Politico's Eu Confidential

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 — as well as life for Ukrainians under siege. Also, we look at Ursula von der Leyen's campaign to remain European Commission chief. Von der Leyen finally announced her intention this week to officially seek another term at the helm following the European Parliament election in June. Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by POLITICO's Hans von der Burchard about the not-so-surprising announcement and what we can expect from von der Leyen's campaign over the coming months. And as mentioned, Hans is part of POLITICO's new Berlin Playbook team — you can subscribe here. Then we turn our focus to Ukraine. Executive Producer Cristina Gonzalez sits down with renowned Bulgarian political scientist Ivan Krastev at the recent Munich Security Conference to unpack how the war in Ukraine has fundamentally changed Europe. And finally, Sarah is joined by our reporter in Kyiv, Veronika Mel

Donald Trump has again sent shockwaves across Europe with comments suggesting that he would encourage Russia to invade NATO countries that do not spend enough on defense. In this episode, we discuss reactions in European capitals. Host Sarah Wheaton and her colleagues — senior Paris correspondent Clea Caulcutt, chief Europe correspondent Matthew Karnitschnig and Stuart Lau who covers China and NATO — check whether Trump's criticism of NATO could effectively prompt EU leaders to enhance the bloc's defense capabilities. They also zoom into Budapest where an unexpected political scandal toppled two of Viktor Orbán's biggest loyalists. Later, to mark Valentine's Day, we also talk love. Our guest is Marjorie Libourel, a professional matchmaker based in Brussels. She discusses the challenges of dating and relationships in the Bubble, as well as making connections in an era of political polarization and changing gender roles. Further reading: "Brussels power couples 2024" by Sarah Wheaton and Eddy Wax "Donald Trump

Europe is waking up to the urgent need to strengthen its own defenses — especially as Donald Trump seems poised to capture the Republican nomination and possibly even the White House in November presidential elections. In this episode, host Sarah Wheaton is joined by Florence Gaub, director of research at the NATO Defence College in Rome and a futurist, along with Ivo Daalder, former U.S. ambassador to NATO and president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (and a fellow podcaster: World Review with Ivo Daalder). They discuss the "Europeanization of NATO" and other tools that Europe has (or lacks) to support Ukraine and defend itself — with or without Washington. Later, some of POLITICO's in-house defense experts, Laura Kayali and Jan Cienski, discuss the brass-tacks realities of whether Europe can fend off a Russian attack on its own, and outline where it remains most vulnerable. Further reading: "Europe’s Trump challenge: Is it ready to fight Vladimir Putin alone?" by Laura Kayali "What another Trump pr

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 extraordinary meeting of EU leaders in Brussels where crucial cash for Ukraine hung in the balance. Host Sarah Wheaton speaks to POLITICO's Parliament reporter Eddy Wax among the thousands of tractors and angry farmers in the heart of Brussels. Later in the episode, our in-house experts explain what's behind the farmers' uprising and what impact the protests could have on the EU's ambitious green agenda and the upcoming EU election. We're joined by Clea Caulcutt in Paris, Matthew Karnitschnig in Berlin, senior climate correspondent Karl Mathiesen, and agriculture reporter Bartosz Brzezinski. And we hear from a protesting farmer in France, who spoke to our colleague Victor Goury-Laffont about his top concerns. Also in the episode, we head across town to an extraordinary meeting of EU leaders. POLITICO's chief Brussels correspondent Barbara Moens and senior diplom

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, long waiting lists for social or affordable housing — commonplace problems from Greece to Luxembourg to Portugal.  Host Sarah Wheaton talks to POLITICO's Aitor Hernández-Morales and Sorcha Edwards, secretary general of Housing Europe, about the causes of the crisis, its impact across the bloc (including far-right parties using it as an election platform), and solutions at the EU level. Are there any, given that housing is not an EU competence? Then we hear from Dutch Green MEP Kim Van Sparrentak about housing challenges in her native Netherlands and her efforts to get the European Parliament and the Commission to get more involved in tackling the crisis. And Sarah speaks to Ans Persoons, secretary of state for the Brussels-Capital Region, who explains how the EU's defacto capital is struggling to keep up with affordable housing demands. And as mentioned in the sh

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 issues. In this episode of EU Confidential we look at what's in the deal, which has been hailed as a success by Brussels but criticized by NGOs and human rights groups. Host Sarah Wheaton and Jacopo Barigazzi, POLITICO's senior diplomatic correspondent, talk to Catherine Woolard — director of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles — about the details of the new agreement and how effective it might be. Later our guest is Professor Florian Trauner, an expert on migration at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He explains how migration has become the central issue ahead of the European election in June, and how far-right parties are co-opting it for political gain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 way for Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán — who has won a reputation as the bloc's biggest troublemaker — to chair meetings of EU leaders and set the EU agenda. It follows a surprising decision by European Council President Charles Michel to step down and run for a seat in the European Parliament. Host Sarah Wheaton and colleagues Barbara Moens and Hans von der Burchard delve into the quibbles and clashes Viktor Orbán has had with Brussels over the years, and how the EU has tried to play ball with the Hungarian leader. And yes — they also report on the infamous "toilet break" Viktor Orbán took at the last EU summit in December, which paved the way for accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova. Then Sarah and Nick Vinocur, POLITICO's editor-at-large, talk to Professor Alberto Alemanno, an expert on EU law who has taken a hard line on Hungary, and who has even suggested Buda

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 crew predicts how these elections could impact pressing issues around the European Union. Bringing together the collective knowledge of some of POLITICO's best and brightest reporters — Barbara Moens, Clea Caulcutt and Hans von der Burchard — we discuss the June vote that could see 400 million Europeans take part, the top EU jobs up for grabs, the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU which started on January 1 and the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. Later, host Sarah Wheaton is joined by POLITICO's senior policy editor and defense expert Jan Cienski to talk about the future of the war in Ukraine, Kyiv's fears over the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, the ongoing conflict in Gaza, as well as Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Herculean tasks after Poland's recent elections.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about yo

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 year. Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by a roundtable of POLITICO's policy editors including Joanna Roberts, Aoife White and Jan Cienski to discuss everything from the AI Act to pharmaceutical rules and the EU's bolstered defense capabilities. Also, Opinion Editor Jamie Dettmer brings us up to speed on Europe's response to the Israel-Hamas war and the war in Ukraine — the EU's unity in the face of fatigue, as well as the debate over Ukraine's future in the bloc. Finally, we're joined by Senior France Correspondent Clea Caulcutt who reveals POLITICO's most-read story of 2023. And as mentioned in the show, do be sure to check out our POLITICO Tech podcast, which takes listeners inside the EU’s tense AI negotiations with MEP Dragos Tudorache. That's it from us for this year — the EU Confidential team will be back in your podcast feed on January 5. See you then! Hosted

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 talks to POLITICO colleagues Elisa Braun and Eddy Wax, who sifted through a massive trove of leaked police documents and, along with Gian Volpicelli, co-wrote an investigative series called The Qatargate Files. They bring us up to date on the key players, including former European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili who is out of jail and back in the chamber awaiting trial, talk about new and fascinating angles to this hugely intricate scandal and explain why the investigation is dragging its feet. Later, we break down a rare political event: the EU-China summit in Beijing. It was the first face-to-face meeting between EU and Chinese leaders in years. We asked Abigaël Vasselier of the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin and POLITICO's Editor-in-Chief Jamil Anderlini to help us understand the purpose and impact of the talks. Hosted on Acast. See acas

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 comments on the Israel-Hamas war and her plans to run for the top job again. Also, we reveal new tactics used by successful far-right leaders in Europe and explain why Germany's recent budget woes have sent shockwaves through the political system. Our new host Sarah Wheaton is joined by POLITICO's Clea Caulcutt and Nick Vinocur to break down the POLITICO 28 ranking and von der Leyen's interview at the event this week. Von der Leyen — "the queen" herself — came in second on the "doers" list. Be sure to check out the full 2024 ranking here. The crew also discuss new and clever tactics being used by European far-right leaders, including Geert Wilders and Marine Le Pen, to capitalize on their hard-line rhetoric, move toward the political center and attract new voters. And later, our colleague Matt Karnitschnig tries to prove that Germany's budget crisis is a sexy story we

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 Confidential, host Suzanne Lynch is joined by Eline Schaart and Nicholas Vinocur to break down the results of the vote, and what it potentially means for the EU moving forward. Later, we have a fascinating discussion with David O'Sullivan, the EU's sanctions envoy. His main job is to make it harder for Russia to evade sanctions imposed by the EU over the war in Ukraine. We end the episode with an important announcement about the podcast, so do be sure to stick around for that and to sign up for Suzanne's new newsletter she'll be authoring: POLITICO's Global Playbook, your VIP pass to the world’s most influential gatherings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 signed.     Given the slow pace of the energy transition, carbon capture and storage, or CCS, has the potential to become an important technology for achieving net zero. Advocates believe that without CCS — which gathers emissions, processes them and stores them safely underground — we simply won’t meet our climate targets.     But the technology faces a range of obstacles. Campaign groups believe CCS offers oil and gas companies a free pass to keep extracting and burning fossil fuels. Others worry about the safety of stored carbon dioxide. There are also practical constraints. CCS technology, while proven, is expensive to install, and needs subsidies and financial incentives to encourage the industry to make the short-term capital investment needed.     In this podcast episode produced by POLITICO Studio, science and technology writer Adam Green interviews leadin

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 leader secured another term as Spain's prime minister thanks to a controversial amnesty deal with Catalan separatists, which saw thousands of people take to the streets in protest. EU Confidential host Suzanne Lynch talks to POLITICO's Aitor Hernández-Morales and Nick Vinocur about the stability of the new coalition in Madrid and its wider impact on EU politics, as well as the implications of Sanchez's victory for next year's European Parliament elections. Later in the episode, we discuss the EU-Mercosur trade negotiations in an exclusive interview with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and POLITICO's trade expert Camille Gijs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The EU made important steps this week toward bringing new members into the bloc — our POLITICO team explains in this episode of EU Confidential. Host Suzanne Lynch is joined by POLITICO's Barbara Moens and Jakob Hanke Vela in Brussels, as well as Sam Greene from the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington to discuss the European Commission's annual report card on the ten countries hoping to join the 27 EU members. The report recommends the start of formal accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, but what exactly does that mean? And where does that leave others in the Western Balkans, for example, who've been waiting in the wings for years? Also in this episode, POLITICO's Aitor Hernández-Morales explains what's behind the shock resignation this week of Portugal's Prime Minister António Costa amid a corruption probe. And finally, POLITICO's Anne McElvoy brings us details of her conversation with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on our Power Play podcast, out this week. The PM has some

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 bring you a roundup of where things stand — after the AI Safety Summit, organized by U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak; the publication of the G7 AI code of conduct; and the signing by U.S. President Joe Biden of a long-awaited 100-page executive order on regulating and funding AI. Host Suzanne Lynch, with some assistance from AI technology, talks to POLITICO's technology gurus Mark Scott and Gian Volpicelli about what's at stake and where the EU stands in this regulatory race. Will we see an agreement on facial recognition technology in the EU, or AI-generated surveillance methods? Later in the episode, we have a fascinating conversation with Professor Anu Bradford, author of "Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology," which focuses on the ongoing rivalry between the tech superpowers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Lea

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 leaders during their two-day meeting in Brussels. In a packed press centre, host Suzanne Lynch, along with Jacopo Barigazzi, Barbara Moens, Nicholas Vinocur and Hans von der Burchard unpack the topics on the table, including: the Israel-Hamas war, support for Ukraine, the EU's long term budget, and migration.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we analyze what Poland's recent election means for its political future and EU relations — in conversation with journalist and historian Anne Applebaum. We also shed light on a troubling terrorist attack this week in Brussels. With a record turnout of over 74 percent, Polish voters decided they wanted change. They waved goodbye to the ultra-conservative, anti-EU Law and Justice government and handed power to the democratic opposition led by former prime minister and European Council President Donald Tusk. POLITICO's Jan Cienski and Nick Vinocur join us to discuss the implications of the Polish election for both Poland and the EU, and they bring us up to date on this week's major events in the Middle East and the terrorist attack in Brussels, in which two Swedes were shot dead by a radicalized gunman. Later, host Suzanne Lynch talks to Anne Applebaum. The American-Polish journalist, commentator and historian explains the challenges facing the future Polish government as it will try to restore

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 Hamas killed over a thousand civilians and took dozens of people hostage, sparking outrage and disbelief. Then we turn our focus to Poland. Host Suzanne Lynch brings us up to date on the crucial general election this Sunday and its potential impact on the EU and Poland’s relationship with Brussels. We hear from POLITICO’s Jan Cienski in Warsaw, who reports on the final stages of a bitter and brutal election campaign, and from Polish members of the European Parliament representing opposition parties in Poland – Róża Thun and Radoslaw Sikorski, outspoken critics of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party. We invited PiS to join the conversation, but they declined. Also in the episode, our producer Dionis Sturis speaks to pro-opposition demonstrators at a Polish anti-government protest in Brussels.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn m

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 EU, for the war in Ukraine and for transatlantic relations. The U.S. presidential election is more than a year away and Trump has yet to secure the Republican Party’s nomination; he's also facing a mountain of legal hurdles. But it's worth considering whether Europe is preparing or if it would be as shocked as it was in 2016 if Trump won again.    Host Suzanne Lynch discusses this with POLITICO’s Nick Vinocur and Majda Ruge from the European Council on Foreign Relations. Both our guests have recently written fascinating articles on that very subject: Majda Ruge: Polarised power: the three Republican “tribes” that could define America’s relationship with the world Nick Vinocur: Can Europe survive Trump 2.0? Also in the episode, a riveting account of life in war-torn Ukraine from our guest Matti Maasikas, the former EU ambassador to Kyiv. Hosted on Acast. See acas