Brussels, my love? Can EU capitals club together to defend defence?
Summary
TLDRThis week on 'Brussels My Love', we delve into the EU's defense ambitions amidst increasing global tensions and the aftermath of Portugal's legislative elections, which saw a significant political shift. The EU aims to bolster its defense industry, moving towards joint procurement of arms in response to external threats, as exemplified by Sweden joining NATO. Meanwhile, Portugal's election results reveal a surge for center-right conservatives and the rise of a new right-wing party, reflecting wider European political trends. Our panel, including experts and MEPs, discusses the feasibility of the EU's defense strategy and the implications of Portugal's elections for the upcoming EU parliamentary elections, emphasizing the importance of European unity and resilience.
Takeaways
- 📚 The EU aims to reduce dependency on non-EU countries for defense supplies, looking to revamp its defense industry by promoting joint procurement of arms.
- 🌍 After eight years in power, Portugal's Socialist Party faces a significant loss in legislative elections, with a surge in support for center-right conservatives and a new right-wing party.
- 🔒 Sweden's accession to NATO, ending 200 years of neutrality, signifies a strategic shift and a stronger EU-NATO partnership in defense.
- 🧑💻 The European Commission's defense industrial strategy includes boosting Europe's defense capabilities through joint procurement, akin to the COVID vaccine acquisition strategy.
- 🛡️ The necessity of European defense integration is underscored by global geopolitical shifts towards a multipolar world and the challenges posed by aggressive states.
- 📊 There's a growing debate on balancing investments in defense with the need for public support, amid broader societal challenges like healthcare and the cost of living.
- 🛠 Portugal's snap parliamentary elections reflect a broader European trend of political fragmentation and the rise of far-right movements, with implications for EU policy and unity.
- 🎓 The European Parliament's discussions on defense and security highlight diverse opinions on the EU's strategic autonomy and the balance between military investment and peace efforts.
- 🌎 The impact of Russia's actions in Ukraine on European defense policy, with increased calls for EU solidarity and capability building, is a pivotal concern.
- 👍 The spotlight on Spain's women's football team at the European Parliament emphasizes the importance of gender equality in sports and beyond, highlighting ongoing challenges and achievements.
Q & A
What main topic was discussed in the show regarding the EU's future plans?
-The main topic discussed was the EU's plan to change its reliance on defense supplies from outside the bloc to ramping up its own defense industry, including promoting joint procurement of arms.
Why has Sweden's stance on neutrality changed, according to the discussion?
-Sweden's stance on neutrality changed due to a deep shift in the global context, moving from a unipolar world to a multipolar one, with an empire looking to expand on the European continent.
What does the EU's defense industrial strategy aim to achieve?
-The EU's defense industrial strategy aims to promote joint procurement of arms, similar to the procurement strategy for COVID vaccines, and seeks political and financial backing for developing Europe's defense companies.
What were the outcomes of the recent Portuguese legislative elections?
-The elections showed a big surge for the center-right conservatives and a new right-wing party, leading to the Socialists losing power after eight years of rule.
How did the EU react to Sweden's NATO membership and its implications for EU defense?
-EU officials welcomed Sweden's NATO membership and began considering ways to develop Europe's defense companies further, recognizing the importance of building a stronger EU defense industry.
What financial measure is proposed in the EU's defense strategy to support Ukraine?
-The strategy proposes using windfall profits from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, along with facilitating more cooperation between member states for defense procurement.
What are the challenges associated with joint procurement for defense in the EU?
-The challenge lies in getting member states to cooperate on defense, as historically they have procured independently and prioritized national interests over joint action.
How does the current global context influence the EU's discussion on defense?
-The multipolar world, with emerging threats and an empire seeking to expand in Europe, underscores the need for a robust defense strategy and enhanced EU defense capabilities.
What impact did the EU elections have on Portugal's political landscape?
-The EU elections led to a shift in Portugal's political landscape, with the Socialist Party losing power and the rise of new right-wing and center-right parties.
What is the significance of joint procurement for arms in the EU's defense strategy?
-Joint procurement for arms is significant because it aims to consolidate the EU's defense capabilities, reduce reliance on external suppliers, and ensure a unified and strategic approach to defense procurement.
Outlines
🗳️ EU Elections and Defense Strategy
The segment discusses the upcoming EU elections and the focus on defense strategies. The panel, including Maria João Rodriguez, Martha Muchnik, and Sandra Padic, weigh in on the importance of Europe's defense industry and the commission's proposal for joint procurement of arms. The conversation highlights the changing security environment in Europe due to Russia's actions and the need for a unified European response. The panel also touches on the recent inclusion of Sweden in NATO and the potential for increased defense cooperation among EU member states.
📢 Public Opinion and Defense Spending
This paragraph focuses on the public's perception and support for increased defense spending in Europe. The discussion revolves around the need for a common European industrial defense strategy, with a specific mention of a 1.5 billion Euro budget allocation for 2025-2027. The panelists consider the effectiveness of joint procurement for armament, similar to the approach taken during the COVID-19 pandemic for vaccines. They also debate the importance of building European defense capacity and the potential use of profits from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine and facilitate cooperation among member states.
🌐 European Security and Public Support
The conversation in this paragraph emphasizes the importance of public support for European defense initiatives. Panelists discuss the varying levels of understanding and perceived threats across different European countries, particularly between Western and Central/Eastern Europe. The discussion highlights the need for European leaders to convince their populations of the seriousness of the security situation and the importance of building resilience and defense capacity. The panel also considers the role of enlargement strategy and the importance of public opinion in shaping policy decisions.
🏛️ Portuguese Elections and Political Fragmentation
This segment analyzes the outcomes of Portugal's snap parliamentary elections, which resulted in a significant shift in power. The Socialists lost their majority after eight years in power, with the center-right alliance Democrática emerging as the largest party. The rise of the far-right party Chega, led by André Ventura, is also discussed. Panelists consider the implications of these election results for the European political landscape and the challenges of forming a stable government with a fragmented parliament. The conversation touches on the need for politicians to connect with voters' concerns and the potential impact on upcoming European elections.
👩🦱 International Women's Day and Gender Equality
The discussion in this paragraph centers on the significance of International Women's Day and the progress made in gender equality, particularly in sports. The segment features the Spanish women's football team and their advocacy for equal opportunities in sports. The panelists reflect on the importance of female representation in sports and other areas of society, emphasizing the need for continued efforts to address gender inequality and violence against women. The conversation also highlights the role of the European Union in promoting women's rights and the importance of having strong financial instruments to support these initiatives.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡EU Defense
💡European Parliamentary Elections
💡NATO Membership
💡Joint Procurement
💡Defense Industrial Strategy
💡Portuguese Legislative Elections
💡Socialist Party
💡Far-Right Surge
💡Defense Capabilities
💡European Defense Fund
Highlights
EU elections around the corner with a focus on defense as Europe buys the majority of its weapons from suppliers outside the bloc.
After eight years of Socialist rule, Portugal sees a surge for the center-right conservatives and a new right-wing party in legislative elections.
The European Commission's defense industrial strategy aims to promote joint procurement of arms, akin to the COVID-19 vaccine procurement strategy.
Sweden's historic shift from 200 years of neutrality by joining NATO and the implications for European defense strategy.
The rise of multipolarity in the world and its impact on Europe's defense policies.
Discussion on the feasibility of the EU's new defense proposals and the political and financial support needed.
The importance of building a European defense industry to strengthen the EU's defense capabilities.
The potential use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine and promote cooperation between EU member states.
The need for a comprehensive defense strategy that includes building resilience, protecting citizens, and upholding democratic values.
Debate on the role of public support and understanding in implementing EU defense strategies.
Discussion on the possibility of sending European troops to aid Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict.
The implications of Portugal's legislative elections for the broader EU, particularly the rise of the far-right.
Analysis of the fragmentation in Portugal's Parliament and its potential impact on governance.
The significance of having female representation in leadership positions across various sectors.
Celebration of St. Patrick's Day as a global event and its cultural impact.
Transcripts
[Music]
hello there and welcome to Brussels my
love your news's weekly talk show about
the news bubbling here in Brussels and
Beyond I'm ma McMahan thanks for tuning
in coming up this week with EU elections
around the corner and party manifestos
being printed out one word coming up
more and more is defense today Europe
buys eight in 10 weapons from suppliers
outside the block something the
commission wants to change by
fundamentally ramping its industry what
does that mean in reality and is it just
a pipe dream and after eight years of
rule Portugal has said to the
Socialists last weekend's legislative
elections showed a big surge for the
center-right conservatives and for a new
right-wing fire brand we analyze the
frustration with the governing party in
the country of 10 million people and
check what all this could mean for the
EU parliamentary elections taking place
this June let's meet our panel this week
Maria jao Rodriguez the president of the
foundation for European Progressive
studies Martha muchnik senior EU Analyst
at the international crisis group and
Sandra padic project officer from the
Wilford Martin Center for European
studies thank you so much for coming
into to us it was pretty busy week for
MEPS especially as well over in
Strasburg B there was big votes on the
AI act on the media freedom but actually
what we want to zoom on zoom in on here
is defense which will be of course one
of the big themes next week at the EU
Summit despite the rign the mood was
euphoric last Monday as the Swedish flag
was raised in
Brussels after 200 years of neutrality
Sweden's Armed Forces now form part of
NATO as does its sophisticated domestic
defense
industry meanwhile EU officials have
started scratching their head for ways
to develop Europe's defense companies
the commission's recent defense
industrial strategy looks to promote
joint procurement of arms just like how
countries work together to buy covid
vaccines but the question is will it get
the political and financial backing it
needs to
work so Maria let's start with you how
realistic is this
proposal well I would say that first of
all is important to welcome Sweden um
membership to to Nato uh but we need to
ask how come a country which has a
strong tradition of neutrality decides
to ask for NATO membership and I think
this is because we are confronted with a
a deep change of the context so we are
coming from a moment where we had the
collapse of the the Soviet Union after
Cold War then we went to a unipolar
moment now we are in the multipolar
world and one of the polls is an
Empire willing to expand and it is in
our
continent this is the situation we are
confronted with and this is why we're
having this conversation on defense and
we're speaking about things that many
years ago perhaps would have been taboos
Martha from the perspective of the
international crisis group I know your
father following as well this um these
talks on defense every step of the way
did you follow the proposals from the
commission recently on their strategy
and what is your take on them uh yes yes
we we've been following these proposals
as well as all the debate on security
and defense and just to add to Maria's
comments I think it's it's uh security
and defense are really at the Forefront
of the eu's agenda right now uh Russia's
war against Ukraine of course has really
put uh these topics at the Forefront of
of of the European council's agenda you
see successive European councils
increasingly being dominated by Foreign
and security policy issues which wasn't
exactly the case until uh recently so
this has completely changed the security
environment of of Europe and this
strategy I think in a way is meant to
sort of bridge the gap between rhetoric
and action because one of the things
that uh many EU leaders have been sort
of uh accused of if you will is the
discrepancy between the stated rhetoric
of Russia's aggression and then the
capacity to act and I think this uh
commission's proposal uh sort of tries
to bridge that Gap um and we as crisis
group we of course support that uh we we
have been saying that Western Aid is
vital for Ukraine's Survival on the
battlefield and that the the choices
that Europe will need to make are
essential and will bear significant
impact on Ukraine successes uh in the
battlefield while also the commission
president Leander line in Her speech in
Strasburg recently she was calling on
MEPS to wake up calling on the whole
Block H to wake up in fact and security
and defense played a huge role at the
European people's Congress as well last
week um in Bucharest Sandra Pasar you
were there of course with the Wilford
Martin Center how do you weigh in here
on this debate well as a cow and
somebody who was born in 1991 during the
war for the independence war and
Serbia's aggression on my home country
Croatia a war was never a conract it was
something it was a reality and it was a
reality even that happened after the
second world war we had indeed a war on
the European continent so therefore I'm
very pleased that finally we're talking
about a common European industrial
defense strategy with its own cash part
of one 1.5 billion euros for it which is
the so-called European Defense
industrial uh program which is aimed I
mean we'll see now uh because this
commission is coming to an end but most
probably uh it should happen until the
next year 2025 and this should also be a
focus of the next let's hope uh the
fondel Lance Commission of the of the
next period 2025 so for that we'll have
to wait and see and of course for this
strategy because now it's just a piece
of paper on the table it's a proposal
and we can show you more in fact what's
in that proposal you already mentioned
the 1.5 billion Euro from the budget of
2025 to 2027 but also um there's an idea
there to use winful profits from Frozen
Russian assets to support Ukraine and of
course facilitate more cooperation
between member states but that's always
a tricky one isn't it for for member
states to cooperate especially on areas
like this where in the past they've
procured and only thought of themselves
really when it comes to buying arms but
look uh we just learned this with the
pandemics we invented something new
called uh joint procurement for vacines
now we need to have joint procurement
for Armament and is important to really
to build up European Defense capacity
accepting common standards because if we
put our capacities together this makes a
quite important uh total capacity and
the joint procurement also help and then
we need to build the industrial base for
for this nevertheless I'd like to
underline that if we ask what is war
nowadays war is not just a military
conflict this is in fact the
confrontation of two different choices
of uh Society on one hand we have one
Society uh which is in fact an Empire
trying to expand and uh base on
something which is not democracy uh
we'll have this weekend election of a
president which in fact uh will remain a
weak president because who can be strong
if he's elected on the basis of total
absence of
debate and on the other hand we have our
Democratic societies based on uh citizen
choices and we need to build our
resilience and Rel is about defense
capacity it's about financial capacity
is about protecting our citizens and
protecting our democracies so you're
very clear on we need to do and what is
at stake but are we to get there I think
in order for us to get there we need
public support and um uh I'm not sure
personally the extent to which there is
uh sort of an understanding or a public
support on the part of public opinions
in Europe and I say specifically Western
Europe uh I think there's a clear
understanding where that there's an
exential threat in Central and Eastern
European countries I'm not sure the
extent to which this is an existential
threat in Western Europe and I think
European leaders will need to do a lot
to convince their own populations of the
gra gravityy of the situation if that's
how they perceive it we're not obviously
in Strasburg but MEPS were this week so
we wanted to hear their take on this
proposal as well so we sent our reporter
Ida Sanchez to the corridors to turn the
your news microphone on them take a
listen well it is indeed a very
ambitious program uh but I think we need
that ambition right now we also look
around the world we look at traditional
partners that we've had which might end
up uh in in a logic of isolationism and
therefore European Union needs to be
able to stand on its feet when it comes
to defense it's a timely package no I
would say it's completely the wrong way
we are going on it's not right to uh
rearm all the time it's not right that
we try to build up a military Union we
should work on peace of the world on uh
peace uh in Europe and this is not the
case now so two very different opinions
there and oslam deir by the way she's
the vice chair of the security and
defense committee in the European
Parliament so you can imagine just how
heated the debates are on this topic
Martha would you agree with her or do
you think that's a bit
naive um I I think that the the right
answer is probably a middle ground of
course I think it's clear that Europe
needs to take greater responsibility for
its own security to act more as a
security provider uh for its own
neighborhood it can't depend on the
United States and it cannot depend on
what voters on the other side of of the
Atlantic decide to do regarding its own
security if it's an exist existen if
Russian aggression is an existential
threat as we as as many European leaders
perceive it to be then we need to ramp
up production we need to uh ramp up uh
defense capabilities and and work
towards that goal but at the same time
we need to keep uh open the possibility
of talks and dialogue uh with Russian
when the time with Russia when the time
comes uh to sort of when we feel like
there's enough signals from Moscow that
uh there could be that suggest that
negotiations could happen on terms
compatible to Ukraine security and
European long-term security as well
would you agree with that well those
statements that we just heard was from
the exiting Ms we are having elections
now in June and the European people's
party is even calling further not only
are we talking about this uh industrial
defense strategy that is very needed
we're also talking and calling for a
commissioner for defense and sec
security we're also calling for a
council on defense and security we're
also calling on common procurement we're
also calling on opening and Innovation
defense Innovation office in Kiev um and
the European people's party is also very
much aware that defense it's not only
about attacking or going into war with
sad is also about the the tance and this
is also very important point and uh this
is also a it's going to be a very
structural and central point of uh of
our election campaign defense migration
and climate as and also that was very
clear in your Manifesto but not perhaps
as clear in your Manifesto you were in
Rome of course on stage as the Socialist
Congress were meeting just a couple of
weeks ago what role will defense and
security play in your messaging to your
potential voters well uh you can be sure
that we are very clear on the need to
build up European Defense capabilities
we cannot be naive but let me say
something very
clear we European societies we are
peaceful societies we don't want to make
Wars on the others we don't want to
invade the others when Putin is saying
is under threat of being invaded we need
to say loud and clear for whatever the
Russian citizen listen to us today this
is completely wrong this is
fake and we have a war which is also a
battle of narratives and Putin's
narrative is completely invented so so
how will you cter that when you speak to
your
voters uh but on the other hand we
cannot be naive because in fact there
was an invasion of European country
abiding to our values and therefore we
need to have a a bold strategy and this
means to build up defense capacity to
build our resilience as Society so
protecting our CI and democracies but
also let me also underline a very
important Point enlargement strategy
because we have made a choice about this
and just but I'm sure our viewers are
looking on here saying who's going to
pay for this because they struggling to
make un meets they're worried about
Healthcare they're worried about issues
to their heart so what would you say to
them uh it's yeah it's a it's a very
good question I think it's what I've
already said I think it's about putting
this issue in the the campaigns of
national legislative elections for
example we just had Portuguese elections
and we are going to speak about that in
a moment but the those issues were
completely absent from the debate this
is just an example uh so it's about
clarifying the electorate of what it
means of the consequences of Ukraine's
defeat so uh those are the choices it's
about clarifying the electorate about
the choices that they have to make but
that those debates need to happen inside
European societies and just when it
comes to Ukraine the reason we're having
these conversations is of course because
the war is still very much ongoing
almost three years on and we all
remember a couple of weeks ago the
French President Emanuel mcon what he
said how he was willing to put all
options on the table how did you
interpret his comments well for me he
was just fishing for some headlines to
be honest because uh he wasn't really
reflecting uh the image and also the
position that France has because
according to Kel's um Institute for
World economy France is 22nd out of 27
EU member states that uh have eight
commitments made a commitments in
percentages of their national GDP to
Ukraine so therefore he's obviously
trying and France is one of the
countries that is spending the most on
defense in the so obviously according to
their equipment um they just want to
have a greater position but he doesn't
know how to how to express it so for me
it it was a complete nonsense was a
complete nonsense I mean look uh yes the
the words were not completely uh the the
the right kind of words
nevertheless uh a war means to put real
means on the table which is now underway
and on the other hand to keep
possibilities open but without
specifying and you went too far by
specify this is my critical uh comment
on this well the whole debate then
opened up about whether or not we should
be sending European troops to help
ukrainians who are clearly exhausted on
the ground there's a massive recruitment
plan over in Ukraine we've heard reports
as well of of young men just being taken
as they go to the supermarket and told
to go to the front line because they're
needed so desperately and there's also
the draft mobilization bill um we've
seen the Czech president wein Peter pavl
saying that there was nothing to prevent
NATO member states and European
countries sending troops as well as
civilians to help Ukraine uh fight this
war from your perspective what what
would you say
here um I think that ascending troops
Western troops to Ukraine is a very
premature discussion I don't think we're
there yet I don't think uh we as crisis
group of course we are we reject any
type of escalatory rhetoric that can
sort of contribute to escalation of
tensions and to bring a direct
confrontation with Russia uh so we
believe that this type of rhetoric is
not helpful uh in any way to bring an
end to the conflict and as much as we
support Western that you know Western
Aid uh to Ukraine should continue to
should be a priority for European policy
makers there's a big difference between
that and and uh and uh engaging in very
escalatory rhetoric at this point but
I'm sorry because I think the real
probably which is I hope on the table
for the European choices in the European
elections is on one hand we need to
build up European defense capability on
the other hand we need to have means to
conduct the green transition the digital
transition to protect our and all this
is costly so uh from my every point we
Europeans we need to be prepared to come
up with much stronger Financial
instruments uh combining uh joint uh
issue of uh European depth uh two
Finance very important priorities which
are unavailable that's a big debate in
fact that's coming up I've seen a lot of
editorials on that point would you have
a say I mean I agree definitely it's
about prioritizing and we'll see this in
the next legislative period but also we
need to be aware that we are already in
certain point uh and at a certain level
in a war with Russia there are cyber
attacks we're going to see also now
interference in the European elections
so there is a real opposed threat
because nowadays Wars are not only being
uh fought on on front in air on on the
Sea on the land they're also being
fought in cyber uh Spectrum uh and this
think should go from here from EU
countries they should mobilize no this
is far far away from saying uh no no no
this well just on something concrete
there was some good news this week for
Ukraine on um revamping their military
assistance and that was the 5 billion
euros European peace facility that was
agreed on on Wednesday by ambassadors
here in Brussels after months and months
of wrangling is this a good news uh yes
that's definitely a good news this was
something that was being withheld for a
long for a few weeks months due to
Franco German differences on the
modalities on reforming this Ukraine
assistance fund I I think it's
definitely news that should be welcomed
we don't know exactly how the fund is
going to work and uh and and uh I I've
seen reports that the fund is meant to
reimburse uh to not to reimburse sorry
to that the bilateral Aid uh donations
are going to be calculated and factored
in in this fund so uh I there's still a
question mark about what if this is
entirely new money for Ukraine but in
any case this initiative coupled with a
Czech Le initiative of buying ammunition
uh to deliver to Ukraine are very
positive signals and I think a signal
also that Europe is sort of going in the
right direction and before uh starting
discussing sending troops to the ground
these are the issues that we need to
focus on I this this is more concrete
and just on their differences the Franco
German differences there will be a
meeting this Friday between Emanuel mcon
and Olaf Schulz the chancellor but I'm
afraid we are out of time for that topic
but I'm sure we'll be hearing about it
of course much more in the coming months
but stay with us because after the break
we will have an update on the Portuguese
elections see you
[Music]
soon
welcome back to Brussels my love your
news's weekend talk show with me mave
McMahon now this week the European
bubble was digesting the outcome of
Portugal's snap parliamentary elections
that saw the Socialists wiped off the
map after 8 years in power the big
Winners the center right aliance
democratica then the Socialists and then
third place went to a newish party on
the scene chga an anti-establishment
nationalist group fronted by Andre
fentura a former football commentator
seemingly and aspiring priest Maria you
are of course a Portuguese politician
you represent the Socialist group what
went wrong how did you lose touch with
the people well uh Socialist Party lost
for a small margin two seats in the
Parliament and 50,000 votes but it
lost uh and so we need to take stock
seriously why from my viewpoint uh the
record has been positive in the sense of
uh turning the page of austerity after a
very painful financial crisis Euro Zone
crisis in Portugal and then start to
raise salaries creating more jobs
raising growth but at the same time
that's why the Portuguese Cas is very
interesting it was possible to reduce
public deficit public depbt to raise the
ratings so it was considered an
interesting case how can we have a
budgetary responsibility on one hand but
also improve people's lives nevertheless
then we are confront with cost of living
and uh several uh criticism and protest
coming from particular groups in the
health sector in the education sector
even in security Farmers okay and let's
bring in some more views we have two
Portuguese around the table we're very
privileged here well I know one of the
big headlines in Brussels from this
election was of course that's a very
divided Parliament as well I mean what
are the reactions have you heard around
here uh yes it's a it's a very
uh divided party uh Parliament a very
fragmented Parliament so I think we're
following the general European Trend
where sort of we're seeing a bit the
decline of the traditional dominance of
the Central right the cent center right
or the center left um so no stable
majorities uh we don't know if there
will be elections anytime soon soon
again because it's very difficult to
Envision how the government will be able
to how the new government will be able
to govern uh without a stable majority
and of course the rise of the far right
it's a serious source of concern uh for
Portugal it was a very rapid uh rise I
mean until 2019 this political party
shega was created in 2019 until then we
didn't have far right in in in Portugal
niandra Andrew fentura um is all over
the papers this week right from the
central perspective we could perceive
the elections with uh on a positive and
a negative side positive is obviously
that our candidate L Montenegro who was
also one of the key speakers um at the
Epp Congress last week he won the
elections and the Socialist they not
only did they lose by two seats by by
the margin of two votes but they also
lost around I think 74 77 seats in the
National Assembly and also those
elections were called after the
corruption allegations against former
prime minister Costas so um the good
news is that now from the from the
European parliament's perspective in
Europe you only have four socialist
governments and this is ahead of the
European elections on the other side um
Andre Ventura indeed he he is the I
wouldn't say the winner but he he did he
did win the the majority and he grewed
his support by 16% comparing it and he
won all the headlines I mean let's be
honest everyone's been talking about
Andre Fen through all week um but we
wanted to get more reactions as well
from Portugal so we spoke to the climate
analyst Dart Costa who told us what this
election could mean for the upcoming
European
elections this election in Portugal is
of utmost importance for the rest of the
EU we are three months away from the
European elections and what we are
seeing here is one of the strongholds of
European support we we know Portugal is
one of the most pro-europe countries and
when I say Portugal I mean the people of
Portugal this country is now being taken
over by the far right if we love Europe
if we love Brussels like your program
says we have to do something I think our
European EU bubble has failed in making
this European project that is so
important so beautiful so unique in the
world close to people's lives D the
Coster there making the point that
governing parties are far away from the
lives of ordinary people and he told us
he's so frustrated with the state of his
country he's actually running for
elections so you might see his his face
pop up a little bit more but I mean
you're all part of this EU bubble has
the bubble failed Martha to get the
message a I I think it's unfair to say
that the bubble failed I think National
politicians and mainstream politicians
also failed in addressing the concerns
of the voters in trying to be more in
touch with what the voters uh are
concerned about in their daily lives not
a lot of debate has been happening in
Portugal about what do this 1 million
voters that voted for Andre Ventura are
they all racists xenophobes far-right
are they voting for andent because of
ideological reasons not necessarily A
lot of them uh I mean we know that sheer
has been capturing votes also from the
farle so uh it's not necessarily because
of ideology of course we there are some
who who are voting we are also seeing a
normalization of the farri rhetoric but
I would also say Andre Ventura is a
textbook politician populist politician
he really used a very very simple
messages to get across to to reach out
to the citizens because also what is
very interesting for this elections is
that you had the biggest turnout in
since 1995 you had
66.2% and he reached out to the young
voters very young voters who really have
problems with youth unemployment who
have housing issues uh the renting
prices they're going up and we could see
this all all across Europe he's reaching
out to the young voters not only using
their media channels social media but he
also uses people who look like them he
also uses young people that are aged
from 18 to could you take some trips
from him perhaps uh look I think it's
really important to make a distinction
between the far right leaders on one
hand and people voting for them and we
need to understand people's concerns
because in fact they are people's
concerns and uh and uh my point is that
um the solution proposed by the farite
is not the good one why for two main
reasons one because far right argues
that we can meet people's concerns by
just uh changing National policies no
most of the problems need to have action
at National level local level but also
European level how can we deal with the
uh climate migration but their
communication skills are stellar and
they're obviously where the people are
whether that's they promise what they
cannot deliver and I'm afraid we'll have
to leave it there because we've run out
of time but it's a fascinating
discussion we will definitely come back
to as we get closer to those June
elections but thank you so much for
being with us and thank you so much for
watching take care and we'll see you
soon here on Ur news and of course if
you need more analysis urs.com
[Music]
welcome back to Brussels my love I'm
mave McMahan and along with mariaa
Rodriguez Martha mnik and Sandra pasaric
we're just taking a look back at the
news of the week and one image that
really struck us on the heels of course
of international women's day was that of
famous Spanish football Ballers taking
center stage in Strasburg you might
remember their met too moment last year
when the former Spanish soccer
Federation president Luis rubiales
kissed the midfielder Jenny hermoso
during the awards cermony this week the
ladies told the European Parliament why
it was so important for them to be
there for what has been achieved in
recent years to move forward for
progress
but what we should really be here today
for is not for the past but for the
future we have to push forward this path
hand in hand and it involves as with
almost everything else
education sport excites transforms and
educates we must know how to use it
correctly we must give girls all over
the world female role models in which
they can see themselves reflected and
I'll tell you one thing the next Alexia
pelus is out there the next Bon mati is
out there and the next diani is out
there they just want a chance and we
have to give it to
them strong message there that we
shouldn't perhaps just be focusing on
the beckhams the ronaldos of the
football world but also the pudas and
the Bon Mattis the famous Spanish female
footballers sander what do you think has
changed of anything since those World
Cup events well I have been indeed
following this in real time the the in
famous now kiss between rales and Jen
aroso and you could see really the
Spanish uh audience
the Spanish public divided so it was not
so much about that the Spanish national
team female team won the the World Cup
but it was more about this incident so I
would also say the images that we just
saw is one side of the coin so you see
there a perfectly Spanish team uh female
Spanish team winning the cup also female
European parliament's president but also
on the other side of coin there is still
a lot of domestic female violence also
in the public you could also see in um
condemning also Jen aroso that that she
was uh looking basically she was
consenting This Kiss so there is really
a long way to go and the European
Union's approach should be really
comprehensive uh and more aggressive
towards the the women's rights and
equality I think this episode was
deplorable but what really matters is
that when it comes Sports uh gender
equality means for women to have equal
chances to practice all kind of sports
and this team has won the World Cup and
they don't have the conditions to
practice soccer as as men because they
are uh working women in other jobs they
need to pay for their engagement in
sport so there is a lot to be done this
legislature was quite uh productive in
this sense because we could adopt
directives on equip pay on women's in in
boards in work life balance we improve
access to care services and many would
argue many would argue the reason was is
because we had a female Europe
commission president yeah
which bring in Martha on that I agree
with with what s both Sandra Mar have
said I I but I think it's key to have
female representation in key positions
of power whether in sports the private
sector journalism politics uh anywhere
and only then will things actually
change uh and will these issues of uh
sexual harassment abuse of power uh
gender pay gender inequality will be
effectively tackled when we have women
at the top deciding on these matters and
also regardless of the fam Committee in
the European Parliament there is still
not um not a definition of a conent
based definition of rape on the table so
there are a lot of uh women suffering
from this basic right of uh indeed but
I'm afraid we have run out of time thank
you so much Maria Rodriguez Marta mnik
and Sandra pasaric for being with us
here and thank you so much for watching
and I couldn't sign off of course
without wishing everyone a very happy St
Patrick's day although the 17th of March
holiday began as a Christian Feast now
it's a global week-long celebration of
all things Irish as usual if you have
any comments for us here please reach
out Brussels my lovey yournews decom
that is our uh email address you can
also catch us on social media and stay
tuned for next week we'll have a very
special edition we'll be live from
Brussels with the studio audience stay
[Music]
tuned
تصفح المزيد من مقاطع الفيديو ذات الصلة
Waar het de komende 5 jaar in de EU over gaat
Endgame for Europe | ARTE.tv Documentary
How Brexit is changing the EU
Portugal: Carnations against Dictatorship | ARTE.tv Documentary
The EU Parliament: Who’s In, Who’s Out, and What It Means
Brussels, my love? Bumper Strasbourg session brings term to an end
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)