Europe Speaks: A TEPSA Podcast
The Trans European Policy Studies Association

Latest episode
74 episodes
- When candidate countries adopt EU social rules, do citizens’ lives actually change? What does it take to build resilient societies on the path to EU membership? This final episode looks at social cohesion in candidate countries and asks how the EU can help aspiring members move from passing laws to actually implementing them.
InvigoratEU Talks is a podcast series born from the Horizon Europe-funded project, InvigoratEU, bringing together leading scholars and policy-makers from across Europe to do exactly what the name suggests: re-invigorate EU enlargement and neighbourhood policy in a changing world.
Host: Mariam Khotenashvili, Executive Director, TEPSA
Guests:
Séamus Boland, President of the European Economic and Social Committee
Levan Kakhishvili, Postdoctoral Researcher, ETH Zurich
Nino Abzianidze, Senior Researcher, PMCG Georgia
Music: Luka Margiani
Editing: Barbara Vanotti
This episode is funded by the European Union as part of the Horizon Europe-funded InvigoratEU project. EuropeChats - Can Europe confront its digital challenges? | Discussion with Seamus Allen
12/10/2026 | 28 mins.This episode of EuropeChats is a discussion between Seamus Allen, Senior Researcher at the Institute of International and European Affairs, and TEPSA Secretary-General Jim Cloos.
The conversation covers European regulations and competitiveness in the tech sector, the regulatory framework for digital platforms, and the EU's AI policy.
Seamus Allen is a Senior Researcher at the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) in Dublin. He works on digital policy, on the IIEA’s democracy series and also works on the IIEA’s Future Proofing Europe project. Prior to joining the IIEA, he worked for the Central Bank of Ireland.
EuropeChats is the flagship podcast of TEPSA, and it is part of the TEPSA Podcast Channel “Europe Speaks”.
Music: Worakls, 22 September 2014, Salzburg, Hungry music
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.Making enlargement work: What needs to change in the EU? | InvigoratEU Talks #05
09/10/2026 | 38 mins.The European Commission has recently presented its pre-enlargement policy reviews with proposals on qualified majority voting, rule of law safeguards, and gradual integration. Will these proposals help accelerate European integration? And how do we remove the barriers that stand in the way of making enlargement a success?
This episode of InvigoratEU Talks explores the changes that the EU must consider if it wants to speed up the enlargement process.
InvigoratEU Talks is a podcast series born from the Horizon Europe-funded project, InvigoratEU, bringing together leading scholars and policy-makers from across Europe to do exactly what the name suggests: re-invigorate EU enlargement and neighbourhood policy in a changing world.
Host: Mariam Khotenashvili, Executive Director, TEPSA
Guests:
H.E. Daniela Morari, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the EU
Funda Tekin, Director, Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP) & Academic Coordinator of InvigoratEU
Pernille Rieker, Director, Arena Centre for European Studies & Coordinator of re-Engage
Music: Luka Margiani
Editing: Barbara Vanotti
This episode is funded by the European Union as part of the Horizon Europe-funded InvigoratEU project.Are Russia and China losing ground or just changing tactics? | InvigoratEU Talks #04
17/07/2026 | 28 mins.What are Russia and China trying to achieve in the Western Balkans and Eastern Neighbourhood? And how does that affect candidate countries’ path to EU membership? This episode of InvigoratEU Talks explores the impact of Russia and China’s political, economic, and social influence on the European continent.
InvigoratEU Talks is a podcast series born from the Horizon Europe-funded project, InvigoratEU, bringing together leading scholars and policy-makers from across Europe to do exactly what the name suggests: re-invigorate EU enlargement and neighbourhood policy in a changing world.
Host: Mariam Khotenashvili, Executive Director, TEPSA
Guests:
Thijs Reuten, Member of the European Parliament, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
Marko Todorović, Senior Researcher, European Policy Centre (CEP) Belgrade
Matteo Bonomi, Head of Europe Programme, Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)
Music: Luka Margiani
Editing: Barbara Vanotti
This episode is funded by the European Union as part of the Horizon Europe-funded InvigoratEU project.Can the EU still promote democracy in a geopolitical age? | InvigoratEU Talks #03
25/06/2026 | 39 mins.Democracy support has been a cornerstone of EU enlargement and neighbourhood policy. Yet, today it is increasingly intertwined with geopolitical competition. In this third episode of InvigoratEU Talks, we ask: has the EU become better at promoting democracy, or has geopolitics changed the rules of the game?
InvigoratEU Talks is a podcast series born from the Horizon Europe-funded project, InvigoratEU, bringing together leading scholars and policy-makers from across Europe to do exactly what the name suggests: re-invigorate EU enlargement and neighbourhood policy in a changing world.
Host: Mariam Khotenashvili, Executive Director, TEPSA
Guests:
Petar Markovic, Ambassador of Montenegro to the EU
Giselle Bosse, Professor, Maastricht University and TEPSA Board Member
Richard Youngs, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe and TEPSA Board Member
Music: Luka Margiani
Editing: Barbara Vanotti
This episode is funded by the European Union as part of the Horizon Europe-funded InvigoratEU project.
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About Europe Speaks: A TEPSA Podcast
Welcome to ‘Europe Speaks’, a podcast channel by the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) where we explore everything to do with the European Union: history, current affairs, and the future of Europe. We publish regular podcasts on all these topics, including EuropeChats with Jim Cloos and Mariam Khotenashvili, and a series of other webinars, explainers, and interviews with the world’s leading experts on the EU!
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