Podcast appearances and mentions of heather grabbe

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we look at what came out of the May 19 EU-UK summit. Host Rebecca Christie speaks with Bruegel's Ignacio García Bercero and Heather Grabbe about the shift in post-Brexit ties between the two trading partners, what needs to be negotiated next, and how this relates to contentious transatlantic trade relations. U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of big tariffs against the EU contrasts with the cooperative approach of the London talks, which laid out a path forward in key areas like energy, fishing, youth mobility, emissions trading schemes, and animal and plant health standards. Relevant research: Ignacio García Bercero and Heather Grabbe, ‘The EU-UK reset: a first, big step in the right direction', First Glance, 22 May 2025, Bruegel, https://www.bruegel.org/first-glance/eu-uk-reset-first-big-step-right-direction Berg, J., R. Christie, H. Geeroms and F. Papadia (2025), ‘Make finance part of the EU-UK post-Brexit reset', Analysis, Bruegel García-Bercero, I. (2024) ‘A trade policy framework for the European Union-United Kingdom reset', Policy Brief 30/2024, Bruegel

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we examine the rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape in Europe, driven by the ongoing war in Ukraine, shifting alliances, and the changing role of the United States in NATO. Host Rebecca Christie is joined by Bruegel experts Heather Grabbe and Guntram B. Wolff to discuss the critical questions facing European policymakers: What level of financial and military support is the EU prepared to provide to Ukraine? Can Europe step up to replace U.S. security guarantees, and what would that entail? How are NATO and EU alliances evolving in response to these pressures? What role will collective defence spending and procurement play in reshaping Europe's military posture? *This podcast was recorded on Friday morning CET, 28 February 2025. Read the recent Analysis by Alexandr Burilkov and Guntram B. Wolff, Defending Europe without the US: first estimates of what is needed.

How will the EU springboard from the tumult of 2024 to meet the challenges ahead? In this episode of the Sound of Economics, Bruegel director Jeromin Zettelmeyer and senior fellows Heather Grabbe and André Sapir discuss the year that was with host Rebecca Christie. Industrial policy, tensions with China and the U.S., and green transition's immense financing needs all figure in to Europe's quest to become more competitive. Will the EU be prepared for the next crisis? Browse through Bruegel's highlights of 2024, a curated collection of our research in the past year.

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie invites Heather Grabbe and Thomas Viegas to explore the intersection of biodiversity and economic policy. The discussion highlights the critical importance of integrating nature conservation into financial frameworks. The guests delve into systemic risks posed by biodiversity loss, the role of public and private finance, and strategies to address harmful subsidies. They also emphasize the necessity of aligning economic systems with natural limits to ensure sustainable development and long-term resilience.

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie invites Heather Grabbe, Luca Léry Moffat and Janez Potočnik to talk about turning Europe's economy circular by making resources go further. They discuss the environmental and economic cases for Europe to use fewer resources, and why moving to a circular economy is essential in the fight against climate change. They also discuss examples of companies that have found ways of reducing waste, and the reasons why more firms don't make resource efficient decisions. Relevant publication: Grabbe, H. and L. Moffat (2024) ‘A European circular single market for economic security and competitiveness', Policy Brief 20/2024, Bruegel

 In this special live episode of The Sound of Economics podcast, Rebecca Christie sits down with Bruegel's Heather Grabbe, Fiona M. Scott Morton and Guntram B. Wolff to discuss next steps after the U.S. elections on Nov. 5. How will Europe work with the new President and new Congress? What will this mean for Ukraine? What will each side prioritize to stay competitive? Join us for a Europe-centric view from both sides of the Atlantic. You can also watch the live recording here.

Bruegel and the Financial Times partnered up to host a debate featuring representatives from EU political parties on EU economic issues, specifically competitiveness and growth, economic security and green transition.  Rebecca Christie sits down with Bruegel Senior fellow Heather Grabbe, FT Europe correspondent Andy Bounds, also moderator of the debate, to unpack the views they gathered from the debate. What economic visions did the parties present? Are they impressed or convinced by some ideas? Listen to find out. ICYMI, watch the debate recording here!

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie invites Heather Grabbe, Jean Pisani-Ferry, Fiona M. Scott Morton and Jeromin Zettelmeyer to do a yearly round-up of significant economic policy developments from Europe and the world. They discuss the implication of wars and recent European elections, interest rate hikes, green investment, industrial policy, EU fiscal rules reform and digital regulations.

In this episode of the Liberal Europe Podcast, Leszek Jażdżewski (Fundacja Liberté!) welcomes Heather Grabbe, a Senior Fellow at Bruegel, a Visiting Professor at University College London and KU Leuven, and a former director of the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels. They talk about the rule of law conditionality vis-à-vis EU candidate countries, why the EU was unable to discipline its member states on the rule of law issues, what is the way forward for the new European Commission on the rule of law, and why member states should be engaged in this process. This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with Movimento Liberal Social and Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of.

Ukraine is an official EU candidate since June 2022. In mid-December 2023, the leaders of EU countries are meeting to discuss whether to start official accession talks. In this episode of the Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie invites Zsolt Darvas and Heather Grabbe to look at the timeframe for the talks, the procedures and the criteria needed for Ukraine's accession into the EU. They also discuss the costs of enlargement and what it might mean for the EU. Finally, they acknowledge the necessity for the union to show its solidarity with Ukraine, by opening official accession talks, helping the country to improve and reconstruct itself; and welcoming it to the EU when it has met the accession requirements.

In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast Camino Mortera-Martinez, head of the Brussels office, joins Charles Grant, director of the CER, and Heather Grabbe, senior advisor at the Open Society Foundation, to discuss the prospect of EU enlargement. They talk about the likely timeline of the accession process, the countries with prospects of joining and which of these will struggle to meet the EU's criteria. Camino and Charles then debate whether the Lisbon Treaty will be used for this next round of accession or if treaty change might be required.

As Europeans reckon once again with the challenges of war on their continent, has the pressing issue of climate change fallen by the wayside as governments have scrambled to contend with even more immediate concerns? How can the EU work toward greater independence and security while still reacting appropriately to the environmental threat of global warming? In this conversation Senior Advisor at Open Society Foundations and Europe's Futures fellow Heather Grabbe and Ivan Vejvoda explore the various angles on and approaches to this question from the generational shifts in attitudes toward climate policy and the march of technology to the green common ground that Europe can find with China.A regular contributor to the Financial Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian, Heather Grabbe was a senior advisor to the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Olli Rehn, where she was responsible for EU policy on the Balkans and Turkey. Prior to that, she was the deputy director of the Centre for European Reform and wrote extensively on EU external policies and enlargement. She was the long-term executive director of the Open Society European Policy Institute. She is currently a Senior Advisor to the leadership of Open Society Foundations. Grabbe has also conducted academic research at institutions such as the European University Institute, Chatham House, Oxford and Birmingham universities, and has taught at the London School of Economics.Find her on twitter @heathergrabbeRead more about Heather at wikipediaIvan Vejvoda  is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union's enlargement prospects.The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora. you can find IWM's website at:https://www.iwm.at/

Authoritarianism is becoming increasingly normalised in the 21st century. As anti-democratic movements take root globally in a wide range of demographic and socioeconomic groups, democracy is constantly under threat. In many countries, democratically elected autocratic movements threaten to erode the foundations of the systems they work within, aiming to sow division while offering no real change. Will this be the final retreat of global democracy? In this episode of the Sound of Economics, Giuseppe Porcaro invites Pranab Bardhan who is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley and Heather Grabbe who is a senior adviser to the Open Society Foundations, to discuss democratic backsliding in the world, its economic underpinnings and what can be done to combat these challenges. 

We welcome Heather Grabbe, expert in societal change and reflect on what is needed to rise above populist sentiment, overcome polarisation and inspire people to embrace positive change. About Heather Grabbe Heather is the director of the influential Open Society European Policy Institute and advocate for democratic pluralism and open societies. From 2004 to 2009 she was senior advisor to then European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn. She conducted research at the European University Institute (Florence), Chatham House (London), Oxford and Birmingham universities, and taught at the London School of Economics. Heather on: linkedin / twitter  About the Inner Green Deal The Inner Green Deal podcast, a podcast for exploring compassionate and sustainable leadership is an effort of Awaris and the Inner Green Deal initiative. If you would like to support or start a dialogue with us, please reach out to us here.  For this episode we invite you to contemplate together with us on these reflective questions: How can I start to prepare for the change ahead so my brain will not go on red alert? How can I be part of the solution instead of feeling as part of the problem? What role do mindfulness and compassion play in my life and how can they help me to not get cynical but actually stay in touch and be touched by what I see around myself? Resources: Open Society European Policy Institute  Heather´s remarkable Ted Talk (including the brain on red  alert) Finnish Fund for the Future - Sitra ( as mentioned in regard of the sust ainability questionaire) Read how to manage the politics of a fair climate transition in Europe @ Carnegie Europe  Heather´s piece on How to built lasting support for the EU´s green deal @ politico  Independence The Inner Green Deal is a non-profit initiative of training and leadership development company Awaris. The Inner Green Deal is in the process of establishing itself as a separate and independent non-profit initiative. Neither the Inner Green Deal nor this podcast episode has been funded by any participant. Credits Intro song "the Inner Green Deal" by WayUpNorth. Made with compassion and active hope. From Brussels, Cologne and Hamburg, your team of the Inner Green Deal podcast.

Climate transition is hotly debated in EU circles as it impacts all areas of policy: from the ambitious climate targets set by the President of the European Commission with the European Green Deal, to the discussions of the next budget of the Union and the recovery plan from the current pandemic. The topic is especially important for 2021 with a new US administration more likely to engage on climate change, a commitment for carbon neutrality in 40 years by China and the delayed COP26 under the leadership (or not) of the United Kingdom. Any European debate is certain to have an important impact on a regional and national level, but will also influence the global trajectory of climate policy. In this episode of the Sound of Economics, Giuseppe Porcaro hosts Heather Grabbe, director of the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels, Piotr Arak, Director of the Polish Economic Institute from Warsaw and Simone Tagliapietra, research fellow at Bruegel (joining from Italy) for a conversation on the political economy of the climate transition as covering the European Green deal, the concept of “green industrial policy”, and distributional challenges of decarbonisation.

“Populism attaches itself to whatever issue provokes fear and outrage [and] hate speech leads to hate crime”.  Heather Grabbe joins Olga and Hugh on this week’s episode to discuss how populism works, why its appeal has grown in recent years and the threat it poses to European democracy. From its ideological adaptability and the role of digital media in amplifying its message to its role in fuelling deadly conflict, they examine what can be done to address the grievances that these parties feed off.  With special thanks to our producer, Bulle Media.

Should lobbyists engage with far-right and extremist lawmakers? After the EU elections in May, about 20 percent of members of the European Parliament have far-right agendas. That's a big gain — up from 10-to-15 percent five years ago. That’s also around 150 far-right lawmakers companies can lobby for favourable votes and amendments. Many people are uncomfortable with that prospect. Far-right parties are rife with misogyny, homophobia and islamophobia; many have members who openly admire Italian and German fascism and Putin's Russia. Lobbyists who work with these lawmakers risk normalising hate-mongering and anti-democratic values. Those concerns prompted EU Scream to take an ambitious step for such a young podcast: holding our first event. We had great support from Res Publica Europa, a new group mainly made up of European Union officials, and from Open Forum Europe, the think tank for the open source software community in Brussels. Our mission was to draw up some preliminary guidelines for lobbyists. We knew that was going to be ambitious. We nevertheless reached areas of consensus thanks to Alberto Alemanno, a law professor at French business school HEC Paris, and thanks to some dazzling panelists: Maris Hellrand, a journalist and activist from Estonia; Benedikt Herges, the head of the Brussels office for German technology and engineering company Siemens; Heather Grabbe, the director of EU affairs for Open Society Foundations, the philanthropic group founded by George Soros; and Michiel van Hulten, a former member of Parliament and the director of Transparency International EU. Visit our website for episode art and for more EU Scream. “Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125” by Papalin is licensed under CC by 3.0. “Airside No. 9” is played by Lara Natale. Aquarium from “The Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint-Saëns is licensed under CC by 3.0. Support the show (https://euscream.com/donate/)

Anthony Dworkin, standing in for regular host Mark Leonard, was joined by Douglas Alexander, senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, former Labour Europe minister, and former Labour shadow Foreign Secretary, and by Heather Grabbe, director of the Open Society European Policy Institute, to discuss Brexit. On this latest episode of the World in 30 Minutes, Anthony and his two guests, who are both ECFR Council Members, discuss the upcoming Tory leadership election and the consequences it will have for Brexit. In addition to asking what likely future Prime Minister Boris Johnson´s plans might be, they look back on what Brexit has been so far and examine the state of the debate. The podcast was recorded on Tuesday, 25 June 2019 at the side-lines of ECFR’s Annual Council Meeting in Lisbon. Bookshelf * The Passage to Europe by Luuk van Middelaar https://www.yalebooks.co.uk/display.asp?ISB=9780300205336 * Alarums and Excursions by Luuk van Middelaar https://www.agendapub.com/books/94/alarums-and-excursions * The Self-Destruction of American Power by Fareed Zakaria https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2019-06-11/self-destruction-american-power Picture: Tiocfaidh ár lá 1916 via Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/tiocfaidh_ar_la_1916/46607043232 (CC BY-ND 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/)

Fredrik Erixon talks to Heather Grabbe, the Director of the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels. They discuss the possible damage nationalists and populists could do to the EU if they were to have a strong result in the coming European...

Manfred Weber is the leader of the conservatives in the European Parliament who wants to become the next head of the the European Commission. But has Weber tainted his candidacy — and the broader European project — by acting as an enabler for the illiberal reign of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban? To his critics, Weber has come to represent a kind of moral black hole where democratic values go to die. They say he has engaged in a craven political calculus that makes him unsuited to run the Commission. The charge is that Weber and his European People's Party failed to act soon enough to expel Fidesz, the party led by Orban in Hungary.We speak with Heather Grabbe, the director of the Open Society European Policy Institute; Axel Voss, a German member of the European Parliament; Anett Bősz, a member of the Hungarian parliament; Judith Sargentini, a Green member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands; and Laurent Pech, the head of the Law and Politics Department at Middlesex University London. Click here for the complaint that Pech and Alberto Alemanno filed against the European People’s Party on behalf of The Good Lobby, a civil society group. First James and Tom talk about nicknames of other European politicians including Michel Barnier, Europe’s Brexit negotiator, and Matteo Renzi, the former Italian prime minister. Please visit our website at EU Scream.“Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125” by Papalin is licensed under CC by 3.0. “Airside No. 9” is played by Lara Natale. Support the show (https://euscream.com/donate/)

Heather Grabbe of the Open Society European Policy Institute says nationalist populists are closing the minds of Europeans to the values they have in common. She presents survey findings that could embolden centrists and moderates to drop their wishy-washy approach and confront creeping authoritarianism more directly. Look for the full set of reports here on Feb. 19. Soundous Boualam, a Moroccan working at the European Parliament, talks about dealing with prejudice, curbing stereotypes, and her project to give the unloved EU more of a human face. “Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125” by Papalin is licensed under CC by 3.0. “Stimmen im Kopf” by Hans Atom is licensed under CC BY-NC 3.0. “Muscovite No. 9” is played by Lara Natale. Support the show (https://euscream.com/donate/)

As populist governments across Europe sweep into power, the future of the European Union is anything but certain. Italy's newly formed government joins Hungary's and Poland's in the flouting of Europe's traditional liberal democratic values. At the same time, they are also forming what some see as dangerous alliances with historic enemies such as Russia. Most unsettling to global markets is talk of the possibility that some will vote to abandon the Euro. Will Europe's biggest experiment since the end of World War II survive? Heather Grabbe, executive director at Open Society, and Charles Lichfield, a European and Euroasian affairs specialist with Eurasia Group, are in conversation with Ray Suarez, former senior correspondent for PBS' NewsHour.  We want to hear from you! Please take part in a quick survey to tell us how we can improve our podcast: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWZ7KMW

Heather Grabbe, Director at the Open Society European Policy Institute, and Constanze Stelzenmüller, Robert Bosch Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution discuss the backlash against liberal norms in Central and Eastern Europe, propose suggestions for what the EU can do about it, and assess the value of a ‘flexible’ Europe for the EU’s newer members.

What progress has been made in the exit negotiations so far and what should Britain’s strategy be to get the best deal? Siona Jenkins puts the question to Alex Barker, FT Brussels bureau chief, James Blitz, FT Whitehall editor, and Heather Grabbe, director of the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Om katalaner som ropar på självständighet och skottar som söker sin egen väg. Riskerar EU:s fredsbygge att lösas upp i nya rivaliserande småriken? Eller ser vi en demonstration av demokratisk iver hos medborgare som vill komma närmare makten? Hör röster från Barcelona, Edinburgh, Bratislava och Sarajevo om ett EU som kanske rasar - eller byggs upp? För en dryg månad sen fick EU årets fredspris. Norska nobelkommitténs ordförande Torbjörn Jagland förklarade att unionen premieras för att ha bidragit till fred, mänskliga rättigheter och demokrati i Europa. Idag består EU av 27 stater, som än så länge samsas, även om splittringen hela tiden verkar tillta - och då inte bara splittringen mellan länderna, som vi ofta hör om i konflikterna mellan Merkel och Medelhavsländerna - utan också inom själva nationalstaterna. Flera av EU:s medlemmar kämpar idag med allt mer högljudda separatiströrelser, som hotar att bryta sig loss och skapa ett eget land. I Storbritannien, Spanien och Tyskland vill rikare regioner slippa betala för sina fattigare landsmän, särskilt nu i tider av ekonomisk kris. Flera bedömare talar om att Europeiska Unionen hotas av en fragmentisering, eller rent av en balkanisering, längs politiska ekonomiska och etniska skiljelinjer. Men vad ligger egentligen bakom varningarna? Lotten Collin reste till Katalonien i norra Spanien, den region som hoppas få bli EU:s 28 medlemsstat. Skottland är nog den europeiska region som kommit längst i sin strävan efter självständighet. I februari i år slöts en överenskommelse mellan den skotska regionsregeringen - ledd av separatistpartiet Scottish National Party - och den konservativa centralregeringen i London, om att en folkomröstning om självständighet ska hållas hösten 2014. Det här är nåt unikt, och nåt som kan bli en förebild för många andra, menar den skotska regeringens utrikesminister Hamza Yosaf. Konflikts Ivar Ekman nådde honom på hans kontor i den skotska regeringsbyggnaden i Edinburgh. Men Skottland är bara ett exempel på separatistiska partiers framfart i Europa. För en månad sedan vann de flamländska nationalisterna Nya Flamländska Alliansen stort i de belgiska lokalvalen - framgångar som lär ge ytterligare skjuts åt kraven på utökat självstyre och mer kontroll över skatteintäkterna. Den frågan sporrar också självständighetsivrare i den välmående tyska delstaten Bayern, där röster höjts för att skattepengarna borde stanna i regionen snarare än att understödja landsmän i andra delar av Tyskland. Den ekonomiska krisen håller på att urholka solidariteten och öka spänningarna i Europa på flera plan. Det konstaterar Heather Grabbe som leder organisationen Open Society's Europa-kontor i Bryssel - en tankesmedja grundad av finansmannen George Soros och som säger sig arbeta för öppna och toleranta samhällen i Europa. Många EU-medborgare ser krisen som ett bevis för politikernas inkompetens. Och i länder och regioner där missnöje med det rådande styret länge har legat och pyrt, där flammar nu frågan om separation upp på allvar, förklarade Grabbe när Konflikts Daniela Marquardt ringde upp. Daniela intervjuade också Eduard Kukan, Slovakiens före detta utrikesminister som idag är ledamot för de slovakiska kristdemokraterna i EU-parlamentet. Han oroar sig över separatisternas frammarsch i Europa och menar att unionen borde fokusera på att utvidga gränserna österut, mot balkan, istället för att inkludera nya splittrade nationer i väst. Just Sydösteuropa och länderna på Balkan har för många kommit att symbolisera den allra råaste formen av etnisk och religiöst betonad separatism. Men hur ser situationen ut där idag - vad har hänt i den region som kommit att ge namn åt splittring och rivalitet? Hur ser man på ett framtida Eu-medlemskap och vad det skulle innebära? Vår kulturkorrespondent Gunnar Bolin har precis varit i Sarajevo, staden som kanske mer än någon annan i Europa har fått symbolisera vad som kan hända när etniska konflikter splittrar en befolkning som har levt tillsammans, sida vid sida. I staten Bosnien Hercegovina är numera etniciteten inskriven som en del i författningen. Programledare: Daniela Marquardt Producent: Lotten Collin