The Sound of Economics

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie is joined by Bruegel’s Director Jeromin Zettelmeyer and Affiliate Fellow Ben McWilliams to discuss new research on climate action and international cooperation. They present their chapter in the Paris Report 3, exploring the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries, the design of the Clean Industrial Deal, and relatively high e...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie discusses how common financial-services supervision could jumpstart the EU single market with Bruegel’s Nicolas Véron and Enrico Letta, former Italian prime minister and author of the EU’s flagship single-market report. They talk about ways to boost the European Securities and Markets Authority, the current regulator, and move away f...

Critical technologies including artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum computing are gaining increasing attention due to their strategic importance and indispensable role in national security. In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan invites Alicia García-Herrero and Claudio Feijóo to look into how the world’s three leading global economies, China, the US and the EU, are...

In this episode of the Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie talks about the proposed digital euro with ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone and Bruegel Senior Fellow Pablo Hernández de Cos. Why does the EU need a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)? How much should citizens be able to hold? How will it affect financial stability and the banking system? They discuss the state of play an...

In this episode of the Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie discusses global development with Bruegel director Jeromin Zettelmeyer and Alfonso García Mora, vice president for Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean at the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank Group’s arm for mobilizing private finance. They discuss what tools are available, what needs can be addressed, and how tha...

How Europe’s defence sector can align to climate goals without compromising security needs In this episode of the Sound of Economics, we look at the present and future efforts of the defence sector to integrate climate sustainability. Host Rebecca Christie is joined by Bruegel's Simone Tagliapietra and Kädi Ristkok, Executive Director of Cleantech for Baltics. Together, they explore the challenges...

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 tar...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan sits down with Bruegel’s own Alicia García-Herrero and Plamen Tonchev, Head of Asia Unit at the Athens- based Institute of International Economic Relations (IIER), to dive into China's economic presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, a region that we have not covered much before in terms of its relations with China. The conversation delves into...

In this episode of the Sound of Economics, we look at how Europe can attract and keep top-tier scientific researchers, especially given US political turmoil and the Trump administration’s conflicts with higher education. Host Rebecca Christie speaks with Bruegel’s Reinhilde Veugelers and Mario Mariniello, joined by Daniel Gros of the Institute for European Policymaking at Bocconi University, to di...

In this episode of the Sound of Economics, we look at Germany’s budget outlook under new Chancellor Friedric Merz and whether much-needed reforms to the so-called debt brake put Berlin on a collision course with Brussels. Host Rebecca Christie is joined by Bruegel's director, Jeromin Zettelmeyer, and Bruegel non-resident fellow, Armin Steinbach, to discuss the legal and economic implications. How...

*We released the original podcast on 23 April 2025. As the blackout in Iberian Peninsula happened soon after, we decided to record an update on what happened there. In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie talks to Bruegel energy experts Conall Heussaff and Georg Zachmann about the urgent need to upgrade and connect Europe's electricity grids. They discuss their recent paper out...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan sits down with Bruegel’s own Alicia García-Herrero and Finbarr Bermingham, EU correspondent of South China Morning Post to unpack the latest developments in the US-China trade war and what they mean for the European Union. With Trump’s volatile approach to tariffs, China’s charm offensive toward Brussels, and the EU’s own strategic uncertainty,...

In this extra episode of The Sound of Economics, Bruegel’s Bertin Martens and Fiona M. Scott Morton explain the EU’s first fines under the Digital Markets Act, in conversation with Rebecca Christie. Apple and Meta were hit with the penalties on 23 April 2025 in what will be a test case for the European Commission’s new mandate to rein in digital gatekeepers. This podcast walks through why the fine...

The Western Balkans are often seen as Europe’s periphery, but they are in fact embedded within the continent’s history and future ambitions. Despite close economic ties with the EU, these six countries—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia—remain outside the Union, navigating a complex path toward accession. In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebe...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we mark a decade since the Greek debt crisis, reflecting past hardships and the progress made and the challenges that lie ahead. Host Rebecca Christie is joined by George Papaconstantinou , former Greek Minister of Finance, and Eleni Varvitsioti , journalist and expert on European affairs. Together, they explore Greece’s recovery journey, from the turbule...

How should Europe respond to the new US administration’s aggressive rhetoric on trade? Bruegel’s Uri Dadush , Niclas Poitiers and Ignacio Garcia Bercero join a conversation with Rebecca Christie for a special live edition of The Sound of Economics podcast.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced the EU to reassess its ties with both Moscow and Beijing. As the EU navigates its dependencies on Russian energy, Chinese markets, and US security, how is its long-term strategy evolving? Can Europe maintain a unified stance on China? And what does this mean for global power dynamics? In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan is joined by Alicia...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie discusses Ireland's economy with Eamon Gilmore , former Foreign Minister, and Patrick Honohan, former Governor of the Irish Central Bank. They explore Ireland’s recovery from the global financial crisis and current political outlook, alongside issues such as public debt, low interest rates, and rebuilding national confidence. The con...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie is joined by Jeromin Zettelmeyer and Peter Praet to discuss the economic outlook for Europe and the United States, the impact of prospective tariffs, and the role of monetary and fiscal policies. The conversation touches on the impact of geopolitical uncertainties, structural reforms, and the ongoing debate around defence spending in Euro...

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 mi...

Since the bursting of China’s real-estate bubble in mid-2021, there has been a growing concern that the country’s economy could end up like that of Japan in the early 1990s. In this episode of the Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan invites Alicia García-Herrero and Jianwei Xu to discuss China’s structural deceleration, the striking similarities and key differences with Japan’s experience, and what thi...

Ahead of Germany’s federal elections on February 23 2025, Rebecca Christie invites Jens Suedekum and Niclas Poitiers to take a look at the country’s economic situation, what needs to be fixed and how. This election may decide which fundamental economic strategy Germany pursues for the next years, with implications for Europe and the world. They discuss why it has been so hard for Berlin to change...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics , host Rebecca Christie is joined by Laurence Tubiana , CEO of the European Climate Foundation, and Bruegel fellows Jean Pisani-Ferry and Alissa M. Kleinnijenhuis to discuss the urgent financial steps needed to address climate change: Now that the US has pulled back, the EU is needed more than ever to help mobilise crucial funds and guard against the costs...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics , we delve into the future of space in Europe, examining the challenges and opportunities ahead. Host Rebecca Christie , Senior Fellow at Bruegel, is joined by Hermann Ludwig Moeller , Director of the European Space Policy Institute, and Reinhilde Veugelers , Bruegel Senior fellow. Together, they discuss the financial landscape of space exploration, the ro...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics , Yuyun Zhan invites Alicia Garcia Herrero and Ana Krstinovska to delve into China's expanding footprint in the Western Balkans and its implications for Europe's economic security and strategic autonomy. They explore the region's strategic importance and analyze how China's developments in the region impact the EU's neighborhood policy and economic securit...