In this episode of The Language of Power, Paul Taylor, Senior Visiting Fellow at the European Policy Centre, explores the dangers facing liberal democracy within the European Union and what can be done to counter them.

Last week, we examined the global assault on democracy – from socio-economic and technological forces driving public alienation to the rise of a new authoritarianism, with a few bright spots of democratic renewal. This episode turns the lens to Europe, where “illiberal democracy,” a term coined by Fareed Zakaria in 1997 and later embraced by Viktor Orbán, has spread from Hungary to Poland, Slovakia and EU-candidate Serbia. Elected governments have used majorities to weaken judicial independence, capture media, and roll back women’s and LGBTQ+ rights.

Joining Paul to discuss how these trends are reshaping European politics – and how liberal democracy can be defended – are distinguished Professor of Political Science Brigid Laffan and Liza Saris, Policy Analyst and Project Manager of the EPC’s Connecting Europe initiative.

The Language of Power: Liberal democracy under threat in the EU

In this episode of The Language of Power, Paul Taylor, Senior Visiting Fellow at the European Policy Centre, explores the dangers facing liberal democracy within the European Union and what can be done to counter them.

Last week, we examined the global assault on democracy – from socio-economic and technological forces driving public alienation to the rise of a new authoritarianism, with a few bright spots of democratic renewal. This episode turns the lens to Europe, where “illiberal democracy,” a term coined by Fareed Zakaria in 1997 and later embraced by Viktor Orbán, has spread from Hungary to Poland, Slovakia and EU-candidate Serbia. Elected governments have used majorities to weaken judicial independence, capture media, and roll back women’s and LGBTQ+ rights.

Joining Paul to discuss how these trends are reshaping European politics – and how liberal democracy can be defended – are distinguished Professor of Political Science Brigid Laffan and Liza Saris, Policy Analyst and Project Manager of the EPC’s Connecting Europe initiative.

This podcast is a part of the European Policy Centre's Europe in the World Programme.

What happens to liberal democracy when not only institutions, but also social and societal rights come under strain?
In a special edition of The Language of Power – recorded live at the margins of the EPC Annual Conference 2025 – Paul Taylor, Senior Visiting Fellow at the European Policy Centre, explores how threats to Europe’s democracy are evolving.
After examining global and EU-level democratic backsliding in previous episodes, this conversation turns to the erosion of employment protections, welfare rights, women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights, and the ways in which these pressures are reshaping European politics.
Paul is joined by:
• Laszlo Andor, former European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of FEPS
• Georgia Mourad Brooks, CEO of The Nine and founder of the Fempower Initiative
Together, they discuss whether liberal democracy is losing its social foundations, and what Europe can do to protect them.

Special Edition: Liberal democracy's social, societal fabric under threat – Live from the EPC Annual Conference 2025

In this episode of The Language of Power, Paul Taylor, Senior Visiting Fellow at the European Policy Centre, examines the brutal diplomacy facing Ukraine as it navigates mounting pressure for a ceasefire on terms heavily tilted towards Russia.

Paul is joined by Amanda Paul, Deputy Head of EPC’s Europe in the World Programme and lead of the Ukraine project, and Lev Zinchenko, Advocacy Programme Coordinator at Razom for Ukraine.
Together, they discuss Ukraine’s limited diplomatic room for manoeuvre as US President Donald Trump pushes peace proposals that risk undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty and long-term security; the tactics President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is using to resist unacceptable concessions while preserving vital Western support; Europe’s role — and shortcomings — in shaping the negotiations; and whether a ceasefire is likely in the coming weeks or if the war is set to grind on.

Recorded as Ukraine faces another winter of war, the episode explores how diplomacy, military pressure and domestic politics intersect at a moment of profound uncertainty for Kyiv — and for Europe.

EPC Language of Power podcast - Ukraine’s diplomatic minefield

As 2026 begins, Europe faces a sobering reality: great powers are rewriting the rules of global order while the EU struggles to assert itself. In this episode, host Paul Taylor is joined by Steven Everts (EUISS) and Almut Moeller (EPC) to unpack why Europe appears weak, divided, and reactive in the face of mounting geopolitical challenges — from Trump’s transactional diplomacy and Putin’s aggression to Xi’s strategic maneuvers.

The discussion explores the EU’s “psychology of weakness,” its failure to leverage frozen Russian assets for Ukraine, and the growing risk of irrelevance in a world dominated by power politics. Can Europe overcome internal divisions, rethink its security architecture, and reclaim influence? Tune in for a candid conversation on what it will take for the EU to stand up for its interests and values in 2026.

The Language of Power: Europe’s Weakness Exposed

In this episode of The Language of Power,  Paul Taylor, Senior Visiting Fellow at the EPC, dives into the escalating transatlantic confrontation over Greenland that is testing the unity of NATO and straining relations between the United States and its European allies.

Paul is joined by Professor Peter Fibiger Bang, Professor of History at the University of Copenhagen’s Saxo Institute, and Maria Martisiute, Policy Analyst in the EPC’s Europe in the World programme, former NATO and EU official, and leader of the EPC’s Northern European Platform.

Together, they unpack what lies behind Washington’s demands for “complete and total control” over Greenland, assess Europe’s strategic options, and explore how this crisis could reshape Arctic security, transatlantic relations, and the broader geopolitical landscape.

The Language of Power - Greenland power games

In this episode of The Language of Power, host Paul Taylor explores US President Donald Trump’s controversial new Board of Peace — a body created to implement his Gaza plan but aiming for a far broader global role. Launched with fanfare in Davos and joined mostly by authoritarian states, the Board raises serious concerns about its ambitions, legitimacy, and potential to sideline the UN.

Most EU countries have declined to participate, yet with a UN Security Council resolution assigning the Board a role in Gaza’s reconstruction, Europe risks losing influence by staying out.

Paul is joined by Dave Troy, investigative journalist, and Silvia Colombo, researcher at the NATO Defence College, to unpack the Board’s origins, membership, and implications for European diplomacy, the future of Gaza, and the wider international order.

Trump’s rogue Board of Peace

In this episode of The Language of Power, host Paul Taylor examines the grim fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine at a moment of intensified attacks. As Moscow pounds Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with waves of drone and missile strikes, talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US in Geneva quickly concluded without a breakthrough.  

Despite earlier optimism from US envoy Steve Witkoff, both Russia’s chief negotiator and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy describe the talks as “difficult”, with Zelenskyy indicating that further rounds may follow.

Ahead of the high-stakes talks, Paul is joined by Elena Davlikanova, fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis in Kyiv, and Amanda Paul, deputy head of the EPC’s Europe in the World programme in Brussels. Together, they discuss the impact of energy attacks on Ukrainian morale, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s position in high-stakes diplomacy, Europe’s growing role in supporting Ukraine, the credibility of proposed security guarantees, and the prospects for Ukraine’s future EU membership.

The Language of Power: Ukraine’s freezing anniversary of invasion

The United States and Israel have launched a war on Iran — killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top advisers — with aims that appear to shift between forcing a nuclear deal and pursuing regime change. Paul Taylor is joined by Sanam Vakil, Director, Middle East and North Africa Programme at the Chatham House, and Mihai Chihaia, Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre, to unpack the war’s unclear objectives, the risks of wider regional escalation (from strikes on Gulf infrastructure to proxy attacks and global terrorism), and the economic shockwaves already hitting Europe through spiking oil and liqufied natural gas (LNG) prices.

The conversation also examines how Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have framed the conflict, why the EU and the E3 (Britain, France and Germany) have struggled to hold a consistent line, and what — if anything — Europeans can realistically do now.

The Language of Power: Bomb, bomb Iran!

Paul Taylor explores how Russia is waging a hybrid war across Europe — from cyber attacks and sabotage to disinformation, election meddling, and drone incursions. Joining him are cyber‑security expert Hanna Linderstal and hybrid‑threat specialist Chris Kremidas‑Courtney to unpack the latest trends, Europe’s preparedness, and how countries like Sweden, Moldova and Hungary have been targeted. They also assess China’s role and whether Russia’s efforts to sow mistrust in European societies are gaining ground.

The Language of Power - Russia’s hybrid war against Europe

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The Language of Power: Liberal democracy under threat in the EU

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