Energy crisis heightens risk of poverty and social exclusion: EU Commissioner Minzatu

Europe’s fight to stay in the AI race

This week’s special edition of Talking Europe asks whether the EU is ready for the disruption that comes with Artificial Intelligence. It is the most important technological revolution of the century, and is set to impact every aspect of our lives. Whether you are working in a small business or in an industrial giant, whether you are a student, a musician or an author – the anxiety is real. As Nobel prize-winning economist Philippe Aghion puts it: “AI means new ideas and new activities, but it may be that job destruction will occur before job creation. Countries need to adapt.” Our report covers half a dozen EU countries to find out how they are preparing, from grassroots education and upskilling efforts in rural Ireland, to the manufacturing sector, which sees AI and robotics as key to improving productivity and helping offset a shrinking workforce.  We also look at global competition: How does Europe plan to catch up with leaders in the United States and China when it comes to AI infrastructure? We visit one of the EU’s first “AI factories” in Luxembourg and take a look at the Meluxina supercomputer, which provides European startups with processing power for their AI models. Indeed, the question of digital and AI sovereignty has become key given that so much AI infrastructure is based in the US, meaning many European organisations are rethinking their dependence on Silicon Valley. And just as important for the EU: The creative sector, where European artists remain influential figures worldwide. For many musicians, AI can be both a tool and a threat to their creativity as AI-generated music has begun to capture revenues on streaming services. Electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre tells FRANCE 24; “What differentiates chaos from democracy is, of course, the rules. We creative artists deserve our share, and we should be considered as real partners at the table.” While AI is set to transform the economy, many in Europe still remain wary, believing in the need for safeguards. While two-thirds of Europeans say AI can improve workplace productivity,  84 percent insist that it requires careful management. Balancing that fine line between innovation and regulation will be crucial for the EU. Report by Luke Brown and Renaud Lefort. Programme prepared by Isabelle Romero, Perrine Desplats and Oihana Almandoz.

Europe's population reckoning: How can the EU avoid falling off a demographic cliff?

It has been called Europe’s demographic time bomb: Older people are living longer, while younger people are having fewer children. Last year in France, for example, deaths outpaced births for the first time since the end of World War II, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to call for "demographic rearmament". According to Eurostat, the European population is expected to shrink by 11.7 percent, or 53 million people, by 2100. A key issue is the fertility rate, which has dropped to around 1.3 births per woman. That is below replacement level. Our guests debate what the EU's priorities should be to prevent the continent from walking off a demographic cliff. Programme prepared by Isabelle Romero, Perrine Desplats, Aline Bottin and Oihana Almandoz

Energy crisis heightens risk of poverty and social exclusion: EU Commissioner Minzatu

Our guest has an important role in promoting social policies in the European Union, at a time when much of the political oxygen is being sucked out by the competitiveness and simplification agenda, as well as by defence and security issues. Roxana Minzatu is Executive Vice-President of the European Commission and is in charge of social rights and skills, quality jobs and preparedness. Minzatu is a Romanian social democrat, a former minister for European funds in the Romanian government and a former MEP. She recently presented an anti-poverty strategy aimed at dealing with the fact that one in five Europeans – or 93 million people – are at risk of poverty [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/poverty/] or social exclusion. "I want to send a signal of optimism with this strategy. I don't want to paint a bleak picture," Minzatu tells the programme. "But the reality is that the numbers (of people at risk of poverty) are dynamic. The cost of living is rising, the energy [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/energy/] shocks crisis, the invasion of Ukraine [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/ukraine/], and now the Middle East [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/middle-east/] crisis. There are a number of shocks that could modify these numbers. And then this strategy sets the path forward and sets out a kind of shield." Read moreIran war squeezes Europe’s economy as growth slumps, prices surge [https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260521-iran-war-squeezes-europe-economy-growth-slumps-prices-surge-energy-shock] But isn't Minzatu limited by the fact that it's up to EU member states to decide on their own anti-poverty measures? "I meet prime ministers and ministers of finance, not just ministers of labour and education [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/education/]," she responds. "They're not easy conversations. Of course, many times the temptation is to say, 'but, you know, we need to invest more in security. We need to invest more in technology.' But I always bring into the discussion the essential role of people, and the quality of their jobs." Minzatu insists on the link between quality jobs and competitiveness, pointing to the proposed Quality Jobs Act that will focus on labour relations, high-risk or precarious sectors, and health and safety in the workplace. "Quality jobs are a key ingredient of being more competitive and stronger economically," she says. "Our proposal for a Quality Jobs Act is now in consultation, so both trade unions [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/unions/] and employers are giving us their input. Trade unions want more legislation, more binding rules. Employers want more guidance." The Quality Jobs Act would work hand in hand with the Union of Skills, and with the Skills Portability Initiative, "which will make use of everything we can: legislation, digital tools, AI tools to create much more equivalence and trust in qualifications, degrees and diplomas between member states, so that people can travel freely with their knowledge, with their education." Minzatu admits that all this will be a challenge amid declining performance in maths and science [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/science/] among young Europeans. "Looking at the statistics, the pandemic was the turning point where numbers started to deteriorate a bit more," she notes. "That has to do with how education was offered; the online teaching. But then we see numerous other transformations, including the impact of artificial intelligence, of technology, of social networks." We ask Minzatu about the collapse of the pro-EU government in her home country, Romania [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/romania/], following a no-confidence vote in the parliament. "Romanians are highly pro-European, and the dream of many generations has been to be part of Europe [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/europe/]. This dream does not disappear easily," she remarks. "But people will of course judge politicians from the perspective of their everyday lives. So we need to be able to address their concerns about their cost of living, their concerns about the taxes [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/taxes/] that they pay, and so on. The reactions (of Romanians) are very concretely anchored into that." Programme prepared by Isabelle Romero, Perrine Desplats, Aline Bottin and Oihana Almandoz.

Hantavirus and the lessons of Covid: Screening the EU's public health response

In this episode we explore how the EU deals with outbreaks of disease. The latest scare for Europeans has been the hantavirus, detected on cruise ship the MV Hondius, which subsequently docked in Spain. Experts have stressed that this virus is not like Covid-19 and is much less infectious. Nevertheless, the EU's civil protection mechanism was triggered, and several member states took part in evacuation flights from Tenerife in the Canary Islands. We discuss the current virus threats, including Ebola [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/ebola/], and ask what lessons the EU has learned from the Covid [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/coronavirus/] pandemic – and what it hasn't learned.   Programme prepared by Isabelle Romero, Perrine Desplats and Aline Bottin

EU facing 'second big wake-up call' on energy, Irish Minister Darragh O'Brien says

Our guest this week is Darragh O'Brien, Ireland's Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment and Minister for Transport. In his position, O'Brien has been directly involved in dealing with the fallout of the Middle East crisis, especially rising energy costs. O'Brien says Ireland [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/ireland/], like most EU states, hasn't really had an issue with fossil fuel supply despite the weeks-long closure of the Strait of Hormuz [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/strait-of-hormuz/], instead pointing to the rising cost of fossil fuels as the EU's main challenge. "In Ireland, our reserves are robust. We have no issue with supply at the moment, but I think for us in Ireland, like our EU colleagues, the issue is price."  Faced with nationwide protests over surging fuel prices, the Irish government has tried to respond by implementing concrete measures, including direct subsidies for low-income families. But O'Brien warns this can only be a short-term fix. "The longer this crisis goes on, no government is going to be able to deal with every single price increase. That's why it's imperative that the current situation is resolved." Watch moreEU unveils plan to tackle energy crisis [https://www.france24.com/en/eu-unveils-plan-to-tackle-energy-crisis] For him, the closure of Strait of Hormuz represents the EU's "second big wake-up call," after Russia [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/russia/]'s full-scale invasion of Ukraine [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/ukraine/] in February 2022, laying bare how vulnerable the bloc still is to foreign disruptions. According to the European Commission, the EU has spent an extra €24 billion on energy [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/energy/] imports since the start of the Iran war [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/iran-conflict/]. And data from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis shows the bloc's imports of Russian liquefied natural gas are up 16 percent in the first quarter of 2026, reaching a record high since the start of the war in Ukraine. O'Brien admits increasing fossil fuel imports from Russia is "not the way forward" but believes the EU has learned its lesson when it comes to its dependency on imported fossil fuels. He points to efforts on renewables and electrification at the national and EU levels, but argues more needs to be done to accelerate the process.  Even if the Strait of Hormuz reopened tomorrow, O'Brien believes the EU must prepare for when, not if, the next crisis happens. "We've had Brexit [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/brexit/], we've had the pandemic, we've had the outbreak of war in Ukraine, we've had the tariff situation with the United States, and we now have the crisis in the Middle East [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/middle-east/] and the cost-of-living crisis. So we have six in less than 10 years. We need to prepare better for that, and we need to respond better." Programme prepared by Isabelle Romero, Perrine Desplats and Oihana Almandoz