
MCC Brussels Podcast
Discussions, event recordings, and updates from the team at MCC Brussels – the home for genuine policy deliberation about the EU and an in-depth exploration of the key issues facing Europeans.
MCC Brussels Podcast
The End of Open Borders
Is Schengen Dead? Poland Says Enough.
Poland reinstates border checks with Germany and Lithuania, and it’s not alone. Eleven EU countries are quietly building barriers within the so-called borderless zone. Brussels insists all is fine. The facts say otherwise. The dream of “free movement” is crashing into the wall of mass migration and national self-interest. So who’s really defending Europe’s borders - Poland or the EU?
Denmark vs Hungary: EU Presidency Goes Rogue
Lego-land goes lethal. Denmark, now at the helm of the EU Council, is gunning for Hungary, pushing to invoke Article 7 and strip Budapest of voting rights. The reason? Hungary refuses to cheerlead for endless Ukraine war funding and woke “rule-of-law” diktats. Is this EU governance or just ideological retribution dressed up as procedure?
Trump’s Tariffs, Von der Leyen’s Headache
Trump’s latest tariff threat has Brussels sweating bullets. The EU scrambles, bluffs, delays, but the White House sets the pace.
Meanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen clings to power after dodging a no-confidence bullet. But from Pfizergate to secret deals, the knives are out. Her presidency might survive - her credibility won’t.
Featuring Professor Frank Füredi, Executive Director of MCC Brussels, and Richard Schenk, Research Fellow at MCC Brussels.
Hosted by John O’Brien, Head of Communications at MCC Brussels