Europe’s Make-or-Break Summit

18/12/2025 35 min
Europe’s Make-or-Break Summit

Listen "Europe’s Make-or-Break Summit"

Episode Synopsis

Max and Donatienne discuss recent comments by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declaring the end of ‘Pax Americana’. Then, they preview a high-stakes European Council meeting, where leaders will discuss the Mercosur trade deal and the European Commission’s proposal to leverage frozen Russian assets to provide a crucial loan to Ukraine.  Finally, they turn to a conversation with Dr. Thu Nguyen, Acting Co-Director of the Jacques Delors Centre, to discuss the state of democracy in the EU. 



(00:00) Intro

(02:05) Friedrich Merz ‘Pax Americana’ Speech

(05:19) Frozen Russian Assets Loan

(13:13) Mercosur Trade Deal

(19:00) Interview with Thu Nguyen

 

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