Friends of Europe podcasts

The first session of the Climate and Energy Summit hosted by Friends of Europe on 18 October focused on the challenge of maintaining climate diplomacy in a time of division. Establishing international alliances and a shared global strategy on climate action will unify countries in the fight against climate change. Speakers included Daniela Jacob (Director of the Climate Service Center Germany (GER...

The first session of the Security Summit hosted by Friends of Europe on 20 September focused on the role of the European Union within a security landscape currently undergoing significant global change. As new threats require new capabilities, defence strategies may incorporate recent technological developments to adapt to the shifting nature of modern warfare. Speakers included Lowri Evans (Europ...

The second session of the Security Summit hosted by Friends of Europe on 20 September revolved around themes of estrangement within the areas of defence and security and examined how alliances like the EU and NATO go about maintaining the commitments they were designed to uphold. From the Cold War to the present day, dialogue has remained a crucial part of international diplomacy. Speakers include...

As part of the annual Security Summit on 20 September, Friends of Europe hosted a conversation with Julian King, European Commissioner for the Security Union. Among the many subjects explored were cyber security, automatic weaponry, deterrence in the age of technology and – given the understanding that security is not a partisan issue – the need for collective cooperation between the EU and the UK...

Friends of Europe’s conversation with Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, took place in Brussels on 26 June 2018. Ms. Jourová discussed her areas of responsibility to explore how the highs and lows of this wide and important brief affect the everyday lives of European citizens in terms of equality and rights. The debate was moderated by Dharmendra Kanani, Directo...

The Friends of Europe dinner debate on 5 June 2018 focused on the SDG challenge of reaching the last mile: how can we end poverty in all its forms everywhere? The discussion was moderated by Shada Islam, Director of Europe & Geopolitics at Friends of Europe.

The last session of Friends of Europe’s Africa Summit focused on ‘jobs, growth and economic cooperation’. Africa and Europe can and should learn from each other’s’ experience in tackling economic challenges. Speakers included Richard Amor (Head, Global Partners Operations Directorate, European Investment Bank (EIB)); Christoph Beier (Vice Chair of the Management Board, Deutsche Gesellschaft für In...

As a part of Friends of Europe’s Africa Summit, Session II explored the creative and high tech industries in Africa and the massive potential for continent-wide job creation and GDP growth. The event took place on 4 June 2018 in Brussels. Speakers include Sindiso Khumalo (Designer and Founder of Sindiso Khumalo Fashion, working towards promoting sustainable and ethical African creations) and Pauli...

Friends of Europe’s ‘Africa Summit’, held in Brussels on the 4 June 2018, looked at the evaluation and re-setting of Africa-Europe relations. Speakers included Mo Ibrahim (Chairman and Founder, Mo Ibrahim Foundation); Elisabeth Guigou (President of the Anna Lindh Foundation Mediterranean Foundation for Dialogue); Esther Nakajjigo (Uganda’s Ambassador for Women and Girls); Günther Nooke (Commission...

Friends of Europe’s debate on ‘walking the talk on youth engagement’, looked into youth-driven analysis of shared challenges and opportunities faced by young people in the Euro-Mediterranean region. The event was held on the 23 May as a part of the Young Mediterranean Voices & EYL40 Young Leaders event. Speakers included Hella Grichi (Young Mediterranean Voices (YMV)); Abdelbasset Ben Hassen (Pres...

Friends of Europe’s debate on ‘what youth really want’, explored the youth-driven analysis of shared challenges and opportunities faced by young people in the Euro-Mediterranean region, identifying cross border commonalities and differences, discussing action-oriented proposals to develop more positive policy narratives. The event was held on the 23 May as a part of the Young Mediterranean Voices...

The introductions, ‘ice-breaker’ and plenary session on Beyond Clichés, hosted by Friends of Europe, looked at education, cross-cultural skills and critical thinking as the basis of political participation and active citizenship. The event was held on the 22 May as a part of the Young Mediterranean Voices & EYL40 Young Leaders event. Speakers included Jasmina Cibic (performance, installation and f...

Friends of Europe’s conversation on ‘women power’, looked at empowering women to take more of an active and leading role in business. The event was held on the 22 May as a part of the Young Mediterranean Voices & EYL40 Young Leaders event. Speakers included Yostina Boules (Founder of Taqa Solutions and MENA Young Leader (EYL40)); Ulla Engelmann (Head of Unit Clusters, Social Economy and Entreprene...

The ‘tech talk’, hosted by Friends of Europe, breached upon rapid technological developments and how they could be a key driver for growth in Europe and the MENA region. The event was held on the 22 May as a part of the Young Mediterranean Voices & EYL40 Young Leaders event. Speakers included Abdallah Absi (Founder & CEO of GivingLoop and MENA Young Leader (EYL40)); Julie Foulon (Co-Founder, Molen...

Friends of Europe’s conversation with Sherin Khankan, Denmark's first female imam who has led the foundation of a women-led mosque in Copenhagen. The event was held on the 22 May as a part of the Young Mediterranean Voices & EYL40 Young Leaders event. Sherin Khankan is an activist on Muslim issues including female integration and extremism, and has written numerous texts discussing Islam and polit...

The debate on building climate resilience, hosted by Friends of Europe, explored on how national and subnational bodies can respond to growing irregular risks such as disruptions in food, water, and energy supplies or rising sea levels. The event was held on the 24 of April in Brussels. Speakers included Tessa Kelly (Climate Change Coordinator at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red C...

Friends of Europe's debate on the future of mobility took place in Brussels on 27 March 2018, with a focus on hydrogen and electric-based solutions and their role in the quest to transition to low-emission mobility. Speakers included Jean-François Aguinaga (European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation); Greg Archer (Transport and Environment (T&E)) and Michèle Azalbert (ENGI...

In recent years many of the world’s major cities have had first-hand experience dealing with the prevention or aftermath of deadly terrorist attacks. With improved capabilities and knowledge, most local authorities are becoming better at tackling terrorist threats and dealing with the consequences of such attacks. But with urban terrorism - especially high-profile but low-tech attacks - expected t...

National and international peace talks routinely exclude women despite their key role in peace-building and ensuring sustained stability. Despite stereotypical images of women as passive victims of war, women are largely active in the informal spheres, at community and civil society levels, beneath the radar of the international community and the traditional peace and security framework. Although...

ASEAN-EU relations have grown and evolved steadily over the years, with both sides inter-acting on a range of economic, political and social issues. Meeting in Manila last August, ASEAN and EU ministers crafted an extensive and multi-faceted plan of action for a further upgrade of cooperation with a focus on bilateral ties, including security issues and connectivity, as well as on the wider global...

ASEAN and the European Union are adjusting and adapting to unexpected geopolitical transformations and uncertainties. Having just celebrated its golden jubilee, ASEAN is entering a critical new chapter in its quest for greater regional cooperation and integration amid expectations it will play a bigger and more relevant role in global affairs. The EU has reaffirmed its unity, ambition and resolve...

European security and defence cooperation has gained fresh momentum, most notably through the recently signed Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), an ambitious binding framework that aims to build a true ‘cooperative security’ approach. To achieve such a holistic approach to security, spending targets could go beyond a strict focus on defence towards a ‘single security budget’ that would incl...

Refugee flows, while not new, have sent many systems into shock over the last several years, creating tensions between states and their international obligations, as well as between national and local governments. Indeed, while cities and regions are often able to demonstrate resilience on the surface, issues of finance, governance, integration and urban planning are all linked to local systems wh...

Africa’s future largely hangs on whether it can deal with its massive infrastructure deficit. The good news: digital infrastructure has made great progress, with telecommunications coverage expanding at a fast pace across both low- and middle-income countries. The bad: only 35% of the population has access to electricity, with a huge urban-rural divide. Both the EU and Japan recognise that massive...

This event is part of Friends of Europe’s Health and Wellbeing programme, which focuses on how the obstacles of vested interests and short-term political thinking can be overcome in the difficult transition to new healthcare models and systems – and how these new systems can be financed. Speakers included Cristian-Silviu Bușoi (Member of the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and...