The Sound of Economics

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan and Alicia García-Herrero are joined by Bertin Martens and Paul Triolo to take stock of the global artificial intelligence race, from energy and chips to models and applications. They discuss China's progress in catching up to the US, what the recent turmoil around Anthropic's most advanced models reveals about the politics of releasing frontier AI and why Europe, dependent on the US for both chips and models, is left exposed on all sides. They explore whether an "Airbus for AI", an initiative for pooling compute, capital and expertise across member states, could close the gap, and what it would take for Brussels' new cloud and AI industrial proposals to matter at scale.
Relevant research:

García-Herrero, A. and B. Martens (2026) 'Stack battles: the US-China artificial-intelligence rivalry is moving beyond chips alone', Analysis 18/2026, Bruegel

García-Herrero, A. and B. Martens (2026) 'Europe needs a strategy to close the artificial intelligence compute gap', Analysis 13/2026, 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 talks about the future of European Union-United Kingdom relations with Bruegel’s Heather Grabbe and Richard Corbett, a former UK Labour Party MEP and also a former advisor to a president of the European Council. Did Brexit turn out the way its supporters hoped, and what have been the economic costs? Will the UK look to rejoin the single market any time soon? The EU has a slate of prospective new members lined up for closer relations who could take priority, especially Ukraine, whose candidacy has been fast-tracked because of the ongoing war. How does Kyiv’s progress affect British prospects? Would the UK have to join the euro if it wanted to come back fully? Are other kinds of relationships possible? With global uncertainty higher than ever, the UK and the EU still have great incentive to work together.
Relevant research:

García Bercero, I. and H. Grabbe (2025) 'The EU-UK reset: a first, big step in the right direction', First Glance, Bruegel

Grabbe, H. (2026) 'Symbolic membership for Ukraine could bring practical security benefits to the EU', First Glance, Bruegel

Berg, J., R. Christie and H. Geeroms (2026) 'The UK is still not ready for real rapprochement with the European Union', First Glance, Bruegel

Corbett, R. (2026) 'Institutional aspects of Ukrainian accession to the EU', Policy Brief, FEPS

Corbett, R. (2026) 'Is Britain considering a return to the EU?', Comment, Encompass

Corbett, R. (2026) 'Rejoining the EU Quickly is a Realistic Prospect', 26 May, International Policy Digest

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Yuyun Zhan and Alicia García-Herrero invite Philippe Le Corre to examine the growing tensions at the heart of European Union-China relations. With China reporting a record $1.2 trillion trade surplus last year, European industries face intensifying competition across a far wider range of sectors than before, from chemicals and green tech to pharmaceuticals and, most visibly, the auto industry. They explore whether the EU's new trade instruments are up to the task, why member state fragmentation may be a bigger obstacle than Beijing itself and how the risk of Chinese retaliation constrains every move Brussels makes.

Relevant research:

García Bercero, I., B. McWilliams and S. Tagliapietra (2026) ‘The flaws in the European Union’s proposed Industrial Accelerator Act and how to fix them’, Policy Brief 10/2026, 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 looks into the future with Bruegel’s emerging talents Maria Catarina Louro, Tillman Schenk and Théo Storella. Demographic change is coming for the world, as fewer new workers grow up to replace earlier generations of workers. China is at a crossroads of not only population decline but also industrial dominance, putting its economy in renewed competition with the United States and Europe. And artificial intelligence will change the workforce, the manufacturing base and the productivity outlook all over the world. How should current policymakers and thinkers shape the world that lasts beyond their lifetimes? How can the field of economics contribute?
Relevant research:

Bruegel Dataset (2023) 'China economic database', version of 27 May 2026, Bruegel 

Dabrowski, M. and M. Catarina Louro (2025) 'Economic convergence, demography, labour markets: what progress have EU candidate countries made?' Analysis 29/2025, Bruegel

García-Herrero, A., T. Storella and J. Xu (2025) 'European companies operating in China: from digging in to rethinking their presence', Working Paper 14/2025, Bruegel 

Richter, P. and T. Schenk (2025) 'EU data processing consent reform must account for market incentives', Analysis 39/2025, Bruegel 

Schenk, T. (2026) 'Chips Act 2.0 and beyond: Indispensability, not self-sufficiency', Comment May 2026, Encompass

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie speaks with Bruegel’s Simone Tagliapietra and Flora Marchioro about the European Union’s pathbreaking carbon trading scheme. Two decades in, what have we learned about capping emissions and using tradeable allowances to rein in pollution from energy-intensive sectors? What are the stakes of this year’s review of ETS, which includes electricity and heat generation, industrial manufacturing, domestic aviation and the maritime sector? Why is the EU now creating a second round of ETS 2, covering buildings and road transport, and what are its prospects? Who gets the money from ETS revenues and how is it earmarked? And how is the EU working to prevent carbon leakage and manage its new carbon border adjustment mechanism? This discussion will get you up to speed and ready for what comes next.
Relevant research:

Mramor, T. and S. Tagliapietra (2026) 'Europe’s emissions trading system is an ally, not an enemy, of industrial competitiveness', Analysis 03/2026, Bruegel

Tagliapietra, S. and G. Zachmann (2026) 'Five reasons why attacking the EU carbon market is economic self-sabotage', First Glance, Bruegel

Pahle, M., D. Sultani and G. Zachmann (2026) 'Defragmenting European Union climate policy', Policy Brief 03/2026, Bruegel