MCC Brussels Podcast

In this episode: Is Trump’s 4 July deadline a tariff threat, or a demand for reciprocity from Brussels? Can “remigration” be defined as lawful return policy without sliding into something more dangerous? And do the Paris riots after PSG’s Champions League victory expose a deeper crisis of law, order and elite denial in Europe’s cities?
Host Jacob Reynolds is joined by Richard Schenk and Paul McCarthy, Senior Research Fellow in European Affairs at the Heritage Foundation.
First, the panel turns to the latest tensions in EU-US relations. Trump’s deadline for Brussels to implement the trade deal has put pressure back on the European Union, but the argument goes well beyond tariffs. Paul McCarthy explains how Washington sees Europe’s non-tariff barriers, defence dependency and digital regulations, while Richard Schenk argues that Brussels’ regulatory machine is damaging European business and deepening the transatlantic divide.
The second topic is remigration. After a week of new initiatives and debate on the European right, Jacob, Richard and Paul discuss what the term actually means, where legitimate deportation policy ends, and why migration politics in Europe has become so explosive. They examine the difference between illegal migration, legal migration, naturalisation and criminal deportations, and ask whether European governments have created a system in which return has become almost impossible.
Finally, the episode turns to the riots in Paris and elsewhere in France after PSG’s Champions League win. The panel discusses the collapse of law and order, the disconnect between official messaging and citizens’ experience, and whether European elites are willing to describe the reality of disorder in their own cities.

In this episode: is Bart de Wever’s Belgium a genuine model for reform, or a warning about how difficult reform has become? Has Europe really shifted right on migration, deportations and return hubs? And as Brussels demands more money for defence, Ukraine, migration and industrial policy, who is actually going to pay?
Host John O’Brien is joined by Dr Philipp Siegert from MCC Brussels and Carl Deconinck of Brussels Signal to discuss the political pressures now shaping Belgium and the wider European Union.
First, the panel turns to Belgium, where Bart de Wever’s government is trying to tackle fiscal strain, migration pressure, nuclear energy, defence spending, pensions and trade-union resistance all at once. Belgium becomes the test case for a wider European problem: voters want change, but the institutions built over decades are not easily moved.
The second topic is Europe’s migration U-turn. From return hubs to tougher deportation policies and pressure on human-rights law, the panel asks whether the political centre has genuinely accepted the need for stricter borders, or is merely trying to neutralise populist pressure while keeping the old assumptions intact.
Finally, the episode turns to the EU budget and the looming fight over common debt, eurobonds and Brussels’ growing spending ambitions. With Germany, France and other member states under serious fiscal pressure, the question is whether the EU is becoming a geopolitical power — or a permanent money machine.

Britain’s political class thought populism could be contained through censorship, speaker bans and moral blackmail. Instead, the revolt is spreading.
In this episode, host John O’Brien is joined by Frank Furedi and Richard Schenk to examine the growing divide between Europe’s governing elites and ordinary citizens. From the huge “Unite the Kingdom” rally in London to Brussels’ ideological campaigns, the discussion explores why millions of Europeans increasingly feel politically homeless.
First, the panel discusses Britain’s populist revolt and the collapse of establishment authority. Why are governments so terrified of anti-establishment movements? Has censorship, “disinformation” policing and the cordon sanitaire simply made populism stronger? And is Britain drifting back under Brussels’ influence despite Brexit?
The conversation then turns to Europe’s growing divide over Israel. As countries like Spain and Ireland push for a harsher anti-Israel line, Central European states increasingly see the conflict through the lens of borders, terrorism and civilisational security.
Finally, the discussion tackles the European Commission’s increasingly aggressive promotion of LGBTQ and gender ideology. Why do so many Europeans feel these values are being imposed from above rather than democratically debated? Has “tolerance” become a mechanism for ideological conformity? And why are parents across Europe increasingly feeling sidelined in debates about education, identity and culture?

In this episode: Has Reform UK’s surge shattered Britain’s old Labour-Conservative order? Are the UN and EU using migration policy to weaken national control over borders? And has Eurovision become yet another stage for anti-Israel politics?

Host Jacob Reynolds is joined by Richard Schenk and Barbara Bonte, MEP for Vlaams Belang in the Patriots for Europe group.

First, the panel turns to the local and regional elections in the UK, where Reform UK’s breakthrough has thrown Keir Starmer and the Labour Party into turmoil. Richard argues that Reform’s success at local level matters because local politics is usually the hardest terrain for new populist parties. Barbara places the result in a wider European context, arguing that voters are turning against mass migration, political arrogance, and parties that no longer listen.

The second topic is the UN’s migration agenda, after the United States pulled back from a proposed migration compact. The discussion examines the role of international organisations, the so-called Marrakesh Pact, the EU Migration Pact, and the pressure placed on nation states to accept more migration while presenting it as inevitable, technical, or humanitarian.

Finally, the episode turns to Eurovision, where Israel’s participation has once again provoked boycotts, protests, and political rows. Richard and Barbara discuss how a cultural contest has become another arena for political grandstanding, anti-Israel activism, and elite attempts to manage public sentiment when voters refuse to behave as expected.

A conversation about populism, borders, democracy, and the strange spectacle of institutions that seem increasingly afraid of the public.

00:00 Intro
02:20 Reform’s Local Election Breakthrough
08:44 Britain Bans European Politicians
12:38 The UN’s Migration Agenda
18:08 Eurovision’s Israel Row
24:06 Europe’s Anti-Israel Obsession

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Germany’s governing centre is cracking, Europe’s energy follies are becoming impossible to ignore, and Brussels is spending millions telling citizens it protects democracy.
In this episode, we ask whether Friedrich Merz survive Germany’s deepening political and economic crisis. Is Belgium’s nuclear U-turn a sign that common sense is finally returning to European energy policy? And what does the EU’s “Protect What Matters” campaign reveal about the widening gap between Brussels’ rhetoric and its record?
Host Jacob Reynolds is joined by Pieter Cleppe, editor-in-chief of Brussels Report, and Richard Schenk of MCC Brussels, for a discussion about political instability, energy realism and the increasingly propagandistic habits of the European Commission.
First, the group turn to Germany, where Friedrich Merz finds himself trapped by the very firewall politics that were supposed to preserve stability. Despite a right-wing parliamentary majority after the federal elections, the CDU/CSU remains bound to the Social Democrats, giving a defeated centre-left extraordinary leverage over the government’s agenda. The discussion explores Germany’s stagnant economy, rising debt pressures, high energy costs, military spending promises, the growing strength of the AfD, and the wider question of whether Europe’s most important country is becoming ungovernable.
The second topic is Belgium’s nuclear reversal. After years of political hostility to nuclear power, the government is now trying to halt the shutdown of existing reactors and preserve vital energy capacity. Pieter and Richard examine why this matters far beyond Belgium: cheap and abundant energy is the foundation of industrial strength, and Europe’s decision to undermine nuclear power, domestic fossil fuels and reliable electricity has left companies facing higher costs and weaker competitiveness. The panel asks whether Belgium’s decision marks the beginning of a more realistic energy debate, or merely a small correction after years of self-inflicted damage.
Finally, the episode turns to the European Commission’s new “Protect What Matters” campaign. Presented as a defence of democracy, free speech and civic life, the campaign comes from an institution increasingly associated with speech regulation, media management, selective access for journalists and a taste for moral instruction from above. The panel discusses the hypocrisy of Brussels advertising itself as the guardian of democratic freedoms while pushing laws and practices that narrow the space for open debate.
A conversation about Germany’s political paralysis, Europe’s energy reckoning, and the strange spectacle of an EU elite trying to advertise its way out of a democratic crisis.