Letter from Brussels is a 15-minute podcast that will help Lib Dem local councillors, activists, and supporters stay in touch with what is happening in the European Union from the perspective of local authorities. It is produced by the liberal “Renew Europe Group” in the European Committee of the Regions, the EU’s assembly of municipalities and regions, and is written and narrated by Sean O’Curneen, Secretary General of the Group, and a former BBC journalist.
Every episode starts with a fascinating story about the city of Brussels, the capital of the Union, and is followed by the latest news, opinions, and proposals, by leaders who are making the Union a reality on the ground, in their local communities, be it in decarbonising the economy, or integrating migrants and refugees, developing rural communities, or creating new opportunities for young people.
There is almost no policy area of the European Union that isn’t connected in some way to subnational authorities, and because the UK’s relationship with the EU is still a matter of discussion, the better informed Lib Dems are about developments inside the EU, the better placed they will be to influence the discussions, whether they take place at a local event or on national media.
The latest Letter from Brussels is number 10, a special edition with some predictions for 2023 in key policy areas, and a journey back to the Brussels of 1908 discovering how events in that year still echo in the present day across Europe.
This new episode can be listened to on all major platforms including: Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Spreaker and iVoox. You can also subscribe for free on those platforms.
Previous episodes can be found on those same platforms or via the Renew Europe CoR website: https://reneweurope-cor.eu/podcast/
* Sean O'Curneen is Secretary General of the Renew Europe Group in the European Committee of the Regions, the EU's Assembly of Municipalities and Regions.
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4 Comments
I made a contribution to the Brussels 11a on International Law, and Illegal Child Retention several years ago. Thats under the Hague. I dealt with an excellent Justice Minister and I visited the office and we talked.
I hope to return to the EU soon as it’s also a personal matter.
This is the only way progress is made in many cases, talking.
If I had the chance I should like to have a holiday home in France, like many Brits, Portugal and France have become a ho to area. There is a village in France where many Brits have moved. Spain is another country rethinking the subject.
Thank you for your comment Helen. There’s a saying in Spanish: “hablando se entiende la gente” which loosely translated means “it’s by talking to each other that people understand each other”. And you’re right, it’s the only meaningful way of progressing. It sometimes takes ages to reach an understanding but by persisting eventually both sides can get there. And a productive dialogue needs informed participants. That’s the idea behind the Letter from Brussels podcast – to help local councillors across Europe be aware in an entertaining way about the work they and their peers are doing at EU level and on the ground. Hope you enjoy it! 😊
That’s a good initiative to read about, thanks for telling us!
Thank you Jen. Hope you find it useful!