Maria Joao Rodrigues, the current President of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies in Brussels, made the transition from Employment Minister in Portugal in the government of Antonio Guterres to the European Council and the European Parliament. For the past two decades she has taken part in some of the key debates within the European Union about the process of integration, from enlargement and deepening of the Union, to the development of strategies aimed at boosting the region’s growth prospects and competitiveness, to its broader role in the world. In this podcast with our host Augusto Lopez-Claros she argues that “there are different ways to respond to today’s challenges: paralysis, competition, cooperation or coordination for upward convergence. The European Union can play a key role in influencing which road is taken, but it must start with itself. It must assert itself as a full-fledged political entity, with economic, social and cultural dimensions,” all in context of respect for democratic norms.