Brussels Playbook Podcast

A reckoning for Europe’s center left

27 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The far right took some minor hits to its seemingly impenetrable armor this week, as people in Denmark, Italy, France and Slovenia headed to the polls...

The next refugee crisis

26 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Officials are meeting in Brussels today to discuss the brutal civil war in Sudan and the looming refugee crisis that may result.  U.N. officia...

About those energy bills, Commissioner...

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Europe is facing another energy shock — so what can it actually do to keep prices down? Zoya Sheftalovich speaks with Energy Commissioner Dan Jørg...

More Russian snooping allegations

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After Hungary was accused of leaking sensitive EU discussions to the Kremlin, the spotlight is now shifting to Germany. Zoya Sheftalovich is joined b...

Is Hungary leaking EU secrets? A crisis of trust in Brussels

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Zoya Sheftalovich and Nick Vinocur unpack Donald Tusk’s accusation that Hungary may have leaked sensitive European Council discussions to Moscow —...

High price to pay: EU and UN wrestle with Middle East war

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This European Council summit was meant to be different — when Europe finally got serious about boosting homegrown industry and driving its own desti...

Time for a tense summit

19 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

EU leaders gather in Brussels for a high-stakes summit — with Viktor Orbán once again at the center of the debate over funding Ukraine. As tensions...

Breaking the Orbán deadlock

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Europe is working hard to end the standoff with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán over the €90 billion loan promised to Ukraine. Host Zoya She...

Europe rejects Trump’s Iran demands

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

European affairs ministers meet in Brussels to prepare this week’s EU summit — with discussions ranging from Ukraine and the war in Iran to the bl...

The EU's energy dilemma

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Energy markets are on edge as Iran tensions disrupt shipping and threaten supply shocks. EU foreign ministers and energy ministers meet in Brussels to...

Europe should back American strikes on Iran, says key Merz ally

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The mixed messages by President Trump and his administration about how long the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran will last have unnerved allies and shake...

Zelenskyy vs. Orbán

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging Europe to find a way around Hungary. In an interview with POLITICO’s Gordon Repinski, Zelenskyy c...

Europe’s plan to keep Ukraine afloat

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Ukraine is running out of money to fight Russia — but Hungary still isn’t budging on its opposition to the EU’s €90 billion loan to Kyiv. On ...

Europe braces for an energy crisis

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

European leaders haunted by memories of the 2022 energy crisis are bracing for impact as the war in the Middle East begins to drive up oil and gas pri...

Von der Leyen accused of overreach

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Some European governments are arguing Commission President Ursula von der Leyen overstepped her mandate in her response to the U.S.-Israeli war with I...

How Europe survives when there are no rules

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, Europeans shared a simple belief: that the world — however messy — ultimately runs on rules. But what if the escalating war in Iran ...

Iran war: Europe weighs migration risk

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A controversial new idea on EU enlargement is stirring debate in Brussels. Zoya Sheftalovich and Sarah Wheaton unpack a proposal known as “reverse e...

The making of 'Made in Europe'

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

“Made in Europe” is finally here. After four delays and fierce internal battles, the European Commission unveils its Industrial Accelerator Act —...

Caught between wars

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Europe is no longer watching the conflict in the Middle East from a distance — it’s directly entangled. Iranian missiles flying over Cyprus. EU l...

Europe's balancing act on Iran

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After a weekend of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran — and the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — Brussels is moving to coordinate its diplom...

Diplomats or disruptors — when Trump’s ambassadors get ‘rude’

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Ambassadors are supposed to smooth tensions, not spark them. But in recent weeks some American envoys in Europe – from Belgium to Poland and France...

Inside EU ambassadors' crisis 'bunker'

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Brussels is adjusting to a shifting geopolitical landscape. Coreper meetings — the regular gatherings of EU ambassadors — are becoming more frequ...

Who showed up — and who didn't — for Kyiv's big day

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Europe marked four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion with a high-profile show of solidarity in Kyiv on Tuesday. Ursula von der Leyen and Antó...

Four years of war — and Hungary breaks EU unity

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, European leaders gather in Kyiv to signal unity and solidarity. But back in Br...

Sanctions, tensions — and a birthday at the FAC

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

EU foreign ministers are gathering in Brussels with one clear goal: to agree on a 20th sanctions package against Russia. But Hungary is threatening to...

The EU’s envoy to Ukraine on war, resilience — and Nordic walking

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

An air raid siren sounded as we were wrapping up our interview with the EU’s ambassador in Kyiv. On this week’s EU Confidential, Sarah Wheaton sp...

Testing Trump’s Board of Peace

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The EU is taking a careful seat at Donald Trump’s first meeting of the Board of Peace — sending Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica, but no...

The EU’s plan to revive its frontline regions

18 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The war in Ukraine is reshaping life well beyond the battlefield. On this episode of the Brussels Playbook Podcast, Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart...

Power play in Parliament

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A battle for power in the European Parliament is already underway — though quietly for now — with the midterm reshuffle a year away. Behind the ...

Europe edges toward a multi-speed future

16 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

At this year's Munich Security Conference, the U.S. struck a softer tone — but Europe remains wary. Back in Brussels, as finance ministers gather f...

Omnibusted: The EU’s competitiveness conundrum

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

European leaders have spent the week talking about how to make the EU more competitive — first with industry heavyweights in Antwerp, then behind cl...

BONUS EPISODE: "Europe has to be saved from itself" - Sweden's Deputy Prime Minister

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

European leaders and defense ministers gathering at the Munich Security Conference are grappling with how to end the war in Ukraine as it approaches i...

The battle of Alden Biesen

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

EU leaders gather at Alden Biesen castle to debate how to revive Europe’s economy — and whether “strategic autonomy” can survive internal divi...

EU talks funding Kyiv and how to boost industry

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s another day of high-level talks across Belgium. First, the EU’s defense ministers meet in Brussels. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart dive i...

Episode 1: The plan to get Ukraine into the EU

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the first edition of the Brussels Playbook Podcast! In the debut episode, Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart break down two big questions f...

Can the EU decouple from Trump's America?

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Can the European Union really decouple from Donald Trump’s America — economically, politically, and strategically? In this episode of EU Confiden...

Introducing: the Brussels Playbook Podcast

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

POLITICO’s daily audio briefing on what’s moving Brussels — and why it matters. The Brussels Playbook Podcast is the audio extension of the Bru...

The Anxious Continent: Social media bans and boozy trade deals

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Europe is testing how far it’s willing to go — at home and abroad. In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton talks to Jonathan Haid...

What really happened after Trump blinked

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What a week! Tariff threats, Greenland brinkmanship and a dramatic Trump U-turn in Davos: EU leaders gathered in Brussels for an emergency summit mea...

At Davos, the twist in Trump's Greenland tale. So what does Europe do next? 

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump loomed large over the World Economic Forum’s annual get-together in the Swiss Alps — even before he touched down for his b...

Trump bites. Europe grasps for an antidote.

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

“A little less conversation, a little more action.” That line from an old Elvis Presley song could double as a critique of Europe’s position ri...

Whose world is it now? Trump, power and Europe

09 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Europe had barely switched off its out-of-office replies before geopolitics came roaring back. In the first days of January, events in Caracas — an...

Von der Leyen vs. Trump: Europe answers back

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

He’s not even European — yet Donald Trump has topped POLITICO’s annual P28 ranking of the most powerful people who will shape Europe in 2026. E...

Notes on a scandal — will a fraud probe upend the EU?

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brussels was jolted this week by dawn raids and an alleged fraud probe involving current and former senior EU diplomats. Host Sarah Wheaton speaks wi...

Peace plan panic: Does the EU still have a say in Ukraine’s future?

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Washington–Moscow peace maneuvers caught Europe off guard this week — raising questions about the EU’s continued relevance and readiness at a pi...

Inside Europe’s far right — going pro and going strong

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When Europe’s biggest political family crosses the aisle to vote with the far right, something fundamental shifts in Brussels. In this episode, hos...

Growing pains: Can the EU handle enlargement?

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Russia’s war in Ukraine has given new momentum to EU enlargement — and raised a bigger question: Is the bloc itself ready to grow?  This week, h...

Pornography, children and privacy: Europe's digital dilemma

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Europe faces a growing dilemma: how to protect children online without breaking digital privacy for everyone.  A new report from the Internet Watch ...

How to lose a Dutch election — and still win one

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is it enough to come first in an election? In the Netherlands, you hear that centrist Rob Jetten won big and Geert Wilders’ far right lost a lot —...

How about them assets — making Russia pay for Ukraine

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The EU wants to lend €140 billion in cash from frozen Russian funds to Ukraine; Belgium is afraid it will be the one on the hook for paying it back....

How to go from hero to zero, with Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel 

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

French President Emmanuel Macron has gone from “Mr. Europe” eight years ago to the solitary man by the Seine. At the same time, ex-German Chancell...

How not to fall: Behind von der Leyen’s fightback and Macron’s meltdown

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

While the French government collapses in Paris, Ursula von der Leyen stands unshaken in Strasbourg. It’s been a week of political tremors — some p...

Humiliating Europe: Trump’s culture war and the EU’s response

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do Donald Trump’s culture war, Moldova’s EU ambitions, and Czechia’s upcoming parliamentary election have in common? They all reveal how Eu...

Escalating trouble – Trump takes on the UN and Europe

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump says Ukraine can win — but should Europe believe him? At a hectic U.N. General Assembly in New York, U.S. President Donald Trump stunned worl...

Jourová’s secrets and Putin’s drone tests

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From rule of law battles to inside stories, Věra Jourová looks back on a decade in the Berlaymont. The former European Commission vice president rec...

Ursula’s Fight Song — who’s singing along?

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“Europe is in a fight.” With those words, Ursula von der Leyen set the tone for her State of the European Union speech — framing this as Europe...

Tyrants are forever: Has Europe missed its moment?

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Under the jackhammers on Schuman, Brussels is filling back up for the rentrée — and the fault lines are showing. Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by c...

Limping through the Trump era: Can Europe lead again?

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From a picturesque mountain resort in Austria, at the European Forum Alpbach, host Sarah Wheaton unpacks fresh threats by the U.S. to hit countries wi...

EU's sweaty summer — what you missed (and what matters)

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just when we thought we could get a break for the summer, geopolitics had other plans. This week on EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton is joined by ...

Escape the EU Bubble: Expert Summer Book Picks

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re taking a breath. EU Confidential is stepping away from summits, trade battles, and late-night trilogues — and turning to somethin...

The €2 trillion question: Inside the battle over the EU's budget

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trillions of euros, almost as many priorities — and just over two years to agree. The European Commission has unveiled its sweeping new seven-year b...

No-confidence vote: Is the EU Parliament about to break?

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ursula von der Leyen survived a motion of censure — but not without sustaining damage. In Strasbourg, tensions within her pro-European coalition bur...

Boiling in Brussels: Climate fights and Orbán vs. Pride

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Europe baked, the Atomium shut early — and Brussels finally unveiled its long-delayed climate target. Host Sarah Wheaton speaks with POLITICO Clima...

Of Daddies and Queens — from Trump to von der Leyen — and who’s really in charge in Europe

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week’s episode of EU Confidential comes to you from the Europa building in Brussels. We’ve been covering not one but two high-stakes gatherin...

What’s really behind Europe’s 5% defense push

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As NATO leaders prepare to endorse a dramatic defense spending hike, Europe faces a reckoning: Where will the money come from — and will new tanks m...

All about the €€€: How Bulgaria’s euro dreams could become a nightmare

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bulgaria’s big step toward using the euro is a victory for European unity — but the country itself isn’t united on whether joining the common cu...

Can Europe’s Trump counterpunch work? Sanctions, tariffs and a MAGA twist.

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump is finally facing some resistance. Can Europe seize the moment? This week on EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton speaks with Swedish Member of...

Between a smack and a hard place — Poland votes, Orbán provokes, and Brussels shows its teeth

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Slaps were exchanged — some literal, some political — and suddenly Brussels isn’t just watching from the sidelines.This week on EU Confidential,...

Leo Varadkar on Donald Trump, and the EU’s Israel dilemma

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The EU-Israel relationship is at a tipping point.  This week on EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton breaks down how EU leaders are calling for scrut...

The crown slips: How queen Ursula failed her transparency test

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Those text messages Ursula von der Leyen didn’t want to share? The EU’s top court says that’s not OK. In a win for transparency advocates, Euro...

Populist currents and fragile coalitions: Trump’s shadow over Europe

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Europe’s political center is wobbling. Again. In Germany, a dramatic Bundestag vote leaves new Chancellor Friedrich Merz bruised before he’s even...

How Trump transformed Europe in just 100 days

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After 100 days of U.S. President Donald Trump’s shock and awe, is the EU still stuck in stunned paralysis — or does it finally have a plan?  PO...

A divorce and a birthday: Five years of Brexit, 10 years of POLITICO

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With POLITICO turning 10 and Brexit hitting 5 earlier this year, this episode of EU Confidential takes stock of two milestones that shaped Brussels —...

Holiday special: Driving toward a trade war with China

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

​This week, EU Confidential is on a spring break — but with trade tensions between the U.S. and the rest of the world (China in particular) escala...

Trump blinks on tariffs. Can Europe exhale?

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A tariff storm was brewing — and then, just like that, the forecast changed. Donald Trump shocked everyone by pausing his planned tariffs for 90 day...

Beautiful beef: Le Pen, Varoufakis and the horseshoe theory of politics

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do Marine Le Pen, Yanis Varoufakis and Donald Trump have in common? More than you'd think. In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton...

Erdoğan, not Trump, is Europe's new best friend on security

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul’s mayor and the main political rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been arrested. So what is Europe doi...

Dirty games in Brussels and war games in Europe

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A lobbying frenzy, secret perks, and now police raids. Huawei’s cozy ties in Brussels have exploded into a full-blown corruption scandal. As the Eur...

Can EU leaders handle a world on fire?

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

100 days in, Europe’s top leaders are facing a reality check.  Ursula von der Leyen talks about a new sense of urgency — but is she leading, or j...

The US-EU breakup—what does it mean for Ukraine, and for peace?

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week’s episode of EU Confidential comes to you from Thursday’s emergency meeting of EU leaders — the political equivalent of sobbing into y...

Can Germany’s next chancellor help Europe deal with Trump?

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Germany has voted, and Friedrich Merz is now the chancellor-in-waiting. But can he rise to the occasion? With Donald Trump signaling a retreat from Eu...

Germany votes, Trump attacks, Europe reacts

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Europe suddenly has to do it all — all alone, all at once. Still in shock after U.S. President Donald Trump’s unequivocal pivot toward Moscow, Eur...

Europe’s future, brought to you by Putin and Trump

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve gotta hand it to Donald Trump — even when you’re expecting him to surprise you, he still surprises you.  The Unites States president onc...

How political is your pizza? The Mediterranean Diet and Europe's food battles

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Pasta, pizza, and Parmigiano — delicious? Absolutely. But in 2025, they’re also deeply political. This week on EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton...

Your guide to Trump’s Europe envoys

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Diplomatic credentials? Optional. Deep pockets and loyalty to Trump? Essential. As Donald Trump rolls out his picks for U.S. ambassador posts in Europ...

In Trump's new era: does Europe still matter?

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Donald Trump settles back into the White House, all eyes—even in snowy Davos—are on Washington. Host Sarah Wheaton reports from the World Econo...

Who’s in charge? What von der Leyen’s absence reveals about the EU

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

While the president of the European Commission was secretly in the hospital, the next president of the United States was musing about invading Greenla...

Elon Musk: Europe’s Bloviator-in-Chief

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The world’s richest man has a lot to say, a vast platform, and the ear of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Now he has turned his focus to Europe. ...

Holiday special: Meet JD Vance’s surprising European support network

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To kick off the new year, we’re sharing a standout episode from our sister podcast, Power Play. EU Confidential will be back next week, but for now,...

Holiday special: Brussels vs Moscow — the EU risks losing its eastern neighbors

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the final episode of EU Confidential this year, we revisit a compelling discussion on the European Union’s waning influence in its eastern neigh...

Farewell to the EU’s sharpest in-house critic

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Politics are driving a growing culture of secrecy at the European Commission, warns European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly in this week’s episode of EU...

Inside the POLITICO 28 gala: Europe’s most powerful players (and hangover)

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week's episode of EU Confidential takes you inside the POLITICO 28 gala, where we revealed our list of the people who will drive the year ahead. ...

Can Brussels’ new power trio take on Trump?

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Finally. After months of paralysis, the new leadership team in Brussels is up and running. Then again, the power trio of European Commission President...

Romania’s TikTok upset boosts Putin

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Romania’s presidential election delivered a TikTok-fueled political shock, with pro-Russia, far-right candidate Călin Georgescu winning the first r...

Scholz on the brink, Rubio in the wings: Europe faces the new Trump era

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While Donald Trump is filling out his top team, the EU faces a leadership vacuum. Thank Germany, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been on the phone wi...

The challenges to energy security in Europe

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Europe’s energy system is entering a period of radical change. The net-zero transition will require a significant overhaul of our infrastructure and...

What the Commissioner hearings revealed about the EU

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There were 26 hearings and 72 hours of questions, answers and non-answers — and in the end, none of it mattered. Politics clearly trumped policy as ...

How Trump is already breaking Europe

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After Donald Trump’s election victory, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is breaking out the Champagne. Germany’s government, meanwhile, is b...

Faith, fear and freedom: European eyes are on the US vote 

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For a fresh view of the U.S. election in its final days — and what it means for Europe — this week’s episode of EU Confidential gets a ground-l...

Brussels vs Moscow: The EU risks losing its eastern neighbors

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A vote that was supposed to be a slam dunk in favor of the EU turned into a nail-biter: barely 50 percent of Moldovans backed the country’s accessio...