The European Network

Welcome to The Future of Europe Podcast.

Europe is at a crossroads and there are many predictions as to what direction it will take and in this podcast, we will look at key issues that will affect the European sphere in the next decade.

Our podcast covers topics that will affect the future of the nations that inhabit the European continent.

We will also bring an uniquely Irish perspective, and address how the smaller European states are going to progress by using Ireland as benchmark. Our guests will be from many different walks of life and backgrounds, each bringing their perspective on how the Europe of today will become the Europe of tomorrow.

This series is presented in cooperation with the The Communicating Europe Initiative. The CEI was established in 1995 to raise awareness about the European Union and to improve the quality and accessibility of public information on European issues. You can find out more about the CEI by visiting our website at TheEuropeanNetwork.eu or logging on to the dfa.ie

In this episode, we will be discussing the future of science in Europe with our guest Adam Murphy. Adam is a turncoat physicist from Dublin who's now a producer of science audio and video in Cambridge. He made the switch when he realised talking about science was more fun than doing it. His own video series, Story of Science, looking at the history of science, will be launching soon on YouTube.

By accessing this podcast, you acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to The Future of Europe Podcast.

Europe is at a crossroads and there are many predictions as to what direction it will take and in this podcast, we will look at key issues that will affect the European sphere in the next decade.

Our podcast covers topics that will affect the future of the nations that inhabit the European continent.

We will also bring an uniquely Irish perspective, and address how the smaller European states are going to progress by using Ireland as benchmark. Our guests will be from many different walks of life and backgrounds, each bringing their perspective on how the Europe of today will become the Europe of tomorrow.

This series is presented in cooperation with the The Communicating Europe Initiative. The CEI was established in 1995 to raise awareness about the European Union and to improve the quality and accessibility of public information on European issues. You can find out more about the CEI by visiting our website at TheEuropeanNetwork.eu or logging on to the dfa.ie

In this episode, we will be discussing the future of voting and elections in Europe with our guest Tobias Schminke. Tobias is the founder of Europe Elects, an organisation that provides Poll aggregation and election analysis for countries in the European Union.

By accessing this podcast, you acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to The Future of Europe Podcast. Europe is at a crossroads and there are many predictions as to what direction it will take and in this podcast, we will look at key issues that will affect the European sphere in the next decade. Our podcast covers topics that will affect the future of the nations that inhabit the European continent. We will also bring an uniquely Irish perspective, and address how the smaller European states are going to progress by using Ireland as benchmark. Our guests will be from many different walks of life and backgrounds, each bringing their perspective on how the Europe of today will become the Europe of tomorrow. This series is presented in cooperation with the The Communicating Europe Initiative. The CEI was established in 1995 to raise awareness about the European Union and to improve the quality and accessibility of public information on European issues. You can find out more about the CEI by visiting our website at TheEuropeanNetwork.eu or logging on to the dfa.ie 

In this episode, we will be discussing the future of Neutrality in Europe with my guest Bárbara Matias. Bárbara works for the European Commission’s DG INTPA's Southeast Asia unit. Bárbara has previously  worked in Kosovo as Research Fellow at the Group for Legal and Political Studies and as a Programme Officer in NATO's Operations Division, on Iraq capacity-building and on Covid-19 aid coordination with the EU. Bárbara has written for online political platforms and peer-review journals since 2015. She holds a Master in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University, New York where she was a Fulbright Graduate Scholar and undergraduate lecturer. 

By accessing this podcast, you acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to The Future of Europe Podcast. Europe is at a crossroads and there are many predictions as to what direction it will take and in this podcast, we will look at key issues that will affect the European sphere in the next decade. Our podcast covers the big topics that will affect the future of the nations that inhabit the European continent. We will also bring an uniquely Irish perspective, and address how the smaller European states are going to progress by using Ireland as benchmark. Our guests will be from many different walks of life and backgrounds, each bringing their perspective on how the Europe of today will become the Europe of tomorrow. 

This series is presented in cooperation with the The Communicating Europe Initiative. The CEI was established in 1995 to raise awareness about the European Union and to improve the quality and accessibility of public information on European issues. You can find out more about the CEI by visiting our website at TheEuropeanNetwork.eu or logging on to the dfa.ie 

In this episode, we will be discussing the future of language in Europe and Ireland with guests, Dr Francesca La Morgia and Síne Nic an Ailí.  Dr Francesca is the founder and director of Mother Tongues which is an organisation that focuses on learning, research and policy development across education and the arts. Francesca has an MPhil in Applied Linguistics from Trinity College Dublin and a PhD in bilingual language acquisition from DCU and has lectured in language development from 2010 to 2021 across various universities, including the  University of Reading, Trinity College, Ulster University and Maynooth University.  Síne Nic an Ailí is a former Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant and a passionate Irish speaker. She has over 14 years' experience in grassroots advocacy, cultural diplomacy, facilitation, community outreach, education, and communications. As director of Cultúr Club, she developed Irish-language and culture resources to strengthen a sense of Irish identity among children of the diaspora. She currently sits on the board of Mother Tongues and has helped the social enterprise to formulate a long-term strategic vision for multilingualism in Ireland.  

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to The Future of Europe Podcast. A production by The European Network.

Europe is at a crossroads and there are many predictions as to what direction it will take and in this podcast, we will look at key issues that will affect the European sphere in the next decade.

Our podcast covers the big topics that will affect the future of the nations that inhabit the European continent.

We will also bring an uniquely Irish perspective, and address how the smaller European states are going to progress by using Ireland as benchmark. Our guests will be from many different walks of life and backgrounds, each bringing their perspective on how the Europe of today will become the Europe of tomorrow.

This series is presented in cooperation with the The Communicating Europe Initiative. The CEI was established in 1995 to raise awareness about the European Union and to improve the quality and accessibility of public information on European issues. You can find out more about the CEI by visiting our website at TheEuropeanNetwork.eu or logging on to the dfa.ie

In this episode we have a conversation on the future of the United Kingdom. We have three great guests in Anna Ostrowski who is a young political student who sees herself as a British unionist, Gary Paterson a supporter of a Scottish independence and currently working in the EU in Brussels and Will Hayward who is a Welsh based journalist for Wales online. 

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Sponsorships: off for this episode

Welcome to The Future of Europe Podcast. A production by The European Network.

Europe is at a crossroads and there are many predictions as to what direction it will take and in this podcast, we will look at key issues that will affect the European sphere in the next decade. 

Our podcast covers the big topics that will affect the future of the nations that inhabit the European continent. 

We will also bring an uniquely Irish perspective, and address how the smaller European states are going to progress by using Ireland as benchmark. Our guests will be from many different walks of life and backgrounds, each bringing their perspective on how the Europe of today will become the Europe of tomorrow. 

This series is presented in cooperation with the The Communicating Europe Initiative. The CEI was established in 1995 to raise awareness about the European Union and to improve the quality and accessibility of public information on European issues. You can find out more about the CEI by visiting our website at TheEuropeanNetwork.eu or logging on to the dfa.ie

In this episode we discuss the future of education in Europe and our guest is Paloma Lainz. Paloma has studied education policies for global development and In the past few years she has worked for a number of NGOs, the European Commission and as research consultant for UNESCO and UNICEF. Paloma is also one of the producers of the Living Education which is a podcast that looks at education and learning around Europe and the world. 

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to The Future of Europe Podcast. A production by The European Network.

Europe is at a crossroads and there are many predictions as to what direction it will take and in this podcast series, we will look at key issues that will affect the European sphere in the next decade.

Our podcast will cover the big topics like health care, education, civil society and the future of the nations that inhabit the European continent.

We will also bring an uniquely Irish perspective, and address how the smaller European states are going to progress by using Ireland as benchmark. Our guests will be from many different walks of life and backgrounds, each bringing their perspective on how the Europe of today will become the Europe of tomorrow.

Our podcasts are presented in cooperation with the Communicating Europe Initiative. The CEI was established by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland in 1995 to raise awareness about the European Union and to improve the quality and accessibility of public information on European issues.

In this episode, we discuss the future of European Media and our guest is journalist and author Tony Connelly. Tony is the Europe Editor for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE), Author of Brexit & Ireland and co-presenter of the Brexit Republic Podcast..

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to The Future of Europe. A new podcast production by The European Network.

Europe is at a crossroads and there are many predictions as to what direction it will take and in this new podcast series, we will look at key issues that will affect the European sphere in the next decade. 

Our podcast will cover the big topics like health care, education, civil society and the future of the nations that inhabit the European continent. 

We will also bring an uniquely Irish perspective, and address how the smaller European states are going to progress by using Ireland as benchmark. Our guests will be from many different walks of life and backgrounds, each bringing their perspective on how the Europe of today will become the Europe of tomorrow. 

Our Podcasts are presented in cooperation with the Communicating Europe Initiative. The CEI was established by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland in 1995 to raise awareness about the European Union and to improve the quality and accessibility of public information on European issues. 

In this episode which was originally recorded in December 2020, we will focus on the concept of European federalism. We ask, what do European federalists stand for and can you make Europe work with federalism?

Our guests to discuss such questions are Eileen O'Sullivan and Conor McArdle. Eileen is a member of the Board of Directors of the pan-European party Volt Europa and previously she was a candidate for the European Elections 2019 for Volt Germany. Conor studies LLM Human Rights Law at Queen's University Belfast and is an active member of the youth wing of Irish political party, Fine Gael.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to The Future of Europe Podcast. A production by The European Network.

Europe is at a crossroads and there are many predictions as to what direction it will take and in this new podcast series, we will look at key issues that will affect the European sphere in the next decade. 

Our podcast will cover the big topics like health care, education, civil society and the future of the nations that inhabit the European continent. 

We will also bring an uniquely Irish perspective, and address how the smaller European states are going to progress by using Ireland as benchmark. Our guests will be from many different walks of life and backgrounds, each bringing their perspective on how the Europe of today will become the Europe of tomorrow. 

Our podcasts are presented in cooperation with the Communicating Europe Initiative. The CEI was established by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland in 1995 to raise awareness about the European Union and to improve the quality and accessibility of public information on European issues.

In our first episode we discuss the European economy and to help answer some questions that many people have about the European economic system, we chat with Frances Cowell. Frances is drawing on her 30 years’ experience in senior roles in banking and finance and we will ask how safe our banks are, whether the European economy is about to implode, levels of debt and the future of cryptocurrencies in Europe. 

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to The Future of Europe. A podcast production by The European Network.

Europe is at a crossroads and there are many predictions as to what direction it will take and in this podcast series, we will look at key issues that will affect the European sphere in the next decade. 

Our podcast will cover the big topics like health care, education, civil society and the future of the nations that inhabit the European continent. 

We will also bring an uniquely Irish perspective and address how the smaller European states are going to progress by using Ireland as benchmark. Our guests will be from many different walks of life and backgrounds, each bringing their perspective on how the Europe of today will become the Europe of tomorrow. 

Our Podcasts are presented in cooperation with the Communicating Europe Initiative. The CEI was established by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland in 1995 to raise awareness about the European Union and to improve the quality and accessibility of public information on European issues. You can find out more about the CEI by visiting our website at TheEuropeanNetwork.eu or logging on to the DFA.ie.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to Episode six of The Moldovan Coffee Break. A European Network production.

In this six-part podcast series, we will be casting a spotlight on the country of Moldova and in particular, life for six young people so as to examine what it is like to grow up in the Moldova of 2021.

Moldova has historically been given a bad rap, mainly due to uninformed press and unflattering travel reports, but there is far more to this country than just a post-Soviet state, and we will show this by engaging with Moldova’s strongest asset – its youth. Co-hosted by Ken Sweeney and Loredana Prijmireanu, their aim is to portray Moldova for what it really is – a culture rich country with a unique past and vibrant future.

Loredana has been sitting down for a coffee with the six young individuals over the last few months and each episode will feature a conversation with one of our interviewees.

In episode six, Loredana talks to Cristina Carmanu. Cristina is a student who has spent time working in the Moldovan media with local publication, Ziarul de Garda.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to Episode five of The Moldovan Coffee Break. A European Network production.

In this six-part podcast series, we will be casting a spotlight on the country of Moldova and in particular, life for six young people so as to examine what it is like to grow up in the Moldova of 2021.

Moldova has historically been given a bad rap, mainly due to uninformed press and unflattering travel reports, but there is far more to this country than just a post-Soviet state, and we will show this by engaging with Moldova’s strongest asset – its youth. Co-hosted by Ken Sweeney and Loredana Prijmireanu, their aim is to portray Moldova for what it really is – a culture rich country with a unique past and vibrant future.

Loredana has been sitting down for a coffee with the six young individuals over the last few months and each episode will feature a conversation with one of our interviewees.

In episode five, we meet Marcel Lazăr. Marcel is a classical musician and founder of a non profit organisation in Moldova called Moldo Crescendo. We discuss the status of the arts and what the future holds for artists in Moldova. 

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to Episode four of The Moldovan Coffee Break. A European Network production.

In this six-part podcast series, we will be casting a spotlight on the country of Moldova and in particular, life for six young people so as to examine what it is like to grow up in the Moldova of 2021.

Moldova has historically been given a bad rap, mainly due to uninformed press and unflattering travel reports, but there is far more to this country than just a post-Soviet state, and we will show this by engaging with Moldova’s strongest asset – its youth. Co-hosted by Ken Sweeney and Loredana Prijmireanu, their aim is to portray Moldova for what it really is – a culture rich country with a unique past and vibrant future.

Loredana has been sitting down for a coffee with the six young individuals over the last few months and each episode will feature a conversation with one of our interviewees.

In episode four, our guest is Loredana Gamurari. Loredana is employed in a government position and is also a video and image content creator focusing on Moldovan society. We talk about employment, national identity and soviet influence on local architecture.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to Episode three of The Moldovan Coffee Break. A European Network production.

In this six-part podcast series, we will be casting a spotlight on the country of Moldova and in particular, life for six young people so as to examine what it is like to grow up in the Moldova of 2021.

Moldova has historically been given a bad rap, mainly due to uninformed press and unflattering travel reports, but there is far more to this country than just a post-Soviet state, and we will show this by engaging with Moldova’s strongest asset – its youth. Co-hosted by Ken Sweeney and Loredana Prijmireanu, their aim is to portray Moldova for what it really is – a culture rich country with a unique past and vibrant future.

Loredana has been sitting down for a coffee with the six young individuals over the last few months and each episode will feature a conversation with one of our interviewees.

In episode three, Alina-Maria Turcanu talks to Loredana. Alina is a second level student based in Moldova. A young European Ambassador, Alina discusses her involvement in civil society and her thoughts about Moldova and its relationship with the EU.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to Episode two of The Moldovan Coffee Break. A European Network production.

In this six-part podcast series, we will be casting a spotlight on the country of Moldova and in particular, life for six young people so as to examine what it is like to grow up in the Moldova of 2021.

Moldova has historically been given a bad rap, mainly due to uninformed press and unflattering travel reports, but there is far more to this country than just a post-Soviet state, and we will show this by engaging with Moldova’s strongest asset - its youth. Co-hosted by Ken Sweeney and Loredana Prijmireanu, their aim is to portray Moldova for what it really is - a culture rich country with a unique past and vibrant future.

Loredana has been sitting down for a coffee with the six young individuals over the last few months and each episode will feature a conversation with one of our interviewees.

In episode two, we meet Vasile Harghel – a medical student studying in Moldova and also working in a Covid-19 hospital ward. We chat with Vasile about being a university student in Moldova and working in the fight against the pandemic.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to Episode one of The Moldovan Coffee Break. A European Network production. 

In this six-part podcast series, we will be casting a spotlight on the country of Moldova and in particular, life for six young people so as to examine what it is like to grow up in the Moldova of 2021. 

Moldova has historically been given a bad rap, mainly due to uninformed press and unflattering travel reports, but there is far more to this country than just a post-Soviet state, and we will show this by engaging with Moldova’s strongest asset - its youth. Co-hosted by Ken Sweeney and Loredana Prijmireanu, their aim is to portray Moldova for what it really is - a culture rich country with a unique past and vibrant future. Loredana has been sitting down for a coffee with the six young individuals over the last few months and each episode will feature a conversation with one of our interviewees. 

In this first episode, we meet Catarina Martin – a twenty-year-old student who is based in Maastricht studying European Law. Catarina and Loredana discuss living away from home and what aspects can make it attractive for young emigrant Moldavans to return to their homeland. Thanks for visiting our podcast platform. 

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, nestled between neighbours, Romania and Ukraine. In the Moldovan Coffee Break podcast, we will shed light on this often misunderstood country.

In a production from The European Network, Loredana Prijmireanu sits down with six other Moldovans as they discuss their thoughts, fears, challenges and beliefs as young citizens of this country in 2021. 

The Moldovan Coffee break will reveal a vibrant Moldova that is ready to show the rest of Europe that they are here.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, nestled between neighbours, Romania and Ukraine. In the Moldovan Coffee Break, we will shed light on this often misunderstood country. In a production by The European Network, Loredana Prijmireanu sits down with six other Moldovans as they discuss their thoughts, fears, challenges and beliefs as young citizens of this country in 2021. You can access this podcast on Anchor or wherever you choose to download your podcast. The Moldovan Coffee break will reveal a vibrant Moldova that is ready to show the rest of Europe that they are here.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Ken Sweeney gets the team together for the Christmas Special 2020. We review all the years happenings including the pandemic, US election, Brexit and even take some time for sports.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to episode 26 of our Eurochat series. In this episode, we will be taking an in depth analysis of the current political systems in Poland and Hungary and with us to discuss this is Edit Zgut. 

Edit Zgut is a political scientist and a journalist, focusing on the democratic and rule of law backsliding in Hungary and Poland. She is teaching at the Center for Europe at the University of Warsaw, and is a doctoral researcher at the Polish Academy of Sciences. Edit is also a DemocraCE fellow at Visegrad Insight and a Rethink CEE fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. 

Since escaping the clutches of the communist regime in the late 1980’s both Poland and Hungary embarked on a path to liberal democracy almost immediately. The last thirty years has seen numerous free elections and both states have embraced EU membership and all that it entails. But in the last brief five years or so, Poland and Hungary have been moving towards the christian fundamentalist right with both administrations under one party rule in the form of Fidesz in Hungary and PiS in Poland. 

So how and why has this happened? Are the people of Poland and Hungary being coerced into following a more extreme path or is it the case that this form of ideology has always existed and only now coming to light? 

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

In the third edition of a special series on Science in Europe, Ken Sweeney, Michael Holz and Frances Cowell chat our guest Remco Timmermans. 

With over ten years in the space industry managing online campaigns for space agencies, space companies and startups, Remco is a social media specialist for space at his company Seventy Media. Remco works in a network of other creative space people, for which he has recently founded the Space Creatives Alliance, in an effort to bring together and promote the non-rocket-science side of the space industry.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

In this episode, we are discussing the current political crisis that is happening in Belarus. Helping us find out why the situation has arisen, is journalist, Viktoryia Kavalchuk and communication specialist, Vlad Kovalevsky.

Belarus, the former Soviet bloc state, has been described in the past as the last European dictatorship. Despite so-called free elections since its independence from the former USSR in 1991, the current administration under the leadership of President Alexander Lukashenko has continued to top every election poll.

However, following on the most recent election which yet again saw Lukashenko win by a considerable margin, mass demonstrations have begun across the state and continue to gain momentum. We are going to take a look at how the current crisis has arisen and try to see how it is going to play out.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

In the second episode of a special series on Science in Europe, Ken Sweeney and Stella Bass chat with European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. We discuss the latest developments in space travel, the Moon and ISS pizza deliveries!

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Welcome to episode five of Eastern Dialogue which is a series of podcasts focusing on the many aspects and insights of Eastern European states located at the crossroads of Western Asia and the European Union. This series is presented by Ken Sweeney and Paris based journalist Viktorya Muradyan.

In this episode we will be reviewing the recent “EaP beyond 2020” Communication published in March Eastern Partnership leaders' meeting which took place via video conference this month and with us to discuss this is Deputy Director General, European Commission, DG NEAR,  Katarina Mathernova.

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Welcome to EuroScience which is series dedicated to science in Europe. Ken Sweeney, Stella Bass and Michael Holz chat with Daniel Whiteson. Daniel is a professor of experimental particle physics at the University of California, Irvine, and a fellow of the American Physical Society. He conducts research using the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. While Daniel is not in Switzerland opening mini black holes, along with his partner, Cartoonist, Jorge Cham hosts a brilliant and informative podcast titled Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe which is a discussion of the big, mind-blowing, unanswered questions about the Universe and each episode explains science in a fun and jargon-free way. We chat to Daniel about his podcast but also about his day job which is for The European Organization for Nuclear Research or more commonly known as CERN. Thanks for visiting our site. Did you enjoy this podcast? If so, don’t forget to share our work as we totally rely on you spreading the word on Europa United. All our writers are volunteers and we appreciate any help in getting our articles to a larger audience. Maybe you would also like to also help us to maintain our organisation by making a donation here.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Eurochat is the official podcast series of Europa United - a non profit media organisation based in Ireland. We feature guests and conversations on European issues.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of Europa United, or used by Europa Untied with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Europa United.

Welcome to Eastern Dialogue which is a series of podcasts focusing on the many aspects and insights of Eastern European states located at the crossroads of Western Asia and the European Union. This series is presented byKen Sweeney and Paris based journalist Viktorya Muradyan.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to episode four of Eastern Dialogue which is a series of podcasts focusing on the many aspects and insights of Eastern European states located at the crossroads of Western Asia and the European Union. This series is presented by Ken Sweeney and Paris based journalist Viktorya Muradyan. Episode four is an in-depth interview with Belarusian journalist, Hanna Liubakova in which we discuss the current political situation in Belarus, paying particular attention to the way the country is dealing with the Covid19 pandemic.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to episode three of Eastern Dialogue which is a series of podcasts focusing on the many aspects and insights of Eastern European states located at the crossroads of Western Asia and the European Union. This series is presented by Ken Sweeney and Paris based journalist Viktorya Muradyan.

In this extended episode, we discuss the current measures being adopted by Armenian and Georgian governments in fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and our guests are Columnist Raffi Elliott and Researcher, Mariam Tsitsikashvili.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Ken Sweeney chats with Roger Casale from New Europeans and based in Central Italy, Dominique Roch, a data analyst who is in Berlin and Frances Cowell from Paris about the current situation in Europa as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic.

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Europa United's Ken Sweeney chats with Sabine Sasse about her organisation as well as the first in a series of forthcoming seminars of Young European Professionals which is beginning in Zagreb in the 12th of March.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Welcome to episode two of The European Network’s Eastern Dialogue which is a series of podcasts focusing on the many aspects and insights of Eastern European states located at the crossroads of Western Asia and the European Union. This series is presented by Ken Sweeney and Paris based journalist Viktorya Muradyan. In this episode, we are discussing the recent elections in the state of Azerbaijan and our guest is Arzu Geybulla. Arzu is a journalist, columnist and writer who specialises on human rights and press freedom in Azerbaijan. With over 16000 followers on Twitter, Arzu was featured on BBC's 100 Women Changemakers in 2014. In the past, Arzu has written for Al Jazeera, Eurasianet, Foreign Policy Democracy Lab, and RFL. She is a regular contributor at Open Democracy and currently, Arzu is based in Istanbul where she is working on a book about the story of Azerbaijani political dissidents. In October 2019, the PM of Azerbaijan resigned and President Aliyev replaced him with his close ally Ali Asadov. Shortly after, President Ilham Aliyev dismissed his chief of staff, Ramiz Mehdiyev, who has served as the Head of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan from 1994 to 2019, Azerbaijani MPs approved a proposal to dissolve parliament and ask President Aliyev to call a snap election on February the 9th. This was big news in an authoritarian regime where a single leader and his circle of close associates have structured the country’s politics for almost two decades. So has there been some kind of internal shake-up in Azerbaijan’s Government? 

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Episode 17 sees Christos Mouzeviris, Stella Bass and Ken Sweeney discuss the forthcoming Irish General Election which takes place on Saturday 8th February and are joined by Seán Glennon from Europe Elects. Europe Elects is an organisation that provides poll aggregation and election analysis for countries in the European Union. 

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Episode one of The European Network's Eastern Dialogue which is a series of podcasts focusing on the many aspects and insights of Eastern European states located at the crossroads of Western Asia and the European Union.

In this episode, we discuss the Eastern Partnership Initiative and Grigor Yeritsyan is our guest. Grigor is currently President of the Armenian Progressive Youth which is a non profit organization aiming to support, inspire and engage young people from Armenia and all over the world. 

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Stella Bass, Christos Mouzeviris and Ken Sweeney are joined by Paris based journalist Viktorya Muradyan and for the bumper Christmas podcast and the chat goes from Trump to Marvel's Avengers in this one as the team reviews the year that was 2019.

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Christos Mouzeviris and Ken Sweeney speak with Albanian Journalist Dritan Kiçi about the recent decision by the EU to slow down the Albanian membership process and his work for the Albanian Citizens Club.

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In an exclusive interview, Stella Bass talks with Irish Minister of State for European Affairs Helen McEntee about Brexit, women in politics and the future relationship of Ireland in Europe.

Our Podcasts are presented in cooperation with the Communicating Europe Initiative (CEI). The CEI was established in 1995 to raise awareness about the European Union and to improve the quality and accessibility of public information on European issues. The programme is administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This year, €100,000 has been provided for Communicating Europe Initiative funded projects.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of Europa United, or used by Europa Untied with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Europa United.

Ken Sweeney and Christos Mouzeviris host a debate on European issues featuring young representatives from a number of political parties and organisations:

Conor McArdle from Young Fine Gael

Anna Heverin from Labour Youth 

Cathal Kerins from Volt Ireland

Topics include European integration, Brexit, the rise of far right polices and the future of Europe.

Our Podcasts are presented in cooperation with the Communicating Europe Initiative (CEI). The CEI was established in 1995 to raise awareness about the European Union and to improve the quality and accessibility of public information on European issues. The programme is administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This year, €100,000 has been provided for Communicating Europe Initiative funded projects.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.

Ken Sweeney meets Maria Walsh MEP who is an Irish politician and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Midlands–North-West constituency since July 2019. She is a member of Fine Gael, part of the European People's Party. 

Maria talks about her decision to run as an MEP, women in politics, climate issues and experiences so far as an representative  in Europe.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of The European Network, or used by The European Network with permission, and are protected under Irish. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of The European Network.