Should Canada join the EU?

Europe and Canada have a lot in common, from their headaches over Donald Trump to a shared belief in welfare states. If Australia can be a part of Eurovision, is there anything stopping us from welcoming our Canadian friends into the EU?! This week we talk to Stanley Pignal, The Economist's semi-Canadian Brussels bureau chief, about what would be in it for both sides. We're also looking at the escalating political crisis in Bosnia, and the places in Europe where you're likely to live the longest. 

 

You can read Stanley's article about the case for Canadian EU membership here and find his Charlemagne column on European politics here. He posts on Bluesky here.

 

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This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news.

 

This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'The Agency' and writing a letter to a Russian political prisoner via OVD-Info (an initiative discovered via this essay in The Dial by Francesca Mastruzzo).

 

Other resources for this week's episode 

 

'The Economics Show' podcast by the Financial Times: 'Can societies age gracefully?' - January 13, 2025 https://www.ft.com/content/8ce0571d-06f0-40de-8579-4446d1fb07f3 

 

'The EU needs a proactive approach in Bosnia' - editorial in Politico Europe by Arminka Helić, March 17, 2025 https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-bosnia-western-balkans-europe-war-bih-crisis-serbia/

 

00:34  Spring Is Real
02:50  Good Week: Europeans are living longer
15:00  Bad Week: Bosnia and Herzegovina
28:54  Interview: Stanley Pignal on the case for Canadian EU membership
45:38  The Inspiration Station: The Agency and letters to Russian political prisoners
50:46  Happy Ending: Germany's economy could be wurst

 

Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak

Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina

 

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