During the first few months of 2015 the world watched in awe — and often admiration — as a scrappy government in Athens tried to stare down Europe's financial and political establishment. The standoff failed spectacularly. Greece ended up with more loans on even tougher terms. In their bestselling book The Last Bluff, co-authors Viktoria Dendrinou and Eleni Varvitsioti judge the Greek government's strategy as doomed from the outset. But they also spotlight conflicts among Greece's creditors that inflicted undue suffering on ordinary citizens. In this first EU Scream Book Club, Eleni describes some of the characters her book brings to life, and its most memorable scenes, including the tragicomic denouement featuring François Hollande. For more episodes, visit us at EU Scream.  Support the show

This summer some 450 undocumented workers and migrants in Brussels refused food during two months. They were protesting Belgian immigration rules that human rights officials and campaigners like Lilana Keith of PICUM say arbitrarily obstruct them from legal and stable residency. The hunger strike provoked an outcry against the Belgian government. Yet there was no intervention from the European Union even though its headquarters is just 10 minutes away from the 17th century church that became the rallying point for supporters of the strikers. Albert Kraler, an assistant professor at Danube University Krems, says the EU has long been studiously silent about residency rights for the kinds of undocumented workers and migrants who led the Brussels protest. That's especially the case when regional upheavals like in Afghanistan could mean more irregular arrivals in Europe. Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, by Papalin is licensed under CC by 3.0. Visit EU Scream for more episodes. Support the show

There is a double standard at the heart of the European Union’s powerful executive body, the European Commission. Women — mostly white women — benefit from affirmative action when applying for jobs. But people of colour seeking advancement do not benefit from special consideration. Commentator and columnist Shada Islam says the Commission’s progress on gender makes its foot-dragging on racial diversity less excusable than ever. Sarah Chander, a digital rights advocate and a co-founder of the Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice, discusses the moral panic over critical race theory that's spread to Europe.  This episode was made in partnership with The Brussels Binder under the BBBeyond project.Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, by Papalin is licensed under CC by 3.0. Visit EU Scream for more episodes. Support the show

Parallels with the Soviet era are increasingly evident in Poland where the ruling coalition hounds judges and captures courts. Adam Bodnar, the country's human rights commissioner, lambasts European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a "lack of leadership” amid an antidemocratic onslaught that's also damaged media pluralism. Laurent Pech, the head of the Law and Politics Department at Middlesex University London, urges Brussels to do much more to stop modern-day autocrats from creating a climate of self-censorship that entrenches their power. By fully embracing the legal concept of “chilling effect," Brussels can help judges, activists and journalists in countries like Poland to resist autocracy, says Natacha Kazatchkine of the Open Society European Policy Institute, which partnered with EU Scream in making this episode. Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, by Papalin is licensed under CC by 3.0. Wael Koudaih kindly contributed his track “Thawra” to this episode. You’ll find more of his music under the name Rayess Bek. Visit EU Scream for more episodes. Support the show

Ursula von der Leyen appears secure in her job as president of the European Commission. That's despite a troubled vaccine rollout in which delayed deliveries can cost lives and livelihoods. But preserving the status quo in Brussels comes at a cost. Mehreen Khan of the Financial Times unpacks why the European institutions are not much interested in asking what's gone wrong — let alone in taking the scalp of Mrs. von der Leyen. Hans Kundnani of Chatham House warns that unaddressed vaccine mishaps in Brussels — and simmering tensions over how to disburse pandemic relief funds — are storing up new troubles for the European project.Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, by Papalin is licensed under CC by 3.0. Wael Koudaih kindly contributed his track “Thawra” to this episode. You’ll find more of his music under the name Rayess Bek. Visit our website for episode art and more EU Scream.Support the show

The hard left is often associated with the colours red for revolution and black for anarcho-syndicalism. But the movement is more and more green these days too. The trend is exemplified in many ways by Manon Aubry of the political party La France Insoumise. Since 2019 she has been a co-leader of the Left in the European Parliament where she is the youngest person to head one of the chamber's political groups. Manon says a green-tinted approach to social and economic justice combined with unabashed antifascism can help to rebrand her fractious group of leftists and communists — and win voters back from the far right. Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, by Papalin is licensed under CC by 3.0. Wael Koudaih kindly contributed his track “Thawra” to this episode. You’ll find more of his music under the name Rayess Bek. Visit our website for episode art and more EU Scream.Support the show

James Crisp has Boris Johnson's old job in Brussels covering EU affairs for The Daily Telegraph. James often writes with that jaundiced eye on the European project you'd expect from a correspondent on a venerable Conservative UK newspaper. But James continues to command respect for sharp and informed questioning of EU authorities. This episode starts with James recalling a family trip to Mini-Europe, a theme park featuring scale models of landmarks and heritage sites from each EU member state. Mini-Europe's founder Thierry Meeùs has cordoned off the British exhibits — in deference to Brexit of course. Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, by Papalin is licensed under CC by 3.0. Wael Koudaih kindly contributed his track “Thawra” to this episode. You’ll find more of his music under the name Rayess Bek. Visit our website for episode art and more EU Scream.Support the show

Political scientist Daniel Ziblatt is best known for co-authoring the 2018 bestseller How Democracies Die. The book is an indictment of US Republicans and their failure to resist Donald Trump. Daniel's work also examines how conservative parties have largely determined whether democracy thrived, as in Britain, or died, as in Weimar Germany. In this episode he discusses dilemmas facing Europe's modern-day conservative parties, including the German Christian Democratic Union and the European People's Party. Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, by Papalin is licensed under CC by 3.0. Wael Koudaih kindly contributed his track “Thawra” to this episode. You’ll find more of his music under the name Rayess Bek. Visit our website for episode art and more EU Scream.Support the show

Can the European Union do more to hold back the kinds of malign forces that overran the US Capitol claiming to defend democracy? It's not an idle question. Democratic shortcomings in the European Union are regularly invoked by the far right to whip up nationalist sentiment. The effect has been to weaponise the European project against itself. Rather than a citizens' insurrection, what's foreseen in the EU is a period of deep and prolonged citizens' reflection. The Conference on the Future of Europe is a once-in-a-political-generation opportunity to make the EU more accountable, responsive and democratic. But ensuring the conference delivers results is an immense challenge. Professor Alberto Alemanno of HEC Paris is a leading voice on democratisation, and he takes up those issues and more. Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield is a Green member of the European Parliament from France who coordinates on rule of law in Hungary. She's also on the Committee on Constitutional Affairs that's been pushing to get the Conference underway. She's now concerned the conference may not happen at all.Support the show

Politicians mostly talk about shutting migrants out. That endangers migrants' lives and obscures an important truth: that Europe already relies on large numbers of migrants for farming and manufacturing. The reliance includes significant numbers of irregular migrants and refugees. But getting honest about this phenomenon has long been taboo for Europe's political class. Giulia Laganà of the Open Society European Policy Institute unpacks the issues against the backdrop of the EU's New Pact on Migration and Asylum. Giulia also addresses how improving labor conditions for migrants can help avoid the toxic discourse on migration and borders promoted by the far right.This episode of EU Scream is sponsored by Google. The pandemic has hit European small and medium sized businesses hard. That's why Google is offering free tools and training to help businesses in Europe grow. For more information go to g.co/growwithgoogleBeethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, by Papalin is licensed under CC by 3.0. Wael Koudaih kindly contributed his track “Thawra” to this episode. You’ll find more of his music under the name Rayess Bek. Visit our website for episode art and more EU Scream.Support the show