This episode of EuropeChats is a discussion between Michele Chang, a Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges, and TEPSA Secretary-General Jim Cloos. The discussion focusses on building a competitive economy for Europe. In the context of TEPSA’s recently published European Council Experts’ Debrief, which drew together experts from across the TEPSA Network and beyond (including Michele Chang) to analyse the conclusions of the March 2023 European Council, Jim’s talk with Michele revolves around the challenges to Europe’s economy, and opportunities to make it more resilient in future.
In particular, the discussion surrounds the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a source of tension in the trans-Atlantic relationship due to its content which is perceived by European leaders as being too protectionist. The challenge of China also features in the talk on how the EU’s economy, dominated as it is by the EU’s status as the world’s largest trading power, is affected by factors outside its own borders. The discussion then moves on to how the EU might build up the Banking Union and Capital Markets Union, as well as an assessment of the Stability and Growth Pact.
This episode is a discussion with Prof. Michele Chang. Michele is the Director of the Transatlantic Affairs Programme and Professor in the European Political and Governance Studies Department at the College of Europe in Bruges. You can read her contribution to the recent European Council Experts’ Debrief, as well as all the other fascinating analyses contained therein, on TEPSA’s website here.
EuropeChats is TEPSA’s talk show dedicated to answering your questions about the European Union. If you ever wondered what competences the EU has, what effects its policies have on your day-to-day life, and why the EU is so important, then this show will give you all the answers you need! Every episode we will be answering your questions about Europe and the EU.
Jim Cloos is TEPSA’s Secretary-General, and has spent a lifetime in the heart of Brussels. As the former Deputy Director General for General and Institutional Policy at the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, he was involved in European decision-making at every level. He had a key role in drafting the Maastricht Treaty during the Luxembourgish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 1991, and has an intricate expertise on EU Affairs and the internal functioning of the European institutions. There is no-one better placed to answer any question about Europe that you might have.
