New ECFR podcast explores how EU candidate countries are reshaping Europe’s future
The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is pleased to announce the launch of The Neighbourhood, a new podcast series under the Horizon Europe–funded RE-ENGAGE project, which explores how countries on Europe’s borders are navigating democracy, reform, and external pressure — and what that means for the EU’s future.
The series brings research from across six EU candidate countries — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine — examining how citizens and institutions in Europe’s neighbourhood are engaging with the EU at a time of war, disinformation, and geopolitical competition.
The first episode is a special crossover edition of ECFR’s flagship podcast World in 30 Minutes hosted by Mark Leonard, featuring Lykke Friis, Co-Chair of ECFR’s Council, Director of Think Tank Europa, and former Danish Minister. The conversation sets the stage for the series, looking at Europe’s renewed enlargement debate and Denmark’s leadership on the issue as it assumes the Council presidency.
In the coming months, the series will be hosted by Jessica Hendrick, Communications Officer for RE-ENGAGE at ECFR, who will take listeners across the region through new, on-the-ground research conducted with local experts and partner institutions, including the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) and other members of the RE-ENGAGE consortium. For interview requests, partnership inquiries, or further information, please contact: Jessica Hendrick, Communications Officer, RE-ENGAGE at [email protected]. You can find more information on the RE-ENGAGE project and related publications here.
The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is an award-winning, pan-European think-tank. Launched in October 2007, its objective is to conduct research and promote informed debate across Europe on the development of coherent and effective European values-based foreign policy. ECFR is an independent charity and funded from a variety of sources.