The Sound of Economics

Alexandra Jour-Schroeder, Deputy Director General at the European Commission's DG FISMA, and Silvia Merler, a Bruegel fellow specializing in sustainable finance, dive into essential themes around financial literacy and investment in the EU. They address the importance of trust in banks and the need for a holistic approach to financial education. The duo discusses innovative proposals like an easy-to-open EU savings account and plans for national ambassadors to champion financial literacy, tackling market fragmentation along the way.

In this insightful discussion, Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, an economist and author of The Double Tax, teams up with Marie-Sophie Lappe, a researcher focused on wealth trends in Europe. They explore the concept of the double tax — the compounded costs of racism and sexism that impact women, especially women of color. The duo highlights how these economic inequalities stifle overall growth, discusses the gender wealth gap in savings and pensions, and emphasizes how policies supporting Black women can benefit society at large.

Cecilia Trasi, a Senior Policy Advisor at EcoThinkTank and expert on EU–China climate cooperation, shares insights on the paradoxical nature of EU–China relations. Both economies aim for a green transition but take divergent paths—Europe with strict regulation and China focusing on green tech exports. They discuss pragmatic collaboration opportunities like green finance taxonomies and circular economy projects. The debate also touches on the challenges of leadership in global climate action and the implications of China's selective decarbonization policy.

In this episode of the Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie sits down with Bruegel’s Marie-Sophie Lappe and Francesco Nicoli, authors of a recent study on green public procurement, as well as Karolis Granickas of the Open Contracting Partnership non-governmental organisation. They discuss how governments decide what to buy, and what European policy can do to make this process work better. Is there a way for this purchasing to advance the climate transition agenda too? How can governments balance price, product choices and the impact on their local economies? How does this fit with the global context and balancing the pros and cons of non-EU products? This podcast aims to demystify the contracting cycle and unpack some of the issues at stake. Related research: Lappe, M. and F. Nicoli (2025) ‘Advantages and pitfalls of green public procurement as a European strategic tool’, Working Paper 21/2025, Bruegel Towards a Green Procurement Union: trade-offs and strategic choices, Bruegel event, 24 September 2025 See Open Contracting Partnership website: https://www.open-contracting.org/what-is-open-contracting/sustainability/

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie sits down with Bruegel’s Heather Grabbe and Guntram Wolff to talk about the real costs of a changing climate. With all the fuss over how to manage the climate transition, economists may be overlooking the rising expenses of the changes happening now. From the rising cost of insurance to future housing shocks, evolving weather trends and water scarcity mean the world could be facing big hits to productivity and gross domestic product. What will be the scale of the change? What should economists be studying? How should policymakers act? They discuss what happens when these shocks collide and intensify, rather than occurring one at a time, and how the world can respond.  Related research: Barata da Rocha, M., H. Grabbe and N. Poitiers (2025) ‘Climate risks to global supply chains’, Working Paper 20/2025, Bruegel  Claeys, G., M. Le Mouel, S. Tagliapietra, G.B. Wolff and G. Zachmann (2024) The Macroeconomics of Decarbonisation Implications and Policies, Cambridge University Press

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie speaks about migration trends in the Western Balkans with Bruegel’s Nina Vujanovic and Nina Ruer, as well as Professor Herbert Brücker from Berlin’s Humboldt University in Germany, Since 2015, workers have been heading to Germany from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo, aided by a regulation specific to that region. How have those workers assimilated? What has been the effect on the countries they leave behind? Can better policy address youth unemployment and skills shortages? The discussion tackles the data, the outlook and the political context for Germany, the Western Balkan countries and the EU accession process.  Relevant research: Ruer, N. and N. Vujanović (2025) ‘Migration flows from the Western Balkans to Germany: implications and recommendations’, Working Paper 19/2025, Bruegel Ruer, N. and N. Vujanović (2025) 'Understanding Serbian youth discontent through the lens of the labour market', Analysis, Bruegel

Zsolt Darvas, a Senior Fellow at Bruegel specializing in EU budget reform, and Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, an expert on European public goods and defense spending, delve into the complexities of the European Commission's budget plan. They discuss the implications of shifting funds towards defense and research while questioning the effectiveness of current agricultural subsidies. The conversation explores how Europe can collectively address pressing issues like support for Ukraine and the challenges of financing public goods, emphasizing the importance of national contributions and the concept of 'own resources.'

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan sits down with Alicia García-Herrero and Ben McWilliams to explore China’s quest for energy self-sufficiency and especially its attempt to become an “electrostate”. Can a country transform its vast energy needs into a strategic advantage; and what does it mean for the world if that country is China? And where does Europe stand in this race? Relevant research Alicia García-Herrero and Haoxin Mu, China can decarbonise the world – but even that won’t fix its overcapacity problem, Bruegel Analysis, 25 September 2025  European Clean Tech Tracker, Bruegel dataset, Compiled by Marie Jugé, Ugnė Keliauskaitė, Ben McWilliams and Simone Tagliapietra, last updated 3 September 2025  Heussaff, C. and G. Zachmann (2025) ‘Upgrading Europe’s electricity grid is about more than just money’, Policy Brief 04/2025, Bruegel How we made it: will China be the first electrostate? Financial Times, 20 May 2025 This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly analysis of China in the world, as seen from Europe. Sign up now to receive it in your mailbox!

Damien Levie, head of the EU's FDI screening unit, and Niclas Poitiers, a researcher at Bruegel, delve into the intricacies of foreign direct investment in Europe. They discuss the EU's strategies for safeguarding itself from non-EU acquisitions, particularly focusing on risks from China and the U.S. The duo explores the need for a harmonized legal framework to streamline assessments and how competition among member states complicates the screening process. The conversation highlights the balancing act between protecting strategic assets and ensuring economic competitiveness.

In this discussion, Bruegel’s economics experts—Jeromin Zettelmeyer, Simone Tagliapietra, and Reinhilde Veugelers—evaluate Ursula von der Leyen’s recent address on the EU’s future. They probe Europe’s economic vulnerabilities, the urgency for a cohesive Green Deal, and the pressing need for national reforms in housing and pensions. The conversation dives into technology’s role in productivity, challenges in the automotive sector, and the path to financial integration in the EU. They also tackle geopolitical challenges and the push for energy independence amid changing global dynamics.