The Sound of Economics

In this episode of The Sound of Economics , host Rebecca Christie speaks with Bruegel’s first Director and co-founder, Jean Pisani-Ferry , Senior fellow and co-founder Nicolas Véron , and Board member Caroline de Gruyter on the occasion of the think tank’s 20th anniversary. Their conversation takes us on a journey that spans fateful lunches and parliamentary dramas, choosing a location and funding...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics , Rebecca Christie sits down with MEP Aura Salla and Bruegel Senior Fellow Fiona Scott Morton to discuss the EU’s evolving tech regulation landscape. The conversation spans critical issues such as the Digital Markets Act, GDPR enforcement, data sovereignty, and the EU’s quest to foster innovation while curbing the dominance of global tech giants. With insi...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie is joined by James Baxter , Ambassador, Australian Permanent Mission to the WTO, and Ignacio García Bercero , a Bruegel Non-resident fellow and former EU trade official, to discuss the 30-year journey of the World Trade Organization. Together, they examine the achievements and crises that have shaped the WTO, delve into the challenges pos...

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 t...

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...

The EU’s Global Gateway Initiative aims to mobilize €300 billion for global infrastructure by 2027, but how does it compare to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)? Host Yuyun Zhan discusses this with Alicia García-Herrero and Romana Vlahutin . They explore the initiative’s origins, progresses and challenges, and how Europe can sharpen its strategy to balance development goals with economic inte...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie invites Johanna Breuer , Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol and Federico Fabbrini to delve into the intricate dynamics of European public goods and how to pay for them. Together, they explore the historical, legal, and political foundations of joint European financing—tracing its evolution from the post-WWII period to recent crises like the pandemic...

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...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan invites Alicia García-Herrero , Théo Storella and Moritz Rudolf to delve into China's evolving role in the United Nations and its broader global governance strategy. They explore the initiatives shaping China's influence in the United Nations, such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, and discuss the implicati...

9 November 2024 marks the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall - a pivotal moment that led to German reunification. In this special episode of The Sound of Economics , we step beyond the realm of economic policy to explore the personal and historical impact of reunification. Rebecca Christie is joined by Bruegel fellows Marek Dabrowski , Guntram Wolff , and Georg Zachmann . Our speakers...

 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...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics , Rebecca Christie sits down with Bruegel's Ben McWilliams and Rhodium's Senior Analyst Marie Tamba to talk about the solar energy transition, and how better information on investment and deployment can lead to better policy. Data trends in the EU and the U.S. offer insights into where clean energy is ramping up and what steps will help going forward. They...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics,  Yuyun Zhan invites Alicia García-Herrero and Alfred Schipke to explore the stimulus package China announced in late September 2024. They discuss why the Chinese government introduced these new measures, the key components of the package, especially how it addresses the real estate crisis and local government debt issues. Garcia Herrero notes that the sti...

While the term Japanification is usually taken negatively, Japan actually managed a very challenging economic situation with an ageing population and low productivity growth. As the rest of the world grapples with the same structural decline in population, Rebecca Christie sits down with Jacob Funk Kirkegaard and Takeshi Tashiro to explore what lessons Europe and beyond can learn from Japan’s expe...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics , Conor Brummell explores the topic of multilingualism within the European Union. He is joined by language experts Margo Sjis , Head of the Dutch Unit in DG Interpretation of the European Commission and Merje Laht , Head of the Estonian Unit in DG Interpretation of the European Commission and Aislínn McCrory , Head of the Irish Translations Unit in the Eur...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie invites Bruegel’s own Simone Tagliapietr a and Cecilia Trasi , as well as Jacob Werksman , Principal Adviser of European Commission’s DG Clima, to examine the EU’s global green agenda and the challenges of balancing decarbonisation, competitiveness, and strategic autonomy. They discuss how the EU’s green geoeconomic approach should suppor...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan sits down with Alicia García-Herrero and Abigaël Vasselier to assess the new reality of EU-China relations and explain why the European Union must prepare for a much more difficult relationship with China. Relevant publication: García-Herrero, A. and A. Vasselier (2024) ‘ Updating the EU strategy on China: co-existence while de-risking through...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie sits down with Bruegel Senior fellow Zsolt Darvas and Jennifer D. Sciubba , President and CEO of the Population Reference Bureau from Washington DC. Together, they explore the findings of Darvas’ recent paper on the effects of demographic changes on public debt sustainability , which was presented at the informal Meeting of Economic and F...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie sits down with Eurogroup president Paschal Donohoe and Bruegel Senior fellow Guntram Wolff to discuss the EU's dire defence and security challenges and the role of public finances. They also discuss Wolff's latest report on Europe's and Germany's slow rearmament, particularly compared to Russian arms production. Listen to Donohoe's speech...

The Memos to the European Union leadership have been a Bruegel tradition since 2009. Every five years – after the European elections but before a new European Commission takes office – we take stock of EU economic policies, reflect on the EU's main challenges, make recommendations on how the new leadership should address them. In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie invites the...

Maria Demertzis sits down in the studio of The Sound of Economics for one last time in her capacity as Senior fellow and Bruegel’s former Deputy director. In this episode, she reflects on the eight years of her work. What have been the major challenges for the EU and how has Bruegel responded to them? Why does she feel strongly about financial vulnerability and what she sees as the next great chal...

By 2030, the European Union must reduce emissions from the heating and cooling of buildings – responsible for 13 percent of EU emissions – by the equivalent of the annual emissions of Slovakia. In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie sits down with Michael Pahle , Marion Santini and Giovanni Sgaravatti to discuss how greener buildings can play contribute to Europe’s decarbonisa...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan sits down with Alicia García-Herrero and Eric Olander to explore China’s economic engagements in Africa, both in the historical and the modern-day context. They also discuss the criticisms China faces from African countries and the West when it comes to foreign direct investment, trade, opacity and more. While Olander claims that China brings a...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie is joined by Bruegel fellow Ben McWilliams and Johanna Schiele , a Policy Officer at the Innovation Fund in the European Commission, to discuss the benefits and challenges of hydrogen as a clean energy source. Throughout this episode, they explore whether hydrogen could be used as alternative to the extracting and burning of fossil fuels,...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie discusses the current global trade landscape with Penny Naas , of the German Marshall Fund and Atlantic Council, and Niclas Poitiers from Bruegel. They explore the challenges of balancing economic resilience, protectionism, and the push for green technologies amid these transformations. Naas and Poitiers provide insights into the rational...