This episode of EuropeChats is the first in a number of discussions both within and outside of the EuropeChats series that TEPSA and its Member Institutes are conducting to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the European Council. In this discussion, TEPSA Secretary-General Jim Cloos sits down with former Belgian Prime Minister and the first ever permanent President of the European Council: Herman Van Rompuy. President Van Rompuy has experiences different iterations of the European Council from different perspectives: he first joined the club as Belgian Prime Minister before the Lisbon Treaty ent ..read more

This episode of EuropeChats is a discussion between Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General of the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), and TEPSA Executive Director Mariam Khotenashvili. The discussion focuses on the current prospect of the EU enlargement file. With the accession agenda firmly in the foreground of European politics once again, thanks to recent decisions to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova (agreed in December 2023 European Council) as well as with Bosnia and Herzegovina (agreed in the March 2024 European Council), it is m ..read more

In this series from the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA), Hugh Evans explores the ways democracy weaves its way in and out of the EU system. This episode tackles the institution that you might already be most familiar with: the European Parliament. We will learn about its history dating all the way back to the 1950s and about what developments over the course of that period have served to increase the quality of representation, accountability, and ultimately democracy within it. We will also tackle a crucial concept in democracy theory: representation. While you might think yo ..read more

O’Sullivan This episode of EuropeChats is a discussion on the implementation and effectiveness of EU sanctions against third countries, with a particular focus on Russia. TEPSA Secretary-General Jim Cloos is joined by EU Sanctions Envoy David O'Sullivan and a leading expert on sanctions, Dr Clara Portela from the University of Valencia. Sanctions are a key tool in the EU's external policy, and can be employed in a variety of ways and with a variety of possible aims and outcomes. The most recent high-profile occasions in which the EU has chosen to impose sanctions on a third country is in a ser ..read more

In this series from the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA), Hugh Evans explores the ways democracy weaves its way in and out of the EU system. This episode revolves around one of the institutions in the EU triangle that represents one of the two poles of the EU’s dual legitimacy: the Council of the European Union – legitimacy via the 27 governments. We will explore its makeup, its role and internal functioning, and we’ll discover what its crucial role in the legislative process might mean in terms of defining what the EU actually is. In addition, we will learn about the complex ..read more

In this new series from the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA), Hugh Evans explores the the ways democracy weaves its way in and out of the EU system. This first episodes revolves around a crucial and unique EU institution: the European Commission. We will explore how the Commission works, learn about its history, and discover how a proposal gets passed in the institutional triangle. In addition, we will explore an important element of what makes the EU democratic: accountability. Many people worry that the Commission is not accountable, but despite the caricature of 'Brussels b ..read more

This episode of EuropeChats is a discussion between Jim Cloos, TEPSA Secretary-General and former Director General for General and Institutional Policy at the General Secretariat of the Council, and TEPSA Executive Director Mariam Khotenashvili. The discussion focuses on a topic which comes around every six months in EU affairs: the Rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Rotating Presidency is  system whereby each of the 27 EU Member States takes turns in chairing various formations of the Council of the European Union. Each Presidency lasts six months and always ha ..read more

This episode of EuropeChats is a discussion between Frank Schimmelfennig, Professor of European Politics at ETH Zürich, and TEPSA Executive Director Mariam Khotenashvili. The discussion focusses on building a new future for EU enlargement. With the accession agenda firmly in the foreground of European politics once again, thanks to the new candidacy of Ukraine and Moldova, it is more crucial than ever to explore the ins and outs of enlargement policy, and discuss how to improve it. In particular, an in the context of potential future enlargement in the Western Balkans, the discussion focusses ..read more

This episode of EuropeChats is a discussion between Michele Chang, a Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges, and TEPSA Secretary-General Jim Cloos. The discussion focusses on building a competitive economy for Europe. In the context of TEPSA's recently published European Council Experts' Debrief, which drew together experts from across the TEPSA Network and beyond (including Michele Chang) to analyse the conclusions of the March 2023 European Council, Jim's talk with Michele revolves around the challenges to Europe's economy, and opportunities to make it more resilient in future. In part ..read more

This episode of EuropeChats is a discussion between Dr. Kristi Raik, Deputy Director of the International Centre for Defence and Security in Tallinn, Estonia, and TEPSA Executive Director Mariam Khotenashvili. They discussion focusses on building European security against Russia. In the context of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU has since February 2022 been thrust into a new and vital debate on how to deal with an expansionist Russia which has initiated the first land war in Europe since the Second World War. In particular, the discussion surrounds the recent Joint A ..read more