When we talk about geopolitics, we tend to look around ourselves at eye level. We look at countries and borders, institutions and politicians, trade and wealth, identity and community... Recently, we’ve also started looking down, as the rush for resources such as rare earths has entered the conversation.
Yet, do most people look up, especially now after the space race has subsided? This episode brings a new layer to diplomacy: cooperation, competition and countering pollution only 36,000 kilometres above us.
Host Sabina Șancu spoke to Ambassador Marjolijn van Deelen, the EU Special Envoy for Space, about the challenges and untapped potential of the EU’s diplomacy in orbit.
If you want to comment on this episode you can send us an e-mail: press@friendsofeurope.org
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When we talk about geopolitics, we tend to look around ourselves at eye level. We look at countries and borders, institutions and politicians, trade and wealth, identity and community... Recently, we’ve also started looking down, as the rush for resources such as rare earths has entered the conversation.
Yet, do most people look up, especially now after the space race has subsided? This episode brings a new layer to diplomacy: cooperation, competition and countering pollution only 36,000 kilometres above us.
Host Sabina Șancu spoke to Ambassador Marjolijn van Deelen, the EU Special Envoy for Space, about the challenges and untapped potential of the EU’s diplomacy in orbit.
If you want to comment on this episode you can send us an e-mail: press@friendsofeurope.org
This is the eighth episode of Overcoming Polarisation: Paths to Common Ground, a podcast series from Debating Europe, Friends of Europe’s citizen engagement unit.
Europe is feeling fractured. Whether it’s politics, climate, tech, or trust in institutions, more and more people are feeling left out, unheard, and uncertain about the future. But what if we could flip the script? What if instead of fuelling division, we looked for common ground?
In this series, we’re diving into the real issues behind polarisation. Economic inequality, climate anxiety, digital disruption, and bringing together voices from across the spectrum. From policymakers, activists, business leaders, and most importantly, citizens’ voices via our latest study “Voices for Choices”.
In today’s show, host Sabina Șancu spoke with Thomas Coombes, founder of Hope Based Communications (also known as “The Hope Guy”) about the way that hope can be a useful strategy to stay afloat in difficult times and forge ahead with a clear plan.
In the second part of the episode, Jakub Skrzywanek, artistic director at the National Stary Theatre in Krakow and 2025 European Young Leader (EYL), talks about how art in general - and theatre in particular - can help us envision alternative futures.
If you want to comment on this episode you can send us an e-mail: press@friendsofeurope.org
Friends of Europe podcasts
When we talk about geopolitics, we tend to look around ourselves at eye level. We look at countries and borders, institutions and politicians, trade and wealth, identity and community... Recently, we’ve also started looking down, as the rush for resources such as rare earths has entered the conversation.
Yet, do most people look up, especially now after the space race has subsided? This episode brings a new layer to diplomacy: cooperation, competition and countering pollution only 36,000 kilometres above us.
Host Sabina Șancu spoke to Ambassador Marjolijn van Deelen, the EU Special Envoy for Space, about the challenges and untapped potential of the EU’s diplomacy in orbit.
If you want to comment on this episode you can send us an e-mail: press@friendsofeurope.org
