In this episode, Olya Yordanyan and Sandra Porcar talk to Aleksandra Sojka, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Political Science, University of Granada, Spain, about political situation in Europe. Sojka discusses the disconnect between European institutions - at both the EU and national levels - and European citizens. She attributes the rise of populist parties to the growing perception of European citizens that they have been denied any say in their political future, stressing the need for policies that address citizens' concerns. She describes the disappointment of many in Central and Eastern Europe, who have not experienced personally the benefits of enlargement. [Date of interview: March 3, 2017]
