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Burst the Bubble - a podcast on European Affairs

Burst the Bubble - a podcast on European Affairs

By Burst the Bubble

Burst the Bubble (BtB) is a podcast on European affairs, run by the students and the alumni of the College of Europe. Launched in 2018, BtB is run by a young and diverse editorial staff, specialised in Politics, Economics, Law and International Relations.

Cracking the EU jargon for you, analysing the main political trends in the 27 Member States, debating the hottest negotiations in Brussels: BtB aims at bridging the gap between citizens and EU institutions, by providing comprehensive press reviews, selected focuses and interviews with experts.
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Currently playing episode

Episode #6 - What is populism? - interviews with Paolo Gentiloni and Marc Lazar

Burst the Bubble - a podcast on European AffairsMay 08, 2019

00:00
17:53
S3E01 - The New Normal: anatomy of European crisis - with F. Mogherini

S3E01 - The New Normal: anatomy of European crisis - with F. Mogherini

Over the past decade, addressing crises has become “the New Normal” for European leaders. The narrative of crisis, however, extends far beyond that of Brexit, the so-called ‘refugee crisis’, or the COVID-19 pandemic. It cuts to the very core of the EU itself. This begs the question: are crises one-off events, or are they a structural feature of the European project? Episode 1 season 3 of Burst the Bubble is all about “crisis management”. In this episode, we talk to the former EU High Representative Federica Mogherini about the EU’s handling of crises, the importance of leadership, and how her experience informs her current role as Rector of the College of Europe.

Hosted by Cornelia Lillis and Angelica Mastro

Written by Emma Diab and Vasiliki Liakopoulou

Produced by Giulio Gipsy Crespi and Antoine Lhereux

Feb 22, 202114:11
Épisode #13 - L'UE face au miroir, entre défis internes et externes - interview avec Enrico Letta et David Carretta

Épisode #13 - L'UE face au miroir, entre défis internes et externes - interview avec Enrico Letta et David Carretta

Quels sont actuellement les défis majeurs pour l’Union européenne? Quelle doit être l’approche de l’UE pour les aborder? Dans cet épisode nous nous pencherons sur les enjeux majeurs internes et externes auxquels l’Europe doit faire face et apporter des réponses unies. Par conséquent, nous arrivons à la question récurrente de la construction d’une identité europénne commune et de son élaboration.

Selon Enrico Letta, ancien premier ministre italien et directeur de l’École d’Affaires Internationales de Sciences Po Paris, l’euro a été un des instruments fondamentaux à la création initiale de ce sentiment européen. Cependant, il maintient que pour compléter l’élaboration de cette identité commune, l’UE doit combler le vide gigantesque qu’elle laisse aujourd’hui en dehors de ses frontières. De plus, la Conférence sur l’avenir de l’Europe devra trouver des réponses aux phénomènes qui menacent l’européanisme (Brexit, déficit électoral, technologie, etc.). Ensuite David Carretta, journaliste pour le journal italien « Il Foglio », nous explique qu’il est difficile de dépeindre cette identité européenne. Il survole entre autres le manque de médias véritablement européens et donne quelques conseils de vocabulaire aux ressortissants de la ‘bulle européenne’.

En collaboration avec l'Italian Society du Collège d'Europe. (4 March 2020)

Presented by: Anna Kompatscher & Pilar Roig Minguell

Music: "Open Flames" by Blue Dot Sessions (album "Aeronaut")
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blue_Dot_Sessions/Aeronaut/Open_Flames

This track is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0:
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Mar 03, 202012:38
Episode #12 - The battle for the EU budget - interview with Luis Garicano
Feb 24, 202009:12
Episode #12 Trailer - interview with Luis Garicano

Episode #12 Trailer - interview with Luis Garicano

"The EU does not have the means to fulfil its ambitions and this could be very dangerous for the Single Market... The EU needs to step up to the plate". Do you agree with this statement? Is it too pessimistic or just realistic?

Stay tuned for our next episode on the MFF negotiations featuring Luis Garicano, Spanish Member of the European Parliament ➡️ out tomorrow!🎙

Feb 23, 202000:18
PILLS OF KNOWLEDGE #1 - A Conference on the Future of Europe

PILLS OF KNOWLEDGE #1 - A Conference on the Future of Europe

Introducing to you the first episode of Pills of Knowledge, our new series dedicated to provide brief and accessible factual information on the most important political processes taking place in the EU institutions. Our first topic is the Conference on the Future of Europe, a high-flying, 2-year long, quasi-public consultation process about the direction the European Union should take in the coming years. The Conference hopes to produce a result that places citizens closer to the centre of the EU decision-making process, and to bring deep reforms the way the EU works. But whose idea was it to have this Conference? What form is it going to take? What kind of changes could it bring about? In this episode we’re taking a look at the positions of the three main EU institutions (the European Parliament, European Commission and Council) on this topic, and looking at where discussions on the Conference are likely to lead. (10/02/2020)


Hosted by: Erica Duffy and Giulio Gipsy Crespi

Produced by: Simon Bosmans, Erica Duffy and Giulio Gipsy Crespi


Music: "Open Flames" by Blue Dot Sessions (album "Aeronaut"), "Ode to Joy" by Ludwig van Beethoven, "Convoy Lines" by Blue Dot Sessions (album "Truck Stop").

Feb 10, 202013:02
Episode #11 - The quest for a European feeling - interview with Margaritis Schinas
Dec 06, 201915:38
Episode #11 Trailer - interview with Margaritis Schinas

Episode #11 Trailer - interview with Margaritis Schinas

"We have a duty to show that the Commission and the Brussels' institutions are able to burst the Brussels' bubble"... Doesn't this sound familiar? 🤔

Stay tuned for our next episode featuring Margaritis Schinas, European Commission's Vice-President and Greek Commissioner for "Promoting the European Way of Life" ➡️ out tomorrow!🎙

Dec 05, 201900:33
Episode #10 - Talk Europe to me - interview with Ryan Heath
Nov 19, 201909:20
Episode #10 Trailer - interview with Ryan Heath

Episode #10 Trailer - interview with Ryan Heath

Hmm... wondering what the EU’s ‘original sin’ was? 🤔 Listen to our interview with Ryan Heath and let us know if you agree! 🗣

Out tomorrow!

Nov 18, 201900:13
Episode #9 - Challenges for Common and Sustainable EU Agriculture - interview with Paolo De Castro
Sep 18, 201912:42
Episode #8 - Populism and fiscal discipline - interview with Pierre Moscovici

Episode #8 - Populism and fiscal discipline - interview with Pierre Moscovici

The European rules on economic governance and fiscal discipline are an endless source of tension between populist leaders and Brussels. But is relaxing those rules a feasible response for the European institutions to manage populists' claims?
Few weeks ago, during the run-up to the elections, we interviewed the Commissioner Pierre Moscovici to discuss about this, the state of the European democracy and possible ways towards its renovation and strengthening. (3 June 2019)

Presented by: Eugenia Brandimarte, Stefano Cabras and Giovanni Manzoni
Produced by: Giulio Gipsy Crespi

Jun 03, 201909:60
Episode #7 - Climate Breakdown and Sustainable Finance - interview with Molly Scott Cato
May 15, 201922:09
Episode #6 - What is populism? - interviews with Paolo Gentiloni and Marc Lazar

Episode #6 - What is populism? - interviews with Paolo Gentiloni and Marc Lazar

What is populism? Is it a societal illness to eradicate? Or is it the solution to our current economic, cultural and political crisis? In this first episode of our mini-series on populism, we try to define populism with the former Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and the French political scientist Marc Lazar. (8 May 2019)

Presented by: Eugenia Brandimarte, Stefano Cabras and Giovanni Manzoni
Produced by: Giulio Gipsy Crespi

May 08, 201917:53
Episode #5 - Gender & the EU - interviews with Jeanne Ponte, Toni Haastrup and Vera Jourova
Apr 25, 201925:58
Episode #4 - The EU Terrorist Content Regulation - interview with Arthur Messaud
Apr 16, 201914:15
Episode #3 - The GDPR and the GAFAM - interview with Arthur Messaud
Apr 11, 201925:57
Episode #2 - The European Parliament and the Spitzenkandidat process - interview with Antonio Tajani
Dec 27, 201813:59
Episode #1 - Brexit and Northern Ireland - interview with Tony Connelly
Nov 15, 201817:57