The latest episode of the ValEUs Podcast: Beyond Borders is online!
In this episode, David Orlov of Nazarbayev University speaks with Andrea Apollonio, postdoctoral researcher at the Institut d’études européennes and CEVIPOL at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, about the politics of memory inside the European Parliament. Drawing on Apollonio’s doctoral research — based on institutional fieldwork and interviews with MEPs, parliamentary assistants, policy advisors, and lobbyists — the discussion examines how historical narratives are constructed, contested, and weaponised within the EP, and what this reveals about the EU’s relationship with its own foundational values. The conversation explores the concept of memory activism, the tensions between competing national memories across member states, and whether a shared European historical narrative can genuinely underpin democratic solidarity — or whether it risks becoming a tool of political legitimation.
Find all the episodes of the podcast here!
