Radio Schuman

What is there to fear for the EU about the BRICS summit, the group whose swelling ranks now account for 45% of the global population and 28% of the world’s GDP?Established in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the group aimed to reduce reliance on the US dollar, but has evolved into a geopolitical counterbalance to the G7, with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE joining, and NATO powerhouse Turkey looking to become a member.The current summit appears less a display of unity among like-minded nations so much as a demonstration of Russia’s influence in shaping a new global order, despite its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, from which three of the founding BRICS members have abstained from condemning in the UN resolution.Radio Schuman takes you to the summit today with Euronews reporter Jack Schickler.We also look at the announcement of the Sakharov Prize winner at the European Parliament, and which EU countries haven't yet started to implement the EU minimum wage directive, with the deadline for implementation approaching...Finally we check in on where most of millionaires will live in 2024 - spoiler alert: the leading European country is not in the EU.Today's Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas.

On Monday (21 October), Moldovans narrowly voted in favour of continuing the country's path toward EU membership, with the "No" vote leading until the final moments. The country's president Maia Sandu condemned Russian interference and accused "criminal groups" of attempting to undermine the vote in the former Soviet republic.Moldova will now hold the second round of presidential elections next month, where Sandu will face a pro-Russian opposition leader. This has raised concerns in Brussels about the continuation of Russia's "hybrid war" tactics, which could further destabilise Moldova and derail its EU aspirations.Similar concerns extend to Georgia, which holds parliamentary elections this Sunday and has long grappled with Russian interference.To discuss the potential political instability in Moldova and Georgia, we speak with Amanda Paul, Deputy Head of Europe in the World Programme and Senior Policy Analyst at the European Policy Center, specialising in Turkey, Ukraine, and the South Caucasus.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims 10,000 North Korean troops are in training to support Russian forces in the war against Ukraine, risking the conflict escalating into a “world war”.European officials are yet to verify that, but if it's confirmed, there are fears North Korean involvement could intensify the war. Russia and its ally recently signed a partnership agreement to provide mutual military assistance in case of attack.Today we speak to senior Euronews reporter and Ukraine expert Sasha Vakulina on the implications of this for the EU, and whether it might accelerate Ukraine’s NATO membership bid.We also check in on the Parliament plenary in Strasbourg, where MEPs are voting on a significant legislative file about Ukraine, and on Moldovan politics, with EU reaction to the election results there.In the final part of the show, Radio Schuman explores top listed eco-friendly European cities and their transport options - spoiler alert: a huge overcrowded city is leading the ranking...Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas.

The current migration debate is largely dominated by EU countries seeking to delegate migration management outside European territory, making borders increasingly impenetrable for asylum seekers and intensifying the return of migrants to their countries of origin.But some countries including Spain or Belgium have also opposed the idea of outsourcing irregular migration and building migrant centres in non-EU countries. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a news conference after the European Council summit last week that he rejected Italy's model of processing asylum claims in centers built outside of the EU, saying it created more trouble than solutions. Instead, he pledged for a more humane approach to migration, which could also support the pensions of declining European populations. Today Al-Sahlani talked with Radio Schuman, and echoed the same sentiment. She criticised von der Leyen for being complicit with a group of countries that push for migration offshoring and condemned the lack of a clear commitment in the Council’s outcomes regarding the implementation of the first EU migration and asylum package, which was approved during the last legislative term.A quick overview of the Agriculture and Fisheries meeting, where EU ministers are set to make some important decisions on Monday and Tuesday.Also a look at the state of play of Italy-Albania deal. It seems that the centre still does not host anyone for the moment, because of an Italian court judgments did not confirmed the detentions.On the last part of the show, we looked at why airlines are cutting their first-class - spoiler alert, they are commercialising an alternative.Today's Radio Schuman is hosted by Shona Murray, and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques. Audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas.

The high-stakes European Council summit concluded on Thursday, with migration policy dominating the agenda.For the first time, leaders discussed so-called "return hubs" — centres in third countries where migrants within the EU, whose asylum claims have been rejected and cannot be repatriated, would be held.This, along with discussions around the European Union's asylum and migration pact, set to be implemented in 2026, signalled that leaders were potentially radically rethinking how the bloc approaches migration.However, final council conclusions made no mention of return hubs, and failed to provide a timeline for the EU's new migration pact.Leaders did, however, call on the European Commission to propose new legislation on deporting rejected asylum seekers still residing in the EU, and supported Poland's call to give nation states the right to temporarily suspend asylum applications.In a first, Ursula von der Leyen suggested that temporary and proportionate measures might be legally feasibleAlso on the podcast, Radio Schuman looks at the first ever far-right Patriots of Europe pre-summit meeting with exclusive sound bites from Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders.Finally, we ask where in Europe do people say they are the happiest? Spoiler alert: high rates of happiness tend to correlate with the amount of sun.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and music by Alexandre Jas.

In today’s European Council, EU leaders will discuss mainly Ukraine, the Middle East, and migration. In particular, there is the implementation of the €50 billion loan agreed at the G7 and call for a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages, continued humanitarian aid, and an end to Israel's attacks on UNIFIL in Lebanon.However, migration will be the summit's key issue, especially the bloc's Migration and Asylum Pact, set to be enforced by 2026.Some EU countries, under pressure from rising anti-immigration sentiment, have reintroduced temporary border controls. Leaders are expected to focus on to focus on migrants whose asylum claims are rejected, with proposals for return hubs and stronger return policies under consideration.Today Euronews's Maria Psara brings us into the summit.The second part of Radio Schuman is dedicated to other minor points up for discussion and some agenda points in Brussels to keep in mind.And in the last part of the show, there's a report about how Gen Z seems to be faring in the workplace. Key point: results indicate that many companies are not very happy with recent graduate hires. Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and music by Alexandre Jas.

Today marks the first-ever summit between the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait, part of the EU's new strategy to strengthen ties with Gulf countries, focusing on climate and trade relations.Radio Schuman brings you a part of our colleague Shona Murray's interview with Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi, Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.There's also a brief comment by European Commission spokesperson for foreign affairs Peter Stano on how the EU will approach its partners in the Gulf, particularly on what divides them — such as the geopolitical approach towards Russia and its invasion in Ukraine.We also discuss a report by the European Social Insurance Platform highlighting a steady increase in pharmaceutical spending in Europe. Spoiler alert: it's not a good thing for taxpayers.And on the last part of the show, Radio Schuman explores the best places to go skiing this winter, after many resorts shuttered last season due to snowless slopes.Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and music by Alexandre Jas.

Is outsourcing migration management the new trend in Europe?In this episode, Radio Schuman examines the external dimension of migration by discussing the model of Italy’s new migration centres in Albania.The outsourcing of migration to non-EU countries has become a new trend, whether it is by sending money to countries of origin or by looking into the possibility of building processing centres outside of the EU borders. But are these options viable?Radio Schuman talks about this issue with Euronews's Vincenzo Genovese.There are also the new EU sanctions against Iran, approved on Monday, and the news items on today's agenda — Albania's EU accession conference and the Energy and General Affairs Council, all taking place in Luxembourg.And finally, we'll tell you where to find Europe’s best slices of pizza outside of Italy (but you should really go to Italy for pizza if you can, let's face it).Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and music by Alexandre Jas.