Reassessing China's role in the Middle East

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie discusses the European Commission’s spring economic forecast with Bruegel’s Andreas Billmeier and Mahmood Pradhan. Growth is slowing down while inflation surges in response to higher energy prices. Is the job market on the brink of a bigger slump? Will energy markets adjust again or will this cycle last longer? How might the European Central Bank react? Looking outside the European Union, how is the UK economy faring? Will the costs of Brexit force a reassessment of UK-EU relations in London? As long as global conditions remain so uncertain, European economies are unlikely to bounce back – so how can policymakers find the growth they need? With bigger economies like Germany and Italy in the doldrums while Poland, Denmark and Sweden show more resilience, how should the EU respond and what could be coming next? Relevant research: European Commission (2026) 'Spring 2026 economic forecast: Slowdown in growth as energy shock drives up inflation', 21 May  Weder di Mauro, B. and J. Zettelmeyer (2026) 'The new global imbalances: why care, why now and what should be done?', Essay 01/2026, Bruegel

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan and Alicia García-Herrero sit down with Jonathan Fulton to interrogate some persistent assumptions about China's role in the Middle East. From the China–Iran partnership to the Saudi–Iran rapprochement, they explore whether the conventional wisdom misreads a deeply complex region – overstating Chinese ambition, understating local agency and flattening a relationship that is transactional, rather than strategic. Relevant research: Fulton, J. (2025) ‘Present without impact? How the Middle East perceives China’s diplomatic engagement’, Issue Brief, Atlantic Council García-Herrero, A. (2026) 'What the war in Iran means for China', Analysis 06/2026, Bruegel This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly analysis of China in the world, as seen from Europe. Sign up now to receive it in your mailbox!

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie sits down with renowned economists Barry Eichengreen and Lucrezia Reichlin to discuss the past, present and future of money. Will the dollar remain the world’s global currency? How should we think about the euro and the renminbi? What about stablecoins? Eichengreen discusses current risks in the context of his new book Money beyond borders : global currencies from Croesus to crypto. Reichlin discusses Bruegel’s new paper, prepared for the 22-23 May 2026 informal meeting of European Union economic and finance ministers, which proposes allowing stablecoin issuers to pay interest and to have access to central bank reserves. As ministers gather in Cyprus, which currently holds the European Council presidency and was the birthplace of coined money in the 6th century BCE, we talk about how money came to be, where its risks lie and how to make the best use of it going forward.Related research: Reichlin, L., B. Sangers and J. Zettelmeyer (2025) ‘A new strategy to contain stablecoin risks in the European Union’, Policy Brief 09/2026, Bruegel Reichlin, L. (2025) 'The European Union should embrace decentralised finance and make it safe', Analysis 40/2025, Bruegel Eichengreen, B. J. (2026) 'Money beyond borders : global currencies from Croesus to crypto.' Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie speaks with European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, Bruegel Director Jeromin Zettelmeyer and research fellow Anne Bucher about how to make the European Union work better. Ukraine, Bruegel’s newest state member, will soon receive more financial support but needs Europe to keep up its sanctions on Russia. How will the enlargement process shape relations between Kyiv and its neighbours? Closer to home, how should the Brussels institutions tackle simplification and deregulation? Can the European Commission do a better job with impact assessments to manage the costs and trade-offs of its policies? Does the EU need tougher enforcement against national gold-plating? As member states and the European Parliament put their stamp on, and add complexity to, new legislation, policymakers must find the political will to make the system work. Relevant research: Bucher, A. and E. Golberg (2026) ‘Better regulation in the European Union needs a fresh start,’ Policy Brief 01/2026, Bruegel. European Commission (2026) 'A Simpler, Clearer and Better Enforced EU Rulebook', Communication, 28 April 2026. Zettelmeyer, J. (2025) 'Draghi on a shoestring: the European Commission’s Competitiveness Compass', Analysis 02/2025, Bruegel.

 In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie talks about the defence industry with Bruegel’s Guntram Wolff and journalist Sharon Weinberger, author of the books Imaginary Weapons, The Imagineers of War and the forthcoming Valley of Death. What defence systems are Europe and the US buying? Are countries like Poland and the Baltic states re-inventing how the EU approaches joint defence? How is the defence industry structured and what have been the major changes of the past 20 years? Does Europe really need its own DARPA – the US defence innovation agency? What is the future of joint procurement and how should public policy act? With ongoing wars in Ukraine and Iran, as well as heightened uncertainty in Asia and around the world, these questions are back in the spotlight. Relevant research: Becht, M., J. Mejino-López and G. Wolff (2026) 'Who controls the defence industry?', Working Paper 08/2026, Bruegel Kapstein, E., J. Ospital and G. Wolff (2026) ‘Reforming European defence procurement to boost military innovation and startups’, Policy Brief 04/2026, Bruegel Weinberger, S., 'Washington Rewrites the Rules of Funding Technological Innovation', The Wall Street Journal, 20 April 2026 Weinberger, S. (2026) Valley of Death: How Big Tech is the Future of War, Little, Brown and Company

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie talks about sustainable finance with Bruegel’s Silvia Merler and Dirk Schoenmaker. How will markets adjust to the European Union’s new disclosure framework, watered down by an 'omnibus' simplification package. Is it really simpler? Who is using the new disclosures and how could clearer rules attract more investment? How can the EU manage the creative destruction of transition and minimise the risk of stranded assets? They also discuss how United States asset managers invest and how they cast their governance votes. Should the European Central Bank offer a separate interest rate for finance linked to the energy transition? How do green bonds, sustainability-linked bonds and transition finance work in the market? For sustainable finance to reach its potential, the EU will need to improve its capital markets generally and find ways to make its disclosure framework more practical and internationally viable.Relevant research: Merler, S. (2025) ‘How to improve the European Union’s sustainable finance framework’, Policy Brief 05/2025, Bruegel. Merler, S. (2025a) 'Streamlining or hollowing out? The implications of the Omnibus package for sustainable finance', First Glance, 03 March, Bruegel. Schoenmaker, D. (2026) 'Risks for Europe of US dominance of global asset management', Policy Brief 07/2026, Bruegel.

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan and Alicia García-Herrero sit down with Isabelle Mejean and Vincent Vicard to present their study on Chinese trade deflection, a chapter in the 2026 edition of the Paris Report, a CEPR-Bruegel initiative. They discuss the scale and speed of this redirection, what the European Union can do about it and the bigger structural problem facing European industry.Relevant research:Emlinger, C, I Mejean, K Lefebvre and V Vicard (2026), ‘EU under pressure? Exploring Chinese trade deflection‘, in Rey, H, B Weder di Mauro and J Zettelmeyer (eds), Paris Report 4: The New Global Imbalances, CEPR Press, Paris & London.  This episode is part of the ZhōngHuá Mundus series of The Sound of Economics. ZhōngHuá Mundus is a newsletter by Bruegel, bringing you monthly analysis of China in the world, as seen from Europe. Sign up now to receive it in your mailbox!

In this special episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie speaks with Bruegel’s Zsolt Darvas and Heather Grabbe about the historic Hungarian election of April 2026. Péter Magyar and his TISZA party won in a landslide over the Fidesz party and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has been in power for the past 16 years and changed the course of the European Union. Can Hungary unlock its EU funds and stay within its budget guardrails? What about the energy sector? Will the new government be more transparent about contracts with ties to Chinese and Russian investment? Is Hungary’s outlook on Ukraine likely to change? Will Hungary ever join the euro? How will the winners put together a new government to carry out their campaign promises? The discussion covers all this and more after nearly 80% of Hungarian voters went to the polls.  Related research: Darvas, Z. (2026) ‘Hungary’s new beginning – under tight fiscal constraints’, First Glance,13 April, Bruegel. Darvas, Z. (2019) 'With or without you: are central European countries ready for the euro?', Policy Contribution 12/2019, Bruegel.  Grabbe, H., J. Pisani-Ferry and J. Zettelmeyer (2025) ‘Updated assessment: Memos to the commissioners responsible for EU foreign, enlargement, and partnerships policies’, First Glance, 30 January, Bruegel. 'Hungary's revived euro adoption prospects', Finance Focus Event, 06 May 2026 with Júlia Király and Nicolas Véron, Bruegel. 

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie speaks about global imbalances with Bruegel Director Jeromin Zettelmeyer and Beatrice Weder di Mauro, director of the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). To launch the 2026 edition of the CEPR Paris report, they discuss why trade deficits and surpluses are soaring and what risks should worry us most. US external and public debt is at a historic high, raising new questions about the dollar as a safe haven. China seems on track to export even greater quantities at low prices, undermining the viability of industry everywhere else. Is a soft landing still feasible? What are the implications if not?Relevant research:Rey, H., B. Weder di Mauro and J. Zettelmeyer (eds) (2026), Paris Report 4: The New Global Imbalances, CEPR Press, Paris and London.  

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie speaks about electric cars with Bruegel’s Ugnė Keliauskaitė, Antoine Mathieu Collin and Ben McWilliams. Europe is navigating its transition to green technology while facing energy shocks from the Iran war. How will the automotive sector adapt? Can the European Union make the most of its industrial and trade policy instruments to support industry with minimal protectionism? What do electric vehicle supply chains look like now? Who pays the costs to consumers and industry of making these changes, or funding the related government programmes? Bruegel’s clean tech tracker shows what manufacturing is happening in Europe and where the investment is coming from. How are these trends shaping the global auto trade, and what will be Europe’s best shot to secure jobs and growth? As the US and China ramp up industrial policy, the EU needs to stay competitive.Relevant research:  Bruegel Dataset (2025) 'European Clean Tech Tracker'. García-Bercero, I., A. Mathieu Collin, B. McWilliams, N. Poitiers and S. Tagliapietra (2026) ‘Made with Europe’ not ‘Made in Europe’ should guide EU industrial policy’, First Glance, 10 February, Bruegel.  Keliauskaitė, U., B. McWilliams and G. Zachmann (2026) 'Dependence on fossil fuels, not on the United States, is Europe’s worry', Analysis 05/2026, Bruegel. This podcast has been supported by the European Climate Foundation. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this podcast lies with the authors. The European Climate Foundation cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained or expressed therein.