Stefano Sannino, the Secretary General of the EU's European External Action Service (EEAS), has rebuffed a claim from Russia's representative to the EU that the bloc is treating Russia as an "adversary". That comment by Vladimir Chizhov came amid claims from European lawmakers that Russia bore some responsibility for soaring gas prices across the continent. Russia's state-controlled company Gazprom supplies around one third of the EU's gas. Sannino told FRANCE 24's Talking Europe programme that the EU is "continuing engaging with Russia" – but that "the choice of confrontation is one that has been decided by Russia, not by the European Union". 

Talking Europe

'Russia, not the EU, has chosen confrontation,' says EEAS Secretary General

The foundations of the European Union were set in the aftermath of World War II. For many, this union of neighbouring nations is as much a peace project as anything else. However in 2021, military and defence concerns are back on European minds. EU nations were left scrambling to react to the American pullout from Afghanistan. There's also been anger in France and beyond at Australia scrapping a military submarine contract, while a new military pact between Paris and Athens has angered Turkey.

All for one and one for all: Rethinking defence strategy in Europe

Spain's foreign minister has responded to comments by the exiled Catalan independence leader Carles Puigdemont that Madrid is "using judicial power to achieve political goals", saying "in Spain, no one is above the law". On October 5, an Italian court suspended Puigdemont's extradition proceedings pending a ruling by the European Court of Justice – proceedings that the Catalan leader says should be dropped by Spain. 

'In Spain, no one is above the law': Spanish FM on Puigdemont extradition case

"Nobody is safe until everybody is safe". This phrase has become something of a mantra in Europe, as member states work to get their citizens protected from Covid-19. But does "everybody" include just the people who live in the EU, or the rest of the world as well? To discuss the issue in more detail, we're joined by two MEPs.

Vaccines for all? Disagreements within EU on how to protect the world

There is "a real problem of trust" between Brussels and Westminster over how the British government is implementing Brexit: so says the EU’s Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders. This comes amid anger in France after the UK government this week gave out just a handful of post-Brexit fishing licences to French applicants. As France's seas minister accuses Westminster of going against its agreements with the EU, the Commissioner told FRANCE 24 the European Commission has had "many difficulties about the correct implementation of all the agreements: about fisheries, about Ireland" and is working with the French government to achieve "the correct implementation" of Brexit.

'A real problem of trust': EU Justice Commissioner on UK Brexit disputes

Many European eyes were fixed not on Brussels but on Berlin this week. Political horse-trading is well underway in the German capital after the September 26 elections. The results upset 16 years of dominance by Angela Merkel's centre-right CDU/CSU party alliance. This time, the centre-left Social Democrats took the biggest vote share. As things stand, they’re looking to the surging Greens and buoyant Liberals to form a coalition. As the European Union’s biggest and richest member state, what happens in Germany matters a great deal for the rest of the continent. We're joined by two MEPs to discuss where the results might lead Germany and the rest of Europe.

After the German elections: What now for Germany and for Europe?

The submarine crisis has led to a fresh French push for European strategic autonomy. But France will need German backing, just as Chancellor Angela Merkel steps down after 16 years in office. How should France navigate the post-Merkel world, and can Paris persuade Berlin to go further when it comes to European defence? FRANCE 24's Armen Georgian puts those questions to Joachim Bitterlich, who was a key advisor to another long-serving German chancellor, Helmut Kohl, as well as being Germany's ambassador to NATO in the 1990s.

EU defence: 'France needs to convince the Germans to follow,' says Berlin's ex-ambassador to NATO

They go by various names – health pass, Green Pass, Coronapass – and are used by at least a dozen EU countries. Vaccine passports allow access to everyday activities such as dining, organised sports and public events, although the exact categories vary from country to country. Their use has triggered a fierce debate about civil liberties and even protests in some countries, such as Italy, which is now making the Green Pass compulsory in the workplace from mid-October. We discuss the merits of vaccine passports with two MEPs.

Covid passport: Do they work?

As France stands poised to take on the rotating presidency of the European Union, we speak to the Minister for European Affairs, Clément Beaune. In recent weeks, there have been heated words between Paris and London over several issues, including irregular migration across the English Channel.

UK Channel migrant plan 'probably against international law': France's Europe minister

It’s a big moment for Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to end her 16-year stint at the head of government of the EU's biggest economy. In this edition of Talking Europe, we speak to one of Angela Merkel's close CDU party allies, German MEP David McAllister.

Afghanistan 'disaster' calls for 'outspoken debate within NATO': German MEP David McAllister

As people around the world mark the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the European Union's ambassador to the United States expresses Europe's solidarity with the US. Stavros Lambrinidis tells FRANCE 24 that at the moment of the atrocities, "it became supremely clear that democracies and our values were being attacked, not just a particular tower in a particular country". 

'Europeans have a direct interest in what happens in Afghanistan': EU ambassador to US

The world is currently looking back 20 years, to the devastating attacks of September 11, 2001. As the victims are commemorated, we're also asking what has come out of the two decades of Western engagement in Afghanistan, which began in the immediate aftermath of those attacks. The recent US pullout there has seen the Taliban retake control at a speed no Western government seemingly expected.

9/11: Twenty years on, Europe seeks a role in Afghanistan after US pullout

Our guest has overseen one of the most significant achievements in human health in recent memory: the development of one of the vaccines against Covid-19, billions of doses of which have been distributed around the world. Professor Andrew Pollard is director of the Oxford Vaccine Group – the scientists who developed one of those jabs, which is now being mass produced by AstraZeneca.

Vaccine inequality 'a failure of the international community': Oxford Vaccine Group chief

The summer is officially over here in Europe and it’s back to work – including for our political leaders.  As the autumn sets in, they're wrangling with some huge issues: from the chaos in Afghanistan to the ongoing challenges of Covid-19. In this edition of Talking Europe, two active European minds discuss what the next few months could hold for Europe.

'Back to work' for Europe: Afghanistan, Covid-19 and 'auf Wiedersehen' to Angela Merkel

The EU says its international trade deals are opportunities for European businesses to sell more goods overseas. But what about the impact on farming and farmers in the EU? Should the food we eat be on the same negotiating table as the cars the EU sells? Mercosur, JEFTA, CETA... behind these opaque terms lie deals with Latin America, Japan and Canada. What does Europe's farming sector think about them? Are they the pathway to a land of opportunity, or a Trojan horse letting in unfair competition? 

Europe's trade deals: Are European farmers being short-changed? (part 2)

Politicians, activists and researchers debate the issues facing the EU and a 'guest of the week' offers their insight in a long-format interview that gets to the heart of the matter. Saturday at 12.10 pm.

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Talking Europe

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