24 March 2022: In Episode 7 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking podcast on the War in Ukraine, host, Tracey D’Afters is joined by Senior Fellows Paul Taylor and Chris Kremidas-Courtney and guest speaker, Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary General at UNCTAD, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Tune in to hear what our Senior Fellows have to say.

Frankly Speaking | Defence, data, and development of Ukraine

31 March 2022: In Episode 8 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking podcast on the War in Ukraine, host, Tracey D’Afters is joined by Senior Fellows Paul Taylor former Reuters journalist, contributing editor at Politico and author of our newly published report on the Black Sea and Jamie Shea, former Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO.

Frankly Speaking  | Can we trust what the Russians say?

7 April 2022: In Episode 9 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking podcast on the War in Ukraine, host, Tracey D’Afters is joined by Senior Fellows Paul Taylor former Reuters journalist, contributing editor at Politico and author of our newly published report on the Black Sea and Jamie Shea, former Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO. This week we also welcome our special guest Gordana Čomić, Serbian Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue

Frankly Speaking | Empowering women in a crushing war

21 April 2022: After a short break we are back with Episode 10 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking podcast on the War in Ukraine. Our host, Tracey D’Afters is joined by Senior Fellows Paul Taylor former Reuters journalist, contributing editor at Politico and author of our newly published report on the Black Sea and Jamie Shea, former Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO.

Tune in to hear what our Senior Fellows have to say.

Frankly Speaking | The battle for Donbas

5 May 2022: Episode 11 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking Podcast special on the war in Ukraine focuses on developments on the southern and eastern fronts; Russia’s military issues; Finland’s interest in becoming a NATO member; the Sixth Sanctions Package and what it means for diplomacy should the Pope step in to mediate. 

Tune in this week to find out what our Senior Fellow Jamie Shea says on all these points.

Frankly Speaking | The Pope in Ukraine?

12 May 2022: Episode 12 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking Podcast special on the war in Ukraine this week is hosted live from Zagreb, Croatia, where our European Young Leaders (EYL40) programme is hosting a three-day seminar on the topic of ‘Saving Democracy From Itself’. We explore the concept of ‘constructive journalism’ and why ensuring a free and open press can embolden democracies everywhere.

Listen to Journalist and Researcher in Euro-Mediterranean Affairs, specialising in Libya, Trustee of Friends of Europe and 2013 European Young Leader (EYL40) - Mary Fitzgerald - and our Senior Fellow and expert in disinformation and cybersecurity - Chris Kremidas-Courtney.

Frankly Speaking | Fighting for the truth in the Western Balkans

9 June 2022: In Episode 15 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking Podcast’s special on the war in Ukraine, host Tracey D’Afters is joined by our Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence, Paul Taylor and guest speaker Holy Ranaivozanany who is Head of Advocacy and Outreach at the Africa-Europe Foundation. We discuss the implications of the war on Ukraine on the African Continent and ask if the Africa-Europe partnership is ready for the testing times ahead; how the emerging geopolitical differences affect the partnership; how long have we got before the food crisis becomes an issue for African countries. 

Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say.

Frankly Speaking | Is the Africa-Europe partnership ready for the shocks ahead?

16 June 2022: In Episode 16 of Friends of Europe’s Frankly Speaking Podcast’s special on the war in Ukraine, host Tracey D’Afters is joined by our Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence, Paul Taylor and guest speaker Elena Daly, Independent Expert for Sovereign Debt. We discuss why Western sanctions may prevent Russia from using global financial systems to service its sovereign debt, and what impact that may have. If Russia cannot pay it would result in the first major default on foreign debt since the Bolshevik revolution over a century ago. And with the Ukraine economy suffering, how will their creditworthiness fare, and what should the West do to support it? 

Tune in to find out what our speakers have to say.

Frankly Speaking | Here to collect on Russia's debt

In the new geopolitical Europe shaped by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Western Balkans are an object of heightened competition. There is an urgent need for fresh momentum in the EU’s integration of the Western Balkans. Yet, growing indifference in most western EU member states to the enlargement and accession of the Western Balkans, coupled with disillusionment throughout the Western Balkans, hinders any significant progress. The EU must end its neglect of the Western Balkans and seize the geopolitical moment to hasten their accession process.
In Friends of Europe’s latest study, Senior Fellow and journalist Paul Taylor examines what the EU and the Euro-Atlantic community need to do to advance the economic and political integration of the Western Balkans into Europe, provide bigger incentives for reforms and prevent a drift into potential armed conflict from ethnic nationalism and corrupt governance.

How (not) to lose the Balkans in 10 days?

23 March 2023: In this Frankly Speaking Podcast, host Seán Flynn discusses the need for a wholesale reform of the EU’s electricity market and the importance of Power Purchase Agreements. 

Tune in to hear what our host has to say. 

27 March 2023 event: The European electricity market: fit for purpose? https://www.friendsofeurope.org/events/the-european-electricity-market-fit-for-purpose/

Frankly Speaking  | Watt’s the deal with PPAs and European electricity?

In today’s episode, host Catarina Vila Nova speaks with Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, former secretary-general of NATO. According to Scheffer, as long as Russia is engaging in war with Ukraine, Ukraine has no chance of joining the military alliance. This means no formal invitation to join in the upcoming NATO’s July Summit in Washington. 

The former NATO chief spoke candidly about Ukraine’s slim chances of joining the military alliance that were first put on the table in 2008, during the Bucharest Summit, when Scheffer was then NATO’s chief. Looking back on that period, Scheffer admits that it wasn’t “NATO’s finest hour” because it made a promise to Ukraine that it knew it could not deliver. 

Scheffer now warns the European Union to not follow the same path of NATO as talks to kickstart formal negotiations over Ukraine joining the EU are set to start as soon as next month.

If you want to comment on this episode you can send us an e-mail. Our address is press@friendsofeurope.org.

Policy Voices | Bucharest Summit was not  “NATO’s finest hour”, says former NATO chief

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Policy Voices | Bucharest Summit was not “NATO’s finest hour”, says former NATO chief

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