Von der Leyen’s Foreign Policy Power Struggle and the Iran War with Mona Yacoubian

This bonus episode is a recording of a live video episode of The Eurofile recorded on October 22, 2026. More information on the event, including the recorded livestream, is available HERE.After years of trying to balance commercial ties with growing strategic concerns, European capitals are increasingly worried that Chinese exports poses a direct threat to the continent’s industrial future. Significantly, Paris and Berlin are aligning on the need to forcefully push back against Chinese industrial overcapacity. Meanwhile, the EU and China have just reached a preliminary agreement to moderate Chinese electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle exports to the bloc. Max sat down with Ilaria Mazzocco and Tobias Gehrke to discuss whether Europe can protect its industrial base without triggering a broader trade confrontation, and what a tougher European stance on China means for transatlantic economic cooperation.

In part two of his conversation with Henry Foy, the Financial Times’ Brussels bureau chief, Max turns to the city’s distinctive media landscape. Henry draws on his experience covering European politics and policy to describe what makes reporting from Brussels unique, how national media and EU coverage converge, and what it reveals about both the city and the European Union itself.

Max and Otto discuss Andy Burnham’s push to improve UK relations with the EU, the new deal signed by the U.S., Denmark and Greenland, and warnings of escalating Russian hybrid attacks in Europe. Then, Max is joined by Jeremy Cliffe, editorial director and senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, to make sense of the current political situation in Germany – AfD victories in regional elections, the strain on mainstream parties and Merz’s leadership crisis.

Max is joined by Lexi Linafelter to discuss key takeaways from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union address (September 16, 2026). Then he turns to a conversation with Emily Benson for an update on the state of transatlantic technology relations — exploring Europe's AI ambitions, digital sovereignty concerns, regulatory friction with U.S. tech giants, and more.

Max sits down with Otto Svendsen, associate fellow with the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program, to discuss the week's biggest transatlantic stories: Iceland's vote on reopening EU accession talks, the fallout from Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby's visit to NATO headquarters (including a reported loyalty questionnaire for allies), and European reactions to CIA Director John Ratcliffe's surprise trip to Moscow. Plus, a conversation with Henry Foy, Brussels Bureau Chief at the Financial Times, to map out the EU's packed fall agenda.