This episode is the first of a four-part podcast series from the at the Brookings Institution, and is hosted by —a nonresident fellow with the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings and a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow based in Berlin. In the interview, Taussig speaks with experts and about a range of challenges to democracy in Europe, including the rise of populism on the left and right, plus new challenges to democratic institutions including migration and the rise of illiberal governments within the EU and NATO. The discussion also highlights renewed skepticism about European institutions coming from some populist parties leading into the upcoming elections for the European Parliament. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts  or on , send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at  on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .