The Brussels Report Podcast

At a Brussels Report event on July 14, jointly hosted with the Tholos Foundation, US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder praised the transatlantic relationship while defending the recently negotiated US-EU trade agreement and warning that the EU's biggest economic challenges are largely self-inflicted. He noted that scrapping EU non-tarriff barriers would not only benefit US businesses but also Europeans. Listen here to his discussion with the editor-in-chief of BrusselsReport.eu, Pieter Cleppe.

During a panel debate at the Free Market Road Show in Brussels earlier this month, Austrian Member of Parliament Barbara Kolm, Director of the Austrian Economics Center and former Vice President of the Austrian Central Bank, was one of the guests to discuss the impact of EU regulation and how to rein in the Brussels regulatory machine.The Free Market Road Show is a series of conferences dedicated to free market economics in 32 cities in Europe and the United States, which has been organized for more than 15 years. The Brussels edition was hosted by BrusselsReport.eu in cooperation with the Austrian Economics Center, the Tholos Foundation, the Property Rights Alliance, and youtube channel Riks Europe.

Philip Weiss is the founder of ZN, a digital agency working with companies, political institutions and organizations on how to use the Internet to integrate and transform business and communication. In 2012, he wrote the book ‘Hyperthinking’, defining the mindset needed to survive and thrive in the age of networks. Whilst studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford, Philip Weiss launched two college magazines, started the first student radio station on a full FM licence in the UK, and received the Young Achievers Award from HM the Queen. He was chairman of IABC Europe (International Association of Business Communicators) in 2012 and organised Eurocomm, the regional conference of the organisation in Brussels. In 2009, Weiss helped co-found TEDxBrussels. In this episode of the Brussels Report podcast, BrusselsReport.eu editor ⁠Pieter Cleppe⁠ discusses the following topics with him: - How has lobbying and influencing at the EU policy level evolved over the past 25 years in Brussels? - How does the ZN Consulting annual ranking of digital EU policy influencers work? - What to think of the various social media platforms: Twitter/X, Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram? - Looking at debates like Brexit and TTIP, what can we learn about the importance of - digital - communication? https://twitter.com/euinsidereu/status/1850853582871965942 https://twitter.com/ZNConsulting/status/1851925422268625339 https://twitter.com/ZNConsulting/status/1843665576121737556 https://twitter.com/ZNConsulting/status/1837195504934850665  

During a panel debate at the Free Market Road Show in Brussels earlier this year, Dr. Barbara Kolm, Director of the Austrian Economics Center and former Vice President of the Austrian Central Bank, and Pieter Cleppe, Editor-in-Chief of BrusselsReport.eu, discuss the influence of monetary policy on inflation. The Free Market Road Show is a series of conferences dedicated to free market economics in 36 cities in Europe and the United States, which has been organized for more than 15 years. Its launch event was hosted in Brussels this year, by BrusselsReport.eu in cooperation with the Austrian Economics Center, the Tholos Foundation and the Property Rights Alliance.

Charles H. Dallara is an American banker and the former managing director of the Institute of International Finance, which is a group representing the global financial services industry. He served as the managing director of the Institute of International Finance, Inc. from 1993 to 2013, leading it in its prominent role during the European sovereign debt crisis, including the private sector involvement (PSI) agreement reached between European countries and financial organisations on the one hand and the Greek government on the other, "the biggest sovereign restructuring in history." Before that, he acted as managing director at J.P. Morgan & Co. from June 1991 to July 1993, and he also held various positions in the George H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan administrations: Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Policy Development and Senior Advisor for Policy to the Secretary of the Treasury (1988-1989); U.S. Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (1984-1989), and concurrently as Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Economic Policy (1985-1988); Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Monetary Affairs (1983-1985); and U.S. Alternate Executive Director at the IMF (1982-1983). Currently, he is an Advisory Partner of Partners Group and Chairman of Partners Group Board of Directors, USA. He is the author of a newly published book, titled "Euroshock. How the Largest Debt Restructuring in History Helped Save Greece and Preserve the Eurozone" (March 2024) In this episode of the Brussels Report podcast, BrusselsReport.eu editor ⁠Pieter Cleppe⁠ discusses the following topics with him: -        How sustainable is the Eurozone? Will Eurozone democracies be able to withstand future shocks in case of fiscal transfers and fiscal adjustment programmes? -        Are there similarities between indebted Western democracies today and 1980s rate hikes, which also troubled Latin American countries at the time? -        What are the chances of Argentina’s President Milei succeeding? -        Does bitcoin have a future? 

Daniel Kral is a Senior Economist within the macroeconomics forecasting division of Oxford Economics. He joined Oxford Economics in April 2021 in London and leads the coverage of the Nordic region. Daniel holds a Master of Research from University College London where his thesis won the Frank Carter prize for the best post-graduate thesis in 2014. Before, he worked at IHS Markit, VEON, RS Consulting and at the Brussels office of British EU affairs think tank Open Europe. On Twitter/X, he is one of the most prominent analysts monitoring the developments of European economies. In this episode of the Brussels Report podcast, BrusselsReport.eu editor ⁠Pieter Cleppe⁠ discusses the following topics with him: - Germany's deindustrialisation: how serious is it? - The Eurozone: trouble on the horizon? Can higher interest bring down monetary union? - What about Europe's growth poles. There is Poland, but are there others? - The economic impact of Brexit, looking back   https://twitter.com/DanielKral1/status/1745399662431924249 https://twitter.com/DanielKral1/status/1745855091674956166 https://twitter.com/brussels_report/status/1415636769530388486

Mohamed Magdy Farid (Arabic: محمد مجدي فريد, born 18 August 1982) is an Egyptian Classic Liberal politician. He has been a Senator since 2020. He holds a bachelor's degree in industrial and management engineering from October 6 University, and a master's degree in Sustainable development Planning with a specialization in Economic Development from the Egyptian National Planning Institute. He was a founding member of the Free Egyptians Party but sits now as an independent. In this this episode of the Brussels Report podcast, BrusselsReport.eu editor ⁠Pieter Cleppe⁠ discusses the following topics: The war in Gaza and the implications for the relationship between Israel and Egypt Elections, democracy and the rule of law in Egypt The state of the economy of Egypt and the role of the IMF The impact of the EU’s new “CBAM” climate tariff on the economy of Egypt Cooperation between Egypt and the EU on migration and the possibility of a deal to outsource EU asylum processing to Egypt https://twitter.com/Mohamed_M_Farid/status/1736298296652583393

M'backé N'diaye holds a degree in law and political science from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal. He is a specialist in the Sahel region. His work thereby focuses on geopolitics, the history of religions and the Sahel region. He is also a political communications consultant. In this this episode of the Brussels Report podcast, BrusselsReport.eu editor ⁠Pieter Cleppe⁠ discusses the following topics: -        The background of the crisis and civil war in Darfur -        Why do there seem to be double standards with regards to the media coverage for this conflict versus other conficts, and political attention for it in Europe and internationally? -        The importance of the Sahel region and Islamist terrorism for Europe -        What can the EU and the United States do? What could the African Union do? -        What’s the role of Russia and China?  https://twitter.com/philippe_dam/status/1726895169197261277   https://twitter.com/brussels_report/status/1726938248604516788

Brad Lips is the chief executive officer of Atlas Network, a US non-profit that provides training, networking and grants for libertarian, free-market, and conservative groups around the world. It aims to secure for all individuals the rights to economic and personal freedom, through its global network of strategic partners. Atlas Network was founded in 1981 by Sir Antony Fisher, a British entrepreneur, who was influenced by economist F.A. Hayek and his book, The Road to Serfdom. On its website, it notes that “Atlas Network partners in Europe are skeptical of the illiberal right and the socialist left. Ours is a practical agenda: -         To restore economic competitiveness in Europe by removing burdensome regulations; -         To rebuild trust in liberal institutions by reining in the scope of their authority; and -         To liberate individuals across the continent to use their talents within the kind of “system of natural liberty” that Adam Smith recognized as conducive to increasing the wealth of nations.   In recent months we created the Ukraine Freedom Fund to address special challenges in this war-torn country, and in 2023 we launched a Competitiveness Reform Hub through which our European partners can collaborate and draw inspiration in meeting the acute economic challenges of this decade. These activities complement long-running Atlas Network activities in Europe, including the annual Europe Liberty Forum, the Transatlantic Think Tank CEO Summit, and the Europe Liberty Award.”     In this this episode of the Brussels Report podcast, BrusselsReport.eu editor ⁠Pieter Cleppe⁠ discusses the following topics: - The differences between the U.S. and European policy debate - Challenges to raise funds in various part of the world - How to define the "liberty movement"? - What's the use of party political action and parapolitics? What to tell those that have giving up hope and focus on their private life or their business? - How can the liberty movement better coordinate and exploit opportunities?  https://twitter.com/brussels_report/status/1676241378710364161 https://twitter.com/bradlips/status/1686822619071320064 https://twitter.com/AtlasNetwork/status/1692622415606522053  

Christopher Snowdon is the head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs. His research focuses on lifestyle freedoms, prohibition and policy-based evidence. He is a regular contributor to the Spectator, Telegraph and Spiked and often appears on TV and radio discussing social and economic issues. Snowdon’s work encompasses a diverse range of topics including ‘sin taxes’, state funding of charities, happiness economics, ‘public health’ regulation, gambling and the black market. Recent publications include ‘Drinking, Fast and Slow’, ‘The Proof of the Pudding: Denmark’s Fat Tax Fiasco’, ‘A Safer Bet’, and ‘You Had One Job’. He is also the author of ‘Killjoys’ (2017), ‘Selfishness, Greed and Capitalism’ (2015), ‘The Art of Suppression’ (2011), ‘The Spirit Level Delusion’ (2010), ‘Velvet Glove, Iron Fist’ (2009). In this this episode of the Brussels Report podcast, BrusselsReport.eu editor Pieter Cleppe discusses the Nanny State Index (NSI), which is authored by Snowdon, along with partners across Europe. This is a league table of the worst places in Europe to eat, drink, smoke and vape. The initiative was launched in March 2016 and has been a media hit right across Europe.   https://twitter.com/epicenterEU/status/1663806883218505728 https://twitter.com/iealondon/status/1684593206518845440 https://twitter.com/cjsnowdon/status/1684635014691008513