This episode of FEPS Talks, featuring Kaisa Vatanen, Director of Kalevi Sorsa Foundation and Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Director for Research and Training, will take you to Finland - a country, where governing social democracy and its leader, “millennial” prime minister Sanna Marin, pioneer ways to modernise politics. So tune in to find out first hand information from a co-chair of the drafting committee about SDP (Social Democratic Party of Finland) experience when it comes to crossing over historical...
Jul 09, 2020•14 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Maria Herczog, senior policy analyst at Institute for Human Services, Columbus, Ohio, and chair of the Family, Child, Youth Association in Budapest, Hungary, and Dr. David Rinaldi, FEPS Director of Studies and Policies, discuss about the need of improvement of the European early childcare services, especially after the social and economic effects of the COVID19 pandemic. These services are fundamental to reduce inequalities in early ages and grow motivated and resilient children. Dr Herczog ...
Jul 02, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast FEPS Secretary General László Andor speaks with Prof. James K. Galbraith (University of Texas at Austin). They discuss the extraordinary economic crisis of 2020: how it compares to the previous Great Recession, and where a comparative assessment of the US and EU experiences of crisis response would lead to. Have politicians learned anything from the previous crises and the consequences of those? Is there a connection between the COVID-19 recession and the new wave of protest movements against ra...
Jun 25, 2020•35 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast A conversation between Professors Kate Picket and Richard Wilkinson and Dr. David Rinaldi, FEPS Director of Studies and Policy. The epidemiologists and political activists, authors of “The Spirit Level" and "The Inner Level" explain why more equality delivers healthier societies. The COVID19 pandemic shows how inequalities have a direct effect on health outcomes as the vulnerable are mostly affected. They warn about other kinds of pandemics that needs a strong policy response: pollution, obesity...
Jun 18, 2020•32 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast Building on the FEPS Call to Europe annual conference taking place on 10-11th June 2020 on climate justice and gender equality, this podcast takes a closer look at female employment and its main challenges in relation to gender equality. In an exchange between Alicia Homs (S&D Member of the European Parliament & Young European Socialists President, Spain) and Laeticia Thissen, FEPS Gender Equality Policy Advisor, this podcast explores in more details how the coronavirus outbreak exacerbates exis...
Jun 10, 2020•32 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast Luc Bas, director of European Regional Office, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and Charlotte Billingham, FEPS Senior Policy Advisor debate about the EU biodiversity strategy in the framework of the World Environment Day (5th June 2020) Luc shares his thoughts with us on the effects of lockdown on the environment and the EU biodiversity and ‘farm-to-fork’ strategies which were recently launched as part of the European Green Deal. Making the case for nature-based solutions an...
Jun 04, 2020•21 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast Simon Hix, Professor and Vice-President of the London School of Economics joins Dr Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Director for Research and Training today in the FEPSTalks studio debate about the past, present and the future of social democracy. Their vibrant exchange takes the audience in just 15 minutes through a centurial history of the center left, which in his new paper Professor Hix divides into three subsequent chapters and which he together with his colleagues analysed through a prism of almost 600...
May 28, 2020•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Anton Rop, former Prime Minister of Slovenia and former Vice President of the EIB discusses with David Rinaldi, FEPS Director of Studies and Policy, about the economic and financial difficulties that the pandemic has brought about across Europe. Mr Rop is worried that in the absence of a strong European intervention to relaunch the economies of the countries most affected by the health crisis, convergence in Europe will seriously be at risk; with potentially negative effects on integration and i...
May 20, 2020•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast The conversation kicks off with the debate around apps, surveillance and the corona-virus. What does this say about the broader discussion in Europe about digital technology? Then the discussion explores themes from Ivana Bartoletti’s new book “An Artificial Revolution: On Power, Politics, and AI.” Why is the collection of a data a political act? To manage the consequences of AI, why is not enough to talk about ethics and bias? And what do nuclear power and AI have in common…? Tune in to find ou...
May 14, 2020•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Massimiliano Mascherini, Head of the Social Policy unit in Eurofound, analyses the results of the fresh research of the agency in a conversation with FEPS Secretary General László Andor. Eurofound just published the document “Living, working and COVID-19” that reflects the most immediate economic and social effects of the crisis: The findings are devastating as they show the rapidly increasing levels of unemployment and risk of poverty in only six weeks and they preview that the impact of the ou...
May 07, 2020•25 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast Gaby Bischoff, S&D MEP and Member of the European Parliament’s Future of Europe Working Group, exchanges views with Maria Freitas, FEPS Senior Policy Advisor, on how the Future of Europe conference can pave way for a truly participatory and inclusive platform to discuss Europe’s future direction. The global health crisis in turn offers an unprecedented opportunity for Europe to think outside of the box and act by responding to citizens expectations.
Apr 30, 2020•21 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Krzysztof Smiszek, Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Group of the Left in Poland and Dr. Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Director for Research and Training feature in this new exciting episode of the FEPS Talk to bring forward some insights regarding the worrying situation in Poland. The conversation is a journey, which begins with a throwback at the impressive return of the progressives into the parliament and leads through diverse battlefields marked by attacks that the Polish governing forces launch on...
Apr 24, 2020•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this FEPS Talks episode, Dr. Barbara Helfferich and Laeticia Thissen (FEPS Policy Adviser on Gender Equality and Women’s Rights) exchange their views on the gender dimensions of COVID19, its consequences for gender (in)equality and women’s rights and the role of women in rebuilding our societies. Why may the coronavirus fallout be worse for women than for men? How does the coronavirus affect the already challenging work life balance? What are the indirect COVID19 casualties due to women being...
Apr 16, 2020•22 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast Javi López, MEP and Chair of PES Environment, Climate Change & Energy Network and Charlotte Billingham, FEPS Senior Policy Advisor, discuss in this FEPS Talks episode about the socio economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the heightened need for the climate law to ensure long-term goals are achieved nevertheless. They debate on how the European Union needs to ensure it plays its role of political union in these times when solidarity is most needed.
Apr 09, 2020•17 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast Kata Tüttő, Deputy Lord Mayor of Budapest, and László Andor, FEPS Secretary General discuss the responsibilities of municipalities at the time of the COVID-19 crisis. Budapest elected a progressive government last October, which immediately announced climate emergency, relaunched social dialogue and decided upon wage increases for public employees. Today Kata Tüttő is in charge of the response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the Hungarian capital where she is making sure that citizens and employees ...
Apr 02, 2020•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this FEPS Talks, Professor Sacha Garben and Dr. David Rinaldi discuss how the social policies of the EU can develop in response to the COVID19 pandemic. In aftermath of the financial crisis the dominant neoliberal paradigm sacrificed welfare and wellbeing over the sustainability of public finance; how to ensure that the winning ideas and policy response are based on a people-first approach? The European Commission had tabled some important measures with a seizable social impact: an EU-wide mi...
Mar 26, 2020•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Catherine Woollard, ECRE Secretary General, and Hedwig Giusto, FEPS Senior Policy Advisor, analyse the current emergency in the Turkish-Greek border while the worldwide attention is focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. On one hand they condemn President Erdogan's attempt to use asylum seekers as pawns to achieve his geopolitical goals, on the other they recognise that Turkey has received and is hosting a mach larger number of refugees than the EU has done. Both experts agree on the need and urgency...
Mar 19, 2020•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the British Trades Union Congress (TUC), and László Andor, FEPS Secretary General, analyse in this FEPS Talks episode the meaning of the working class today. They rebut the notion which was widespread after the December elections in the UK that the working class as such turned anti-European and became a supporter of the Tories. Stereotypes and simplifications should be avoided not least because the composition and consciousness of the working class has chang...
Mar 12, 2020•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dagmar Schumacher, UN Women Brussels Director, joins Laeticia Thissen, FEPS Gender Policy Advisor, for this episode on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most visionary and progressive roadmap for policy makers and activists to advance women’s rights. Ahead of several key milestones in 2020, this discussion reminds us of the biggest successes of the Beijing Declaration adopted 25 years ago but also of the main remaining gaps and how the g...
Mar 04, 2020•28 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Yaye Helene Ndiaye and Hedwig Giusto analyse the intercontinental and intra-continental African migration and highlight the fact that most international migration in Africa is directed towards African countries. They agree on the need for stronger cooperation between the African Union, the African countries and regional organisations on one hand and the European Union on the other to stop human traffic and smuggling and govern migration. Ndiaye and Giusto discuss the possibility and the need to ...
Feb 27, 2020•21 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of #FEPSTalks MEP Paul Tang and Justin Nogarede discuss the paradox of the digital transition. Digital tech can and does offer a lot - think of healthcare. But right now, we also see large concentrations of data and power, and a lack of transparency that facilitates manipulation of citizens. In a year when the EU is defining its digital policy for the years to come, what should progressives aim for? Tune in for a discussion on data, ‘AI’, the role of online platforms, taxation an...
Feb 20, 2020•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vasco Cordeiro, President of the Regional Government of the Azores and First Vice-President of the European Committe of the Regions exchanges opinions with Maria Freitas, FEPS Senior Policy Advisor on the potential that Europe’s regions and cities can bring for the European project. Maria and Vasco discuss the ways in which EU regions matter for the unity of the EU as a political project and much more. #FEPSTalks listeners are also invited by Vasco to visit the Azores, one of Europe’s outermost ...
Feb 13, 2020•18 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast British Economist Ann Pettifor highlights in this episode of FEPS Talks the importance of a Just Transition. The author of “The case for the Green New Deal’ analyses the role of the states when financing the European Green Deal and explains how the transformation has to be translated into quality jobs. Investment and funds mobilisation are needed to build alternative infrastructures. The transformation should crate new employment that generates incomes and bring tax revenues. She highlights the ...
Feb 06, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast L’eurodéputé Pierre Larrouturou nous alerte sur l’urgence climatique et nous signale qu’il ne reste que peu de temps pour réagir et montrer que l’Europe prend le sujet au sérieux. Que ce soit dans la preparation de la COP26 de Glasgow, dans les negotiations pour le budget de l’Union Européenne, ou bien dans l’architecture du Green Deal européen, l’action progressiste doit être effective dans ces mois à venir. Tous les espoirs des climatologues reposent sur les mouvements de la jeunesse ainsi que...
Jan 30, 2020•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Professor Claus Offe is a distinguished social scientist. He has written extensively about the welfare state, and is known as an advocate of the basic income. FEPS Secretary General, László Andor, spoke with him in Berlin about the state of the European Union and in particular the European social model. What the welfare state delivered in the past, and what needs to be done to ensure its viability in the future. He is supportive of the current EU level initiatives like minimum wage coordination ...
Jan 23, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Leonie Martin, President of the Young European Federalists (JEF) exchanges opinions with Maria Freitas, FEPS Senior Policy Advisor on the potential that lies ahead for EU to be closer to citizens’ expectations and empower their voices in decision-making processes. What are the opportunities and challenges that the Future of Europe conference entails to strengthen European Democracy? Leonie and Maria engage in exploratory conversation of the potential framework and output of the Future of Europe ...
Jan 16, 2020•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast This conversation between Gesine Schwan, President of the Fundamental Values Commission of the SPD and László Andor, FEPS Secretary General, is a reflection about the state of Europe and social democracy. They agree that Europe has to develop new ways to deal with migration and asylum. Professor Schwan argues that EU level solutions should be based on voluntary basis in this field, reinforcing the sense of liberty, security and justice. EU support should be directly available for municipalities ...
Jan 09, 2020•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vincenzo (Enzo) Amendola, Minister for Europe in Italian Government shares his views about Union's future and the role of Italy in the EU with Dr Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Director for Research and Training. What kind of Europe can make a difference internationally? Which EU can respond to citizens', especially young ones, expectations? What should happen to make EU Green Deal come true? - insightful answers to those and several other pertinent questions are just click away! So join in and listen to o...
Jan 01, 2020•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast The approval of the European Pillar of Social Rights was a milestone that reopened the debate about the social dimension of the European Union. This has been a critical development at a time when the EU needs to present itself as a protective force as opposed to a disruptive one, especially when tackling the asymmetries generated by the Economic and Monetary Union. The conversation covers different angles of the Pillar that are on the agenda of the new EU Commission (unemployment insurance, mini...
Dec 26, 2019•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast MEP Tanja Fajon and FEPS Senior Policy Advisor Hedwig Giusto discuss the rough path towards accession of the Western Balkans countries. After years of widespread lack of interest of the EU member states in the enlargement process, 2018 seemed to mark a turning point for the relations between the EU and the WB countries. However, last October, when time seemed to be ripe to open negotiations with two countries - Albania and North Macedonia, which have gone a long way to meet the conditions posed ...
Dec 19, 2019•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
