interview program from the people who bring you PM. Daily current affairs doesn't always have time to let guests stretch out and expand on their knowledge - Friday Late will fill that gap. Each week, Mark Colvin will be talking to three or four newsmakers, analysts and thinkers about the events that shape our time. On tonight's program, Helga Schmid from the European External Action Service. The Service is the diplomatic arm of the EU and European Commission. She discusses the EU's united foreign policy and how the service is approaching world challenges. Also Professor James Fallows discusses the coming term for the re-elected US president and Brian Moller on running a secret hospital in the midst of the Syrian conflict.

Friday Late is a weekly interview program from the people who bring you PM. Daily current affairs doesn't always have time to let guests stretch out and expand on their knowledge - Friday Late will fill that gap. Each week, Mark Colvin will be talking to three or four newsmakers, analysts and thinkers about the events that shape our time. On tonight's program, Helga Schmid from the European External Action Service. The Service is the diplomatic arm of the EU and European Commission. She discusses the EU's united foreign policy and how the service is approaching world challenges. Also Professor James Fallows discusses the coming term for the re-elected US president and Brian Moller on running a secret hospital in the midst of the Syrian conflict.