Eastern Frontline

The Eastern Frontline Group and The Parliament Magazine
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The Eastern Frontline podcast is hosted in the European Parliament by the Eastern Frontline Group (EFG), an alliance of 43 MEPs from 13 EU countries. Each episode, policymakers and experts discuss Europe’s most urgent security challenges, as well as the social, psychological, and human dimensions of resilience. .The podcast is produced in partnership with The Parliament Magazine. 

Episodes

  1. Inside the Information War: Journalism on Europe’s Frontline

    28/11/2025

    Inside the Information War: Journalism on Europe’s Frontline

    In today’s conflicts, some of the fiercest battles are not fought with weapons, but with information. In this episode, MEP Reinis Pozņaks and MEP Petras Auštrevičius are joined by Sarah Wheaton, Chief Policy Correspondent at Politico Europe, to explore the role of journalism in times of crisis and the growing pressure on independent media. Together, they discuss: How disinformation and polarisation are reshaping public debate in EuropeThe challenge of verifying truth in an era of AI, deepfakes and viral contentWhy trust in traditional media is eroding, and what that means for democracyHow foreign influence operations fuel division Whether governments should regulate information in wartimeThe uncomfortable reality that journalists themselves are now targetsIt is a candid, timely conversation about power, perception and the line between information and manipulation.

    28 min
  2. Can Europe Afford to Defend Itself? Rob Murray on the new Security & Resilience Bank

    14/11/2025

    Can Europe Afford to Defend Itself? Rob Murray on the new Security & Resilience Bank

    Europe faces a strategic reality: deterrence requires more than political will — it requires the ability to finance it. In this episode of the Eastern Frontline podcast, MEPs Reinis Pozņaks and Roberts  Zīle speak with Rob Murray, the CEO of the Defence, Security & Resilience Bank, a former Head of Innovation at NATO and architect of the NATO Innovation Fund, to unpack why Europe’s defence financing model is no longer fit for purpose. Murray explains: Why the defence industrial base cannot scale without access to creditHow regulatory constraints block SMEs from entering defence supply chainsWhy the Defence, Security & Resilience Bank could be a game-changerThe limits of the EIB’s mandate — and why complementary instruments are neededThe strategic risk of defence inflation and multi-year procurement uncertaintyHow a transatlantic, Indo-Pacific coalition of shareholders could accelerate productionA clear message emerges: Europe needs new financial architecture if it wants real deterrence.

    42 min
  3. Resilience Beyond the Battlefield: Prof. Ilse Derluyn on Ukraine’s Psychological Future

    30/09/2025

    Resilience Beyond the Battlefield: Prof. Ilse Derluyn on Ukraine’s Psychological Future

    In this episode of the Eastern Frontline Podcast, MEPs Reinis Pozņaks and Virginijus Sinkevičius speak with Prof. Ilse Derluyn about the hidden side of resilience.  The discussion explores the long-term challenges Ukraine and Europe must prepare for — covering the mental health of youth, the post-war reintegration of veterans, and the role of diaspora. Prof. Derluyn warns that winning the war is only the beginning — healing society will take generations.  She discusses why: - Veteran reintegration will be a decades-long challenge, requiring therapy, jobs, and community dialogue. - Children and youth will carry war trauma alongside the scars of COVID. Mental health must be a pillar of Ukraine’s recovery. - Different survival choices (fight, flee, freeze) are normal — but can fracture cohesion. - Diaspora and returnees will bring both skills and tensions — policies are needed to manage reintegration. - Post-war “blame cycles” are inevitable. Societies need mechanisms to evaluate mistakes without tearing themselves apart.

    38 min
  4. Three Years to Prepare: Commissioner Andrius Kubilius on Europe’s Defence Readiness

    11/09/2025

    Three Years to Prepare: Commissioner Andrius Kubilius on Europe’s Defence Readiness

    In this first episode of the Eastern Frontline Podcast, host MEPs Reinis Pozņaks and Katri Kulmuni are joined by European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, to discuss the urgent challenges facing Europe’s security. Warning that Russia has the potential to test NATO within three years, Kubilius says improving defence readiness must be "our daily priority".  The conversation covers: Europe’s €131 billion defence budget and what it means in practiceHow drones are reshaping modern warfare - and how Eastern Frontline states must prepareWhy defence spending is also an investment in economic growthThe role of startups, SMEs, and cooperation with Ukraine in defence innovationWhy the European Parliament and governments must act faster to deliver readinessKubilius is clear: “We are not at war, but neither are we at peace. We are living in a period of defence readiness.” 🎧 Listen now for an unflinching look at Europe’s security challenges — and the choices policymakers must make.

    42 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

The Eastern Frontline podcast is hosted in the European Parliament by the Eastern Frontline Group (EFG), an alliance of 43 MEPs from 13 EU countries. Each episode, policymakers and experts discuss Europe’s most urgent security challenges, as well as the social, psychological, and human dimensions of resilience. .The podcast is produced in partnership with The Parliament Magazine. 

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    The Eastern Frontline Group and The Parliament Magazine
  • Years Active
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  • Episodes
    4
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    © 2025 Eastern Frontline
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