The European Council brings together all of the heads and states of government of the European Union in order to drive policy. In the last decade the EU has faced crises of the economy, membership, values, and migration. This conversation between our co-managing editor Oliver Garner and Dr Martina Vass considers these issues through the lens of the latter’s monograph “Leadership Styles in the European Council: How Leaders Behave Behind Closed Doors” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024). This book explores how five European leaders’ styles influenced and were shaped by the European Council during key crises from 2010 to 2016.
Dr. Vass is an EU official working for the European Parliament, and she has previously worked for several public institutions in Slovakia, including Office of the President and Ministry of Finance She is an alumna of the Comenius University of Bratislava (Ph.D.) and the Department of Politics and International Relations of the University of Oxford (MPhil).
The interview was conducted by Oliver Garner. Lilit Hakobyan edited the audio file.
