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Brussels, My Love?
How activism is helping Ukrainians endure four years of full-scale war
“You can ask every Ukrainian, no matter where they were in Ukraine or outside, and they will remember moment by moment where they were and what they were doing the moment Russia started its full-scale invasion,” Euronews’ Ukraine correspondent Sasha Vakulina tells Méabh Mc Mahon. Alongside Marta Barandiy, founding president of Promote Ukraine and Katharina Emschermann from the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Vakulina joined this week’s episode of Brussels, My Love? the podcast to discuss the 4th anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Brussels, My Love? is Euronews' weekly podcast hosted by Méabh Mc Mahon, giving you all the context you need to make sense of the European Union (EU).
From plans to transition from an economic trading bloc to a military powerhouse to bans on tofu sausages, you’ll discover how EU laws are debated and created, along with sharp analysis from some of Brussels’ brightest minds.
Do you want to get in touch? Email us at brusselsmylove@euronews.com
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20. 3 ways the war with Iran is hitting Europe
19:30||Season 1, Ep. 20Two weeks into the United States-Israel war on Iran, is the European Union ready to face the security and economic consequences of the conflict in the Middle East? "Brussels, My Love?" tries to answer this and other questions with political analyst Cornelius Adebahr, director of the EU Institute for Security Studies, Steven Everts, and Euronews’ editor-in-chief and former Middle East correspondent Sophie Claudet.
19. International Women’s Day in a time of war
25:13||Season 1, Ep. 19While people across Europe prepare to celebrate International Women’s Day on Sunday, 8 March, women elsewhere in the world face growing uncertainty. The United States and Israel’s war with Iran, and the elimination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, have raised urgent questions about what lies ahead for women in the country. To answer this question, and to assess where the EU stands in terms of gender equality, Méabh Mc Mahon sits down with European Women’s Lobby’s secretary general Mary Collins, Euronews’ journalist Evelyn Dom, associate professor of sociology at the University of Amsterdam Ladan Rahbari, and ALDE’s secretary general Didrik de Schaetzen.
17. Can the EU ever become a superpower?
27:15||Season 1, Ep. 17At a medieval castle in the Belgian countryside last week, European leaders gathered to discuss competitiveness, deregulation, industrial policy and the future of the Single Market. In this episode, we unpack what this retreat was all about: Who’s pushing for cutting red tape? Who wants deeper integration? Is deregulation the key to the EU’s economic growth? Is “pragmatic federalism” the secret ingredient for a powerful Europe? To answer these questions, we sit down with MLex managing editor for Europe, Kait Bolongaro, president of Eurochambres, Vladimír Dlouhý and President of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies and former EU Commissioner, Nicolas Schmit.
16. From Brazil to Brussels: What's the beef with the Mercosur trade deal?
24:20||Season 1, Ep. 16Which EU leader would you choose for a dinner date this Valentine's day? And is the EU-Mercosur deal as big an opportunity as it has been portrayed? To discuss these topics, we sat down with Pedro Miguel da Costa e Silva, Brazil’s ambassador to the EU, Adélaïde Charlier, Belgian climate and human rights activist and Teresa Küchler, European correspondent for Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet.
15. Rafah reopens: What’s next for Gaza?
21:30||Season 1, Ep. 15The Rafah crossing reopened this week, putting the situation in Gaza back in the spotlight—four months after the Israel–Hamas ceasefire was signed. What comes next? Who holds the leverage? And where does the EU fit in? Lisa Musiol, Martin Konečný, and Euronews’ Stefan Grobe join Méabh Mc Mahon to break it down.
14. Chocolate, wine, whiskey - the ingredients of the EU-India trade deal
20:48||Season 1, Ep. 14Earlier this week, the European Union (EU) and India announced the signing of a landmark free trade agreement, which Ursula von der Leyen described as the “mother of all deals.”What does this pact mean for both countries? And why did the president of the European Commission’s outfit go viral? To answer these and more questions, Euronews’ weekly podcast Brussels, My Love? talked to EU-India expert Stefania Benaglia, foreign correspondent Teresa Küchler, and EU-India media commentator Rahul Venkit.
13. What a dramatic Trump U-turn in Davos means for EU-US relations?
21:15||Season 1, Ep. 13After weeks of escalating tension, including threats of tariffs and even military force, the US president has backed down in the row over Greenland. Following talks with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte in Davos, Trump says a “framework for a future deal” is now in place that would allow the US expand its military presence on the strategically vital territory. But has the damage already been done? And what does this episode reveal about the state of EU-US relations? We are joined by Euronews US politics expert Stefan Grobe, Euronews trade correspondent Peggy Corlin and senior researcher Eoin O'Drea from the Wilfried Martens Centre for European studies.
12. Iran under fire: Protests, Repression and the EU’s Response
24:05||Season 1, Ep. 12Iran is in crisis — and the world is watching. As protests intensify and the regime tightens its grip, this week we ask what role the EU can realistically play here Euronews journalists Stefan Grobe, Marta Pacheco and Babak Kamiar from Euronews' Persian news desk look back at the last week of internet blackouts, shifting U.S. policy, EU sanctions, and whether diplomacy alone can make a difference.