Brussels Playbook Podcast
Episodes
The world is in crisis and the EU is doing ... nothing?
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s episode of EU Confidential is a show about nothing. As in: Brussels’ endless lame-duck inertia. Sure, there’s still lots of yadda ya...
Driving toward a trade war with China
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Buckle up. This week on the EU Confidential podcast, we’re talking cars. And a looming trade war. European Union countries are split over whether it...
From 'Fortress Austria' to 'Fortress Europe'?
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode of EU Confidential, we tackle the complex forces shaping Europe’s future — where political shifts, migration and escalati...
Ukraine’s 4-month countdown
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Volodymyr Zelensky has just four months. That’s the time left until U.S. President Joe Biden leaves office. After that, who knows what’s going to ...
The EU's new power pyramid and migration escalation
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Live from Strasbourg… and Paris… and Berlin… and London, it’s EU Confidential. In this week’s episode, we catch you up on a dizzying week of...
Does Europe’s economy need Mountain Dew?
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While Brussels has been obsessed recently with the “Draghi report,” that’s NOT the topic of this week’s episode. We will, however, discuss WHY...
Brussels’ back-to-school blues
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been a particularly chaotic rentrée for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. In this week’s episode of EU Confidential, we talk abou...
Anne Applebaum on dictators big and small
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of EU Confidential, we speak to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anne Applebaum. Her latest book, "Autocracy Inc.," explores how auth...
This burger could kill the EU
23 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, host Sarah Wheaton is joined by Alessandro Ford, POLITICO’s agriculture reporter, to unpack how the prospect of lab-grown meat has ...
Summer special: Who votes for the European far right? And why?
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While the podcast takes a little break, we bring this insightful episode back into your feed — unpacking details of who votes for the far right in E...
Summer special: ‘Rent is too damn high!’ Europe’s growing housing crisis
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On our summer break, we're bringing this episode from January back into your feed by popular demand, looking at a crisis that is affecting many Europe...
EU Commissioners' power puzzle
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brussels might seem empty, but high-stakes games are afoot behind the scenes. From air-conditioned government suites (and the occasional vacation vil...
Harris, Vance and what they mean for Europe
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is American politics giving you whiplash? This week’s episode of EU Confidential has all you need to cope, with primers on the foreign policy postur...
As it happened: Ursula von der Leyen’s secret ballot triumph
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Big decisions awaited the new class of MEPs this week: Whether to back Ursula von der Leyen for a second term atop the Commission; which committee ass...
Viktor Orbán's rogue “peace missions” to Kyiv, Moscow, Beijing and Washington
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Just days into his country's rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orbán again stunned other Europe...
French election shocker: reaction and analysis
08 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
France has voted and the results are in — our POLITICO team in Paris discusses the surprising results of the final round of the parliamentary electi...
Panic mode: Biden and Le Pen imperil mainstream politics
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Just days before the final round of France's snap parliamentary elections, we discuss possible scenarios for what could emerge from the messy politica...
EU top jobs deal — French election, round 1
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Straight from the European Council summit, we bring you the latest news and analysis on a range of tough issues on the leaders' agenda. Host Sarah Whe...
MEGA shift in the EU's balance of power
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Almost two weeks after the EU election, there is still a lot of political manoeuvring going on — both in Brussels and in national capitals. First, P...
Macron challenges French voters and spooks Brussels
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the EU comes to terms with its new (sort of) political reality following last weekend's European Parliament election, France is already back in cam...
EU election results — Europe swings to the right
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As election result projections were revealed on Sunday evening, our EU Confidential team recorded a live episode with first reactions and analysis fro...
What the EU election is actually about
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As voting gets underway throughout the EU, we check in on the polls and learn which stories are dominating the headlines in capitals around Europe. Ho...
Key EU policies — how will they change after the vote?
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With just a week to go until the European election and the campaign in full gear, we're focusing on how the vote will impact key EU policies such as h...
EU election 101 — your questions answered
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is your essential (and entertaining!) guide to the upcoming European election — everything you've wanted to know but been too afraid to ask. Wi...
How Russian disinformation could skew EU election — and whether Europe can fight it
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ursula von der Leyen made a promise this week: if she secures another term as president of the European Commission, she will prioritize beefing up the...
Who votes for the European far right? And why?
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As recent national elections in several European countries have shown, far-right voters no longer fit the stereotype of the angry, old white man, but ...
Debate time! EU lead candidates go head-to-head
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It was a rare chance to see all the leading candidates from Europe's main political parties go head-to-head in a presidential-style debate to become t...
European Parliament in review — MEP unAwards 2024
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Since the 2019 election this European Parliament has had to deal with various challenges, from Brexit and Covid-19 to the war in Ukraine and scandals ...
Brussels buzzwords of the week: competitiveness and Bolshewokism
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we unpack the EU's new buzzword and the main point of discussion at this week's European Council summit: competitiveness. We also brin...
EU election latest: Knives out for Ursula von der Leyen
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With just weeks to go until the European Parliament election, we're bringing you the state of play. Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by Elisa Braun, POLIT...
'If you want peace, prepare for war': How an old saying is making a comeback in Europe
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we unpack the growing urgency among EU leaders to defeat Russia's Vladimir Putin. Remember the old Latin saying: si vis pacem, para b...
Farmers lead the EU climate backlash
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As EU leaders received a stark warning about the climate risks facing the bloc, the European Commission caved to farmer protests and demands to slash ...
Portuguese voters' anger and what it means for Europe
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Portugal's snap election has brought seismic change — the Socialists are now in opposition and the center-right Democratic Alliance, which narrowly ...
Inside the European People's Party Congress 2024
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this bumper edition of EU Confidential, we take you inside the two-day European People Party's Congress in Bucharest. Host Sarah Wheaton and POLITI...
European Parliament election 2024 — state of play
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With less than 100 days until the European Parliament election, we bring you the state of play. Also, we hear from Georgian President Salome Zourabich...
VDL 2.0 — How Europe and Ukraine have changed, two years into Russia's all-out war
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As we mark two years of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we take stock of how the war has changed Europe's political landscape and identity —...
Europe responds to Donald Trump
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump has again sent shockwaves across Europe with comments suggesting that he would encourage Russia to invade NATO countries that do not spen...
Can the EU defend Ukraine (and itself)?
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Europe is waking up to the urgent need to strengthen its own defenses — especially as Donald Trump seems poised to capture the Republican nomination...
Europe's angry farmers and EU funds for Ukraine (finally)
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As farmer protests continue around Europe, we unpack their various concerns and analyze their impact on the European election. We also take you to an ...
'Rent is too damn high!' Europe’s growing housing crisis
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we look at a crisis that is affecting many Europeans in most EU countries: skyrocketing rents and house prices, a shortage of flats, l...
Can the EU manage migration?
19 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After seven years of bitter wrangling, the EU has finally reached an agreement on how to handle migration — one of its most challenging and divisive...
EU top jobs kickoff — finding compromise with Viktor Orbán
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we look at the ongoing tug-of-war between Budapest and Brussels in the context of a rather shocking development that could pave the wa...
What's in store for Europe in 2024?
05 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This isn't just any new year — 2024 in the political calendar means mega elections in Europe, the U.S., the U.K. and beyond. Our EU Confidential cre...
Top EU stories of 2023 — POLITICO's guide
15 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our last episode of 2023 is a bumper edition, reviewing some of the key stories that drove the conversations in Brussels and throughout Europe this ye...
Qatargate: Where do we stand a year after the corruption scandal erupted?
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we revisit the huge corruption scandal which shook the European Parliament and the EU bubble exactly one year ago. Host Sarah Wheaton...
The most powerful people in Europe (for better or worse)
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we take you inside our POLITICO 28 unveiling of Europe's most powerful people and unpack Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's commen...
Geert Wilders stuns with far-right election victory in the Netherlands
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Far-right leader Geert Wilders came out on top in the Dutch election this week, sending shock waves through Brussels and beyond. In this episode of EU...
SPONSORED CONTENT: Carbon capture and storage to reach net zero
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Oil, gas and coal still made up 81.5 percent of the global energy mix in 2022 — down just 3 percent from 2015, when the Paris climate agreement was ...
Spain's Pedro Sánchez to form new government as prime minister
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ending months of political paralysis, we bring you up to speed on the turmoil in Spain that has left Pedro Sánchez clinging to power. The Socialist l...
The EU's report card: Ukraine, Moldova and other aspiring members
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The EU made important steps this week toward bringing new members into the bloc — our POLITICO team explains in this episode of EU Confidential. Hos...
The race to regulate AI before it's too late
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It has been a big week for the world's key players in the race to regulate AI development and make it safe. In this episode of EU Confidential, we bri...
EU leaders meet amid Israel-Hamas war
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Coming to you directly from the European Council summit, our POLITICO team brings you the very latest on a range of difficult subjects facing EU leade...
Welcome back, Donald: Seismic shift in Poland after general election
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we analyze what Poland's recent election means for its political future and EU relations — in conversation with journalist and hist...
Deadly attacks on Israel and a bitter Polish election
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of EU Confidential, POLITICO's Barbara Moens joins us to discuss the EU’s muddled response to the heinous attack on Israel in which ...
Donald Trump 2.0 — is Europe ready?
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the EU Confidential, we entertain the idea of Donald Trump returning to the White House in 2024 and what that would mean: for the E...
Visa-for-bribes scandal rocks Poland — reaction and analysis
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of EU Confidential, we discuss an alleged bribery scheme to hand out Polish visas, which is rocking the country just weeks before gene...
From the UN General Assembly — world leaders gather in NY
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EU Confidential is in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, where leaders from around the globe are gathering to hash out some of the most pressing ...
State of the European Union — the big annual speech and MEPs debate
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this bumper episode, we bring you the main takeaways from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's annual State of the European Union a...
It's back to school in Brussels — Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's “back to school” week here in Brussels, so we're looking ahead to what policies will dominate the news in the coming months. Also, our speci...
Austrian Foreign Minister Schallenberg: EU needs to rethink its enlargement approach
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EU Confidential returns from its summer break, bringing you this episode from the European Forum Alpbach in Austria where the theme of a "bold Europe"...
Brussels summer survival guide
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we unpack what to expect in Brussels this August as EU decision making grinds to a halt. Also, we explore how extreme weather in Euro...
Spanish election aftermath and the watering down of the EU's anti-SLAPPs law
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We analyze the outcome of the recent elections in Spain and what it means for the country and the EU going forward. Also, we discuss the EU's proposal...
Why Ukraine overshadowed the EU's big summit with Latin America
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this packed episode, we explain the outcomes of this week's summit with Latin America, we debate whether Americans can hold key roles in EU institu...
Ending an epidemic: innovations to eradicate HIV
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Governments around the world have committed to end HIV by 2030. The target is known as the 95-95-95 goals — 95 percent of people living with HIV dia...
NATO summit wrap-up and the EU's battle over biodiversity
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we bring you the latest from Vilnius as NATO leaders wrap up a crucial meeting of the defense alliance, plus all the news from Strasbourg a...
A cure for HIV: When will Europe get there?
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There’s one key weapon that would be a gamechanger in the fight to end HIV transmission in Europe by 2030 – a cure. Forty years after scientists ...
From Madrid: How Spain's election could impact its EU presidency
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's EU Confidential comes to you from Madrid as Spain takes over the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union. Spain's stint ...
The last bastion of stigma: Criminalizing HIV transmission
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Activists have worked for years to eliminate HIV-associated stigma. But within multiple European countries, people are still prosecuted for transmitti...
EU leaders meet in the shadow of failed Wagner mutiny in Russia
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our slightly-later edition of this week's EU Confidential comes to you from on-the-ground at the European Council — where the EU's 27 leaders are d...
From cell to cell: Eliminating HIV in prisons
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the first episode of our EU Confidential: In Focus mini-series on HIV in Europe, we take you inside a French prison successfully tackling the sprea...
Europe’s new Marshall Plan: making a bet on Ukraine
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s EU Confidential episode comes to you from London, where the Ukraine Recovery Conference has just wrapped up. Ukraine may still be fighti...
Artificial intelligence and the EU's attempt to regulate it — Commissioner Thierry Breton
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode dives deep into artificial intelligence — and how the EU is responding to this rapidly developing technology. Host Suzanne Lynch...
Polish protests — Hungary's EU role — Sleeper train journey
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this bumper edition, we explain what's behind recent large protests in Poland, why some in Brussels want to stymie Hungary in the EU decision-makin...
From Moldova: The European Political Community is back
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode comes to you from the second meeting of the European Political Community in the Moldovan capital of Chișinău. With over 40 hea...
EU's 'Defence of Democracy' debate on combatting foreign influence
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we debate the EU's latest attempt to combat foreign influence with its forthcoming "Defence of Democracy package," which some in Brussels c...
EU commissioner resigns — Bulgaria's breaking point — European elections 2024
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we dive into the political upheaval in Bulgaria and the resignation of the country's EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel. And we begin our spotl...
The end of Erdoğan? — Turkey's EU accession ambitions — Europe Day
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the focus is on Turkey and what's at stake in elections happening May 14. We also hear from British writer and scholar Hugh Pope, who has w...
POLITICO reviews ‘The Diplomat’ — Meloni surprises Brussels — The key to Ukraine's victory
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the EU defense industry gets the green light to ramp up ammunitions production, we hear from former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe Ben Hodg...
Timothy Garton Ash on the future of Europe — Eva Kaili back in the spotlight
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"We have created the best Europe there has ever been" — so says Timothy Garton Ash, this week's special guest. Meanwhile, former vice president of t...
Ukraine grain strain — Von der Leyen 2.0 — EU diplomacy in review
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're back from a break and straight into tackling the geopolitical tensions that underlie a sudden ban on Ukraine's grain exports by neighboring Pola...
Finland joins NATO — Ukraine foreign minister in Brussels — EU's China visit
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Finland joins NATO while Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, joins us here in the POLITICO studio to talk about his own country's NA...
France & Germany on strike – Commission Legal Chief, Daniel Calleja Crespo
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The worst strikes and protests in decades bring both France and Germany to a standstill this week. Is this just the beginning of Europe’s cost of li...
Economic jitters, French upheaval, arms for Ukraine — what’s occupying EU leaders
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Coming to you from this week’s European Council summit in Brussels, competitiveness and the economy are high on the agenda, alongside a historic EU ...
Das Auto debate — Activist Bill Browder on Russia's political prisoners
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We debate Germany's last-minute effort to derail EU plans to end the sale of combustion engines by 2035. And our special guest is author and activist ...
Viktor Orbán's political director — Sponsored flight flap — VDL meets Biden
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we debate a controversy over travel rules for top EU officials and unpack what the European Commission president is hoping to achieve durin...
New EU-UK chapter — VDL meets the king — Decoding Brussels-speak
02 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met King Charles III at Windsor Castle after a deal was sealed on a long-awaited solutio...
Russia's war in Ukraine, one year on: How Europe has changed
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we approach the one year mark of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU Confidential crew chronicles the historic policy shifts in the EU ...
VDL's texts — MEPs arrested — Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we unpack some of the transparency issues plaguing the EU's top institutions, and our special guest is Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe ...
Zelenskyy in Brussels: the worst-kept secret in town — EU leaders on migration
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Coming to you during Thursday's meeting of EU leaders, we discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's (not so) surprise visit to Brussels, as we...
EU-Ukraine summit — Fighter jets? — Moldovan President Maia Sandu
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
All eyes are on Ukraine as the EU's top officials visit Kyiv for a historic summit — the first to be held in an active war zone. And Moldovan Presi...
Scholz's tanks for your assistance — EU finance chief Mairead McGuinness: Crypto is like 'a religion'
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our POLITICO team has the inside scoop on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's long-awaited decision to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and how it's landin...
From Davos: Tanks to Ukraine — Irish PM Leo Varadkar — EU-US trade fight
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The EU Confidential crew takes you inside this week's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland where the world's rich and powerful are gathered. POL...
Director Oliver Stone talks nuclear power — EU economy chief Paolo Gentiloni
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's Thursday morning and today we bring you bumper editions from Davos with our final episode of the week landing later this evening. In this episode...
EU-US subsidy spat — Senator Joe Manchin — Diane von Furstenberg on Equality
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's Wednesday, and we're back with another episode from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. POLITICO's Suzanne Lynch, Alex Ward and Jakob...
Pessimistic CEOs — WEF after Klaus Schwab — Crypto trust deficit
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the World Economic Forum gets underway, we dive into the stories everyone is talking about on the Magic Mountain. POLITICO's Jakob Hanke Vela sits ...
POLITICO's World Economic Forum guide — Richard Edelman on trust
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From Davos, Switzerland, the POLITICO crew unpacks the big global issues facing businesses, governments and international organizations as top leaders...
From Stockholm: Sweden shifts right on crime and migration — EU Council captaincy
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the EU Confidential crew travels to Stockholm to examine Sweden's domestic political challenges such as migration, crime and climate — an...
2023 crystal ball — Qatargate update — Slovenian PM Robert Golob
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's a bumper edition to start the new year as we look ahead to the big stories likely to dominate the EU's agenda in 2023. POLITICO's top policy repo...
EU rocked by Qatar corruption scandal — 2022 highlights
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our final episode of 2022 is a bumper edition featuring the latest news and analysis of the Qatar corruption scandal centering around the European Par...
From Tirana: Western Balkan bid — Author Misha Glenny — City of spies
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode comes to you from the Albanian capital of Tirana where EU leaders met with Western Balkan hopefuls. And we dive into the fascinati...