Financial sanctions remain the EU’s best tool for combatting rule-of-law abuses, the outgoing European justice commissioner told Euronews’ Shona Murray in an exclusive interview we feature on Radio Schuman today.

Věra Jourová acknowledged that while court proceedings take time, financial sanctions have proven to be the most effective mechanism based on her experience.

In Brussels, Jourová is known for her sharp tongue and has played a prominent role in the EU’s efforts to uphold media freedom and address rule-of-law violations.

When Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called for her resignation over the measures applied against Hungary, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ‘stood firmly behind’ her, the outgoing commissioner said.

On the second segment of this podcast, we look at the Mercosur vote at the French parliament today and why the French government opposed the trade deal, which is about to be finalised.

In the last part of the show, Radio Schuman look at the best AI start-ups in Europe – spoiler alert: the country where they are sited in Europe is a very small one.

Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas