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The Europeans | European news, politics and culture
The Europeans is a fresh and entertaining weekly podcast about European politics and culture, recorded each week between Paris and Amsterdam with fascinating guests joining from across Europe. This multiple award-winning podcast fills you in on the major European politics stories and other European news of the week, as well as fun and quirky nuggets that have been missed by most media outlets. Hosted by Katy Lee, a journalist based in Paris, and Dominic Kraemer, an opera singer in Amsterdam, The Europeans covers everything from elections and climate policy to the best new European films and TV shows. We also produce investigative podcasts about everything from the European farming lobby to oat milk. Yes, oat milk. Katy and Dominic are old friends, and the warmth and intimacy of their conversations will soon make you feel like you’ve known them a long time too. They approach topics with a light and humorous tone that makes The Europeans stand out from other European news podcasts, while remaining journalistically rigorous and meticulously fact-checked. The Europeans has been recommended by The New York Times, The Guardian, Buzzfeed, The Financial Times, and many other outlets. Katy Lee, a British-French reporter, has written for major outlets including The Guardian, Politico Europe, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Foreign Policy and The New Statesman for more than a decade, covering French and European politics and more recently, climate change. Dominic Kraemer, a British-German opera singer, performs across Europe when he is not co-hosting The Europeans, with roles recently at the Staatsoper in Berlin, the Dutch National Opera and the Münchener Biennale. The Europeans’ team is completed by producers Katz Laszlo in Amsterdam and Wojciech Oleksiak in Warsaw. You’ll hear them joining Katy and Dominic from time to time, particularly during investigative episodes like ‘The Oatly Chronicles’ and ‘The Big-Agri Bully Boys’. The Europeans’ breezy, informal approach to covering European news has won awards such as a Covering Climate Now award for an episode about the Swiss women who sued their government at the European Court of Human Rights demanding more climate action; Germany’s prestigious CIVIS Media Prize for ‘Mohamed’, an episode that explores the everyday life of a young undocumented man in Amsterdam; and best LGBTQIA+ short at the MiraBan UK Film Awards for ‘Josh and Franco’, the coming-of-age story of a father and son, both gay. Our guests have included everyone from major figures in European politics such as Alexander Stubb, now the President of Finland, and Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, to star chefs Asma Khan and Christian Puglisi, celebrated illustrator Christoph Niemann, and environmentalist George Monbiot. Since launching in 2017, we’ve talked about everything from elections in France, Italy and many more countries besides, to the politics of halloumi cheese in Cyprus, to why Donald Trump is so hard for TV interpreters to translate. We pride ourselves on covering European politics, European news and European culture from a pan-European perspective. You’ll often hear stories on The Europeans from parts of the continent that don’t usually receive enough attention from major international media outlets, especially Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. You might enjoy The Europeans if you also enjoy one of these other podcasts: The News Agents, On the Media, Today in Focus, Inside Europe, The Journal, EU Confidential, The Daily, The Globalist, Reasons to be Cheerful, The Media Show, Power Play, and The New Statesman. Whether you’re already a European news nerd, or simply someone who’d like to be better informed about what’s happening across Europe, The Europeans is the podcast for you. Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/europeanspodcast
- 370 - Can Europe save the world from the AI apocalypse?
When it comes to the future of AI, we – like seemingly everyone else – have way more questions than answers. Could European legislation do anything to protect us from job losses and “rogue” models? Can the chatbots created on this continent compete with those being developed by the US and China? What would it mean to win (or lose) the “AI race”? And most importantly: how doomed are we?
We put those questions and more to Aleksandra Przegalińska, a Polish AI researcher and philosopher and a fellow at the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School. Aleksandra is one of the most engaging and entertaining voices we know on this topic, and we walked away from this conversation feeling… dare we say… hopeful? We hope you’ll feel the same.
For most of a decade, small donations from listeners like you have made it possible for us to continue making this fully independent weekly podcast. You can help us ring in our 10-year anniversary next year – and support another decade of non-boring news – by joining us over on Patreon or by donating via our website.
Did you know we have a weekly newsletter, Good Week Bad Week? It often draws on the super fun themes (tech sovereignty, humanity’s demise, etc etc) you heard about in today’s podcast. Sign up here!
Resources for this episode:
Aleksandra on Instagram“AI Optimism Globally Widespread Despite Uneven Use” – Gallup, 22 September 2026Aleksandra on Microsoft–Gallup’s AI adoption survey“Arthur Mensch, CEO of French start-up Mistral AI: 'AI is software. It can be controlled'” – Le Monde, 24 September 2026“Data Centre Silence” – Lighthouse Reports, 30 September 2026Co-hosts: Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer
Senior producer: Katy Lee
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Intern: Inês Ruivo
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
Substack|Instagram|Mastodon|YouTube | Bluesky | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 01 Oct 2026 - 55min - 369 - Why are Europeans so bad at imagining the future?
When it comes to envisioning the future, what’s your type? The Positive? The Negative? The Uncertain? The Disconnected? No, these aren’t characters in a pop group or a teen movie – they’re the four ways of imagining a European future. So says Paweł Zerka of the European Council on Foreign Relations, a three-peat guest and true Friend of the Podcast. Paweł is back once more to walk us through this year’s European Sentiment Compass, “Future Nostalgia: Europe’s Unfinished Song”. Come for the Dua Lipa reference, stay because you’re a polling nerd like the rest of us. We’re also talking about British lawmakers’ quest to figure out why the UK does quite so badly at Eurovision and what the seizure of Nestlé and Auchan’s Russian assets says about the Kremlin’s finances.
You can read this year’s European Sentiment Compass – which is, like us, supported by the European Cultural Foundation – and have fun categorising yourself here.
FREE ON MONDAY NIGHT? Join Katy and Paweł for discussion and documentary-watching in Brussels on 28 September, or Dominic and Wojciech for a little post-truth democracy in The Hague. We have two tickets to give away to the event with Katy and Paweł, courtesy of our friends at Newframes. They’ll go to the first person who emails hello@europeanspodcast.com with TICKETS in the subject line, so get in there quick!
There’s plenty more to our excellent conversation with Paweł. Supporters of the show who are signed up to our private feed can hear the second half of our chat, including the revelation that Poland, of all places, is a surprisingly optimistic corner of Europe. Sign up over here.
Supporters also get lots of cool perks and the warm glow of supporting independent European journalism. So if you haven’t already, get in for the glow!
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are Wojciech’s upcoming performance in The Hague(!) and Sorcha Richardson’s new album, “Draw the Outline”.
Resources for this episode:
Leave-Russia.org"The Russian assets of Nestlé, Auchan and the former Leroy Merlin have been transferred to the management of a company led by an interior ministry general" – Novaya Gazeta, 17 September 2026“Moose on the loose at Warsaw’s main station brings trains to a standstill” – Notes from Poland, 14 September 2026Co-hosts: Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer
Senior producer: Katy Lee
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Intern: Inês Ruivo
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
Substack|Instagram|Mastodon|YouTube | Bluesky | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 24 Sep 2026 - 55min - 368 - Hooray for normalised boredom!
This week, we’re attempting to solve some tricky problems. How can the EU tackle the ballooning housing crisis? Can we revive a cinema industry on death’s door? And how on earth can we get bureaucrats to communicate like human people in order to really, truly get something done? We’re unpacking plans for a new Affordable Housing Act and Macron’s attempt to save le cinéma, and we’re also getting an exclusive from the EU’s Directorate General of Memes, Satire, and Sober Fun, a.k.a. Fabio Mauri, the meme-maker who loves nothing more than to poke fun at Europe’s policymakers on Twitter and Instagram. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, et cetera.
GET IN ON THE ACTION. Don’t just listen – get in on the fun! Did you know that just a small monthly donation to The Europeans helps us keep the good time rolling? AND… Did you know that that small monthly donation comes with cool perks? So much fun! Check us out at patreon.com/europeanspodcast and see what’s cookin’. You can also make a donation via our website.
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the participatory art performance Make Noise taking place in Amsterdam this weekend (with thanks to the Belarusian poet Hanna Komar for calling it to our attention) and the European Citizens’ Initiative Right to Housing! Now and Forever.
Resources for this episode:
“Macron rallies to save the movies, imperiled by free platforms and generative AI” – Le Monde, 9 September 2026“French Box Office Surges Nearly 20% in First Half of 2026 as Local Films and Hollywood Hits Drive Recovery” – Variety, 10 July 2026“Malgré une année en demi-teinte avec près de 157 millions d’entrées dans ses salles de cinéma, la France demeure largement le premier marché européen” – Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, 30 December 2025“The European Affordable Housing Plan” – The European Commission“Affordable Housing Act: European hosts need legal certainty too” – Airbnb, 9 September 2026Katz Laszlo’s reporting on Europe’s housing policies from our mini-series “Who Does It Best?”“Swimming pigs draw tourists to Greek island” – France 24, 11 September 2026Adorable swimming piglets via @trident_boatsCo-hosts: Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer
Producers: Katy Lee and Morgan Childs
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Intern: Inês Ruivo
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
Substack|Instagram|Mastodon|Bluesky | YouTube | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 17 Sep 2026 - 59min - 367 - Will Meta's American makeover come to Europe?
Last week, tech giant Meta reached a settlement in a lawsuit with nearly every state in the US over claims that it had knowingly harmed children with its addictive apps. It was a major turn of events in the growing movement to protect kids online – but what does it mean for those of us on this side of the Atlantic? This week, we’re bringing you a fascinating chat with Leanda Barrington-Leach, the executive director at 5Rights, an international NGO that seeks to protect children’s rights and wellbeing on the internet. We’re also unpicking the CIA chief’s visit to Moscow and the surprisingly effective tariff placed on small parcels from China.
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the proposed euro banknote designs and the Polish HBO series Proud.
You can hear more of our conversation with Leanda over on Patreon.
Resources for this episode:
“China tightens grip on Europe’s car supply chain” – Financial Times, 11 August 2026“Chinese imports plunge 30% to 40% after EU tax on small parcels” – Euronews, 27 August 2026“CIA chief used Moscow visit to warn Russia against attacks on NATO allies, helping Iran” – Politico, 26 August 2026GIVE A LITTLE, GET A LITTLE (OR A LOT). Did you know that just a small monthly donation to The Europeans makes a big difference to our team? Better yet: did you know that that small monthly donation comes with lots of nice perks? Visit us over at patreon.com/europeanspodcast and see what your pocket money can do for us – and for you. You can also make a donation via our website.
STILL WANT MORE? Subscribe to our newsletter, Good Week Bad Week, and get more European news, culture, and general goofiness in your inbox each Friday. It’s free!
Co-hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Wojciech Oleksiak
Senior producer: Wojciech Oleksiak
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Audio editing: Monika Proba
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 03 Sep 2026 - 56min - 366 - What's on the line in Iceland's EU referendum (besides fish)?
This weekend, Icelanders go to the polls to determine whether the nation should pick up its EU accession talks where they left off in 2013. Ahead of the big referendum, we caught up with Icelandic journalist Elias Thorsson and Finnish analyst Minna Ålander, to better understand what the vote means for Iceland and what it could mean for the Nordic countries and the greater European Union. Maybe you’re somebody who can prattle on about how the devaluation of the Icelandic króna benefits the country’s international exports…and maybe you’re someone who can’t exactly remember which Nordic countries are in the EU. No matter which type of person you are, we promise, this episode is for you.
Resources for this episode:
“Fear Of A European Iceland: A Nation At A Flashpoint Prepares For Referendum” – Elias Thorsson, The Reykjavik Grapevine, 8 May 2026Minna Ålander’s Substack, Northern Flank Notes“(Northern) European Integration” – Minna Ålander, Northern Flank Notes, 7 July 2026“The Vote That Could Reshape Iceland | Prime Minister of Iceland, Kristrún Frostadóttir” – The Rest Is Politics, 27 July 2026DID YOU EVER KNOW THAT YOU’RE MY HERO? Patreon supporters, you are the wind beneath our wings. Everyone else, please consider joining them over at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also make a donation via our website.
CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF US? Understandable. Subscribe to our newsletter, Good Week Bad Week, and scratch that Europeans itch once more each week. It’s free!
Co-hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Wojciech Oleksiak
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 27 Aug 2026 - 48min - 365 - Bad news isn't the only news
Sally Hayden made a name for herself by documenting some of the worst human rights abuses of the 21st century. Now she’s written a new book… of love stories. This week we had the honour of sitting down with the decorated Irish journalist to discuss her latest release, This Is Also a Love Story, the (im)balance of good news and bad, and the oft-forgotten truth that, as Sally puts it, “humans exist at the center of geopolitics”. We’ve devoted the whole of this week’s episode to this challenging conversation, and we hope you’ll find it as thought-provoking as we did.
You can learn more about Sally on her website (we highly recommend reading her 2023 speech to the European Parliament). Don’t miss her first book, My Fourth Time, We Drowned, and her new release, This Is Also a Love Story.
This podcast would not be possible without our extraordinary Patreon family. If conversations like these inspire you, please consider joining them over at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also, as always, make a donation via our website. Many, many thanks.
Co-hosts: Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer
Producers: Morgan Childs, Dominic Kraemer, and Wojciech Oleksiak
Audio editing: Morgan Childs
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne, Mariska Martina and Blue Dot Sessions
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 20 Aug 2026 - 29min - 364 - The great European air conditioning debate
It’s not even August yet, and it’s been a long, hot summer. As temperatures climb and France and Spain fight to keep wildfires contained, we’re devoting the whole of this week’s episode to one of 2026’s most contentious debates: should Europe be using more air conditioning? With help from three experts, we’re picking apart the pros and cons of artificial cooling technology – and grappling with a handful of guilty feelings along the way.
You can learn more about the wondrous upsides and significant costs of air conditioning from our guests: Eva Horn, a professor of cultural history at the University of Vienna; Diána Ürge-Vorsatz, a professor at Central European University and Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; and Blanca Paniello Castillo, researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.
Other resources for this episode:
Eva Horn’s essay in Avery Review, “Air Conditioning: Taming the Climate as a Dream of Civilization”
Eva’s book Klima: Eine Wahrnehmungsgeschichte
“Europeans should learn to love the air-conditioner” – Stanley Pignal, The Economist, 18 June 2026
“Energy demand and decarbonization in 2025 and beyond” – Diana Ürge-Vorsatz and Felix Creutzig, Nature, 20 January 2026
“Air Conditioning Has Reduced Mortality Due to High Temperatures in Spain by One Third”(PDF) – The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), 2023
Redditer paints his Parisian roof white
Want more of that sunny, summery vibe in your weekly news diet? Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter, Good Week Bad Week!
BE A PART OF THE EUROPEANS’ FUTURE: In case you missed it, we’ve made some changes to our Patreon memberships and are giving members new perks for supporting our work. Visit patreon.com/europeanspodcast to take a look at what’s on offer. You can also, as always, make a donation via our website. Massive thanks to everyone who’s joined us already – you really do make this show possible ❤️
Unsung: Cleaners is a documentary podcast bringing together the voices of cleaners across Europe, telling their stories in their own words. From invisible labour and night shifts to dignity and organising for change, the five-part series explores the human stories behind one of the world’s most essential – and most overlooked – jobs: cleaning. In the first episode, Hayat Elhore, a cleaner at the European Parliament in Brussels, shares what it’s like to clean a building that symbolises democracy – while often being treated as invisible. She pulls back the curtain on a typical day in the life of a cleaner.
Co-hosts: Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer
Senior producer: Katy Lee
Producers: Morgan Childs, Dominic Kraemer
Audio editing: Morgan Childs
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak and Monika Proba
Music: Jim Barne, Mariska Martina and Blue Dot Sessions
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 30 Jul 2026 - 55min - 363 - The Europeans' 2026 Summer Playlist
Last month, we asked you for your favourite sunny, summery songs from across the European continent – and boy, did you deliver! This week we’re taking a break from the news to talk about some of the incredible music you introduced us to, by artists from Sweden to Serbia.
GET IN ON THE FUN: We’re mixing things up over on Patreon and giving members new perks for supporting our work. Visit patreon.com/europeanspodcast to take a look at all the benefits. You can also, as always, make a donation via our website. A huge thank you to our supporters for making independent European journalism possible – we hope you’re as excited about what’s next as we are.
Unsung: Cleaners is a documentary podcast bringing together the voices of cleaners across Europe, telling their stories in their own words. From invisible labour and night shifts to dignity and organising for change, the five-part series explores the human stories behind one of the world’s most essential – and most overlooked – jobs: cleaning. In the first episode, Hayat Elhore, a cleaner at the European Parliament in Brussels, shares what it’s like to clean a building that symbolises democracy – while often being treated as invisible. She pulls back the curtain on a typical day in the life of a cleaner.
A huge thank you to the artists who made this week’s episode possible (and who’ve put a skip in our step over the past few weeks). Songs mentioned in this episode:
“Caramello” by Rocco Hunt, Elettra Lamborghini, Lola Indigo
Copyright 2022 Epic, Sony Music Entertainment Italy S.p.A.
“Volio BiH” by Dubioza Kolektiv
Copyright 2012 EMDC
“Bean Udaí Thall” by Huartan
Copyright 2024 Sliocht na Sí Records
“Jag kommer” by Veronica Maggio
Copyright 2011 Universal Music AB
“Amorgos” by Leonidas Balafas
Copyright 2021 Leonidas Balafas
“Liūdna!” by Free Finga
Copyright 2026 Free Finga and MB Žiauru
“Dansjes Verplicht” by Woezels
Copyright 2019 Woezels
“Blond” by Jalda
Copyright 2026 Universal Music AB
“Lan Y Môr” by Adwaith
Copyright 2020 Libertino Records
“Je pense à vous” by Pierre de Maere
Copyright 2026 Wagram Music/Cinq7, Wagram Publishing
“Odi Dođi” by DJ Kovi & MC Mikri Maus
Copyright 2017 Prti Bee Gee
“Elukoor/Choir of Life” by Mari Kalkun
Copyright 2020 Aigu Om Records
“Onomkeerbaar” by Eefje de Visser
Copyright 2025 Sony Music Entertainment Netherlands B.V.
“Nemám zájem” by Něco Něco
Copyright 2025 Divnosti
“Am Herz Vorbei” by Tristan Brusch
Copyright 2023 Four Music/Tautorat Tonträger
HEAR EVEN MORE SUMMERY EUROPEAN MUSIC: We’ve created playlists with all of our picks and yours. Listen in via your streaming service of choice below.
The Europeans’ Summer Playlist Shortlist
Qobuz | Spotify | Apple | Tidal
Listener Picks: The Europeans’ Summer Playlist
Qobuz | Spotify | Apple | Tidal
You can also find more of our favourites in our newsletter, Good Week Bad Week.
Co-hosts: Dominic Kraemer, Katy Lee, Wojciech Oleksiak, Morgan Childs
Audio editing: Morgan Childs
Producers: Morgan Childs, Dominic Kraemer, Katy Lee, Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 - 46min - 362 - Did Jared Kushner get scammed over his Albanian resort?
It was a Bad Week for Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and you’re either the sort of person who is now rubbing their hands together cartoon-villain style, or… you’re probably not listening to this podcast. Construction is well underway for Kushner’s $4 billion Albanian holiday resort, but – in true Trumpian you-can’t-make-this-#$@!%-up fashion – it turns out the deeds for the land might be fake. There are *so many* zany details of this story, and we’re unpacking them all whilst having a little giggle at Kushner’s expense. Also in this episode: Have you ever wondered why you tend to drift to the left as you walk? Us neither, but it turns out: that westward wander is actually a natural human trait. We chat with researchers Iñaki Echeverría-Huarte and Claudio Feliciani about their offbeat discovery, which caught our attention when it appeared in the New York Times last month.
PATREON SHAKE-UP: Visit patreon.com/europeanspodcast to take a look at the exciting changes to what we’re offering our supporters, from a new private podcast feed to one-on-one meetings with Katy and Dominic. We also welcome donations via our website, which come with all the same benefits except for access to our community chat. A huge thank you to our supporters for making our independent journalism possible – and we’re thrilled that you’re becoming an even bigger part of what we do.
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the little-known sporting event Le Tour de France and the novel ‘Glorious Exploits’ by Ferdia Lennon.
Our friends at the European Cultural Foundation have generously given us five copies of their beautiful magazine, Common Ground, for our listeners. Email us at hello@europeanspodcast.com with MAGAZINE GIVEAWAY in the subject line to be in with a chance of getting your hands on one. And if you don’t need to spruce up your coffee table, you can also read it online here.
Unsung: Cleaners is a documentary podcast bringing together the voices of cleaners across Europe, telling their stories in their own words. From invisible labour and night shifts to dignity and organising for change, the five-part series explores the human stories behind one of the world’s most essential – and most overlooked – jobs: cleaning. In the first episode, Hayat Elhore, a cleaner at the European Parliament in Brussels, shares what it’s like to clean a building that symbolises democracy – while often being treated as invisible. She pulls back the curtain on a typical day in the life of a cleaner.
Resources for this episode:
“Businessman who sold land for Kushner resort in Albania suspected of faking the deeds” – Reuters, 11 July 2026
“Slap on the SPF and join the Flamingo Revolution” – Good Week Bad Week, 5 June 2026
18,300 young people leave Albania in one year, the highest decline in Europe” – Euronews Albania, 4 February 2026
An Autocrat’s Guide to Destroying Local Media, our 2023 mini-series on press freedom in Central and Eastern Europe
“Individual locomotor bias drives counterclockwise motion in pedestrian crowds” – Nature, 10 June 2026
“Nearly Everyone, Everywhere, Veers Left When Walking” – New York Times, 10 June 2026
Our delightful interview with European rail expert Jon Worth
“The first EU pilot project for new cross-border services: from Praha to København with direct trains” – Railvolution, 26 June 2026
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news.
Co-hosts: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak
Audio editing: Monika Proba, Wojciech Oleksiak, and Morgan Childs
Senior producer: Katy Lee
Producers: Morgan Childs, Dominic Kraemer, Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 16 Jul 2026 - 1h 07min - 361 - The Frankenchicken is coming to a village near you
This week, we’re asking some tough questions. Is the EU friends with the Taliban now? Is your 100% cotton shirt actually made of cotton? And, our favourite, “Why Did the Frankenchicken Cross the Road?” We’re taking on a few challenging topics this week, but the Funny Lady from Luxembourg is back in the co-hosting chair, so you know to expect a fair share of laughs, too. (Listen to the end to hear her impression of a Luxembourgish whale.)
Our guest this week is none other than longtime Europeans producer Wojciech Oleksiak, whose yearslong investigative report “Why Did the Frankenchicken Cross the Road?” captured our attention and tugged on our heartstrings when it was published in April. Wojciech tells us about the massive megafarms that produce 14 million birds for slaughter each year(!) and the price that the rural community of Koden, Poland, has to pay to satisfy European appetites.
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are DJ Baguette, the phallic arum plant at the botanical garden at the University of Ghent, and Follow the Money’s podcast episode “Europe’s second-hand clothing crisis”.
Resources for this episode:
“EU faces fierce criticism over plans to host Taliban in Brussels” – The Guardian, 23 June 2026
“OLAF helps prevent illegal dumping of thousands of tonnes of textile waste” – European Anti-Fraud Office, 25 June 2026
“Like Humans, Mediterranean Sperm Whales Have Their Own Dialects” – Yale Environment 360, 24 June 2026
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible — we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Co-hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Nina Lamparski
Audio editing: Morgan Childs and Monika Proba
Producers: Morgan Childs, Katy Lee, Dominic Kraemer, Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 02 Jul 2026 - 56min - 360 - Why is Putin using African trolls against Europe?
We’ve talked a lot about pro-Kremlin internet trolls, who have worked to destabilise the democratic functioning of countries all across Europe. Turns out, there are even more of them than you might imagine – and they’re operating from places you might not expect. This week we chat with award-winning investigative reporter Philip Obaji Jr. about how Russia has been using African nations as launchpads to help sow chaos across Europe. Philip is an incredibly brave journalist working under exceedingly challenging conditions, and his insights on this growing problem are chilling. Also on the podcast this week: a heartening turnout at Kyiv Pride, and news about nuclear proliferation that we have definite mixed feelings about.
You can follow Philip's work on Instagram, Bluesky, LinkedIn and X, and contribute to his fundraiser here.
This week’s Inspiration Station picks are these cheeky counter-Trump European football jerseys and the pan-European queer choir festival Various Voices, which we learned about thanks to listener Davide.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE BOUNCY SUMMER BOP? Contribute to our Summer Playlist! We’re looking for sunny, summery songs from across the continent, especially from lesser-known artists that sing in less widely spoken languages. Send your picks to hello@europeanspodcast.com or @europeanspodcast on Instagram/Mastodon.
Resources for this episode:
“Thousands gather for Kyiv's largest Pride march since start of full-scale war” – Kyiv Independent, 21 June 2026
“‘We are modern people’: Zelensky calls for open talk on LGBTQ+ rights in Ukraine” – Pink News, 12 June 2026
“Discrimination in the European Union” (PDF) – Eurobarometer, 2023
Rainbow Map 2026 – ILGA-Europe’s national ranking of LGBTI human rights laws and policies
“Trans people in Ukraine: transition process, legislations, healthcare, and social attitudes” – Seymour Nezoriy, 11 November 2024
“What is Russia up to in Africa?”, our conversation with Beverly Ochieng last year
“Forests Now Cover Over a Third of Italy, Overtaking Farmland for the First Time Since the Middle Ages” – The Italian Times, 10 June 2026
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Co-hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Katy Lee
Audio editing: Morgan Childs and Monika Proba
Senior producer: Katy Lee
Producers: Morgan Childs, Dominic Kraemer, Katy Lee, Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
With special thanks this week to longtime Europeans producer Katz Laszlo
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 25 Jun 2026 - 55min - 359 - Ten years on, can we talk about 'the B word'?
Long-time listeners will know that in the early days ofThe Europeans, we had a semi-official ban on talking about a certain topic: Brexit, or as we liked to call it, ‘the B word’. A whole decade after the UK’s seismic referendum vote to leave the EU, have Katy and Dominic made their peace with the split? What kind of damage has it done, and is there any chance that it might one day be reversed? This week, with the help of some of our listeners, we’re facing the B word head on.
We also hear from someone whose experience mirrors that of our British-born, EU-dwelling hosts: Polish-born Londoner Piotr Cieplak, a writer, film-maker and academic. We chat to Piotr about his experience as an Eastern European in the UK, and why he decided to set his debut novel during the heady days of the referendum.
Piotr’s novel Zofia Nowak’s Book of Superior Detectingis out in paperback on 25 June and available to pre-order now.
FREE TONIGHT? COME HANG OUT WITH US! We’re holding our first ever Office Hour tonight (Thursday 18 June) at 9pm CET. Commune with us in silence about Brexit or ask 15 different questions, it’s up to you. Access is open to all listeners, not just subscribers. We’ll post a link on our website and all our social media channels an hour before the event.
This week’s Inspiration Station picks are Middle England by Jonathan Coe and Autumn by Ali Smith.
GOT A FAVOURITE SUMMER TUNE? Contribute to our Summer Playlist! We’re looking for uplifting songs from across the continent, especially from lesser-known artists who sing in less widely spoken languages. Send your picks to hello@europeanspodcast.com or @europeanspodcast on Instagram/Mastodon.
Resources for this episode:
“Waking up to Brexit” – Katy’s blog post from the morning after the referendum, Agence France-Presse (AFP), 24 June 2017“How Brexit has made Britain poorer – in charts” – The Guardian, 14 June 2026“Measuring Brexit’s Economic Toll on the United Kingdom” - US National Bureau of Economic Research “To rejoin the EU, the UK must first understand it” – Timothy Garton Ash on Substack, 17 June 2026This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Monika Proba, Wojciech Oleksiak and Katy Lee
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 18 Jun 2026 - 58min - 358 - Every @#$%ing quirk of the English language
After a triggering event we’re calling Legislativegate, producer Wojciech has a bone to pick with the English language and all of its irregularities. This week, Katy arranges a therapy session for Wojciech with Rob Watts, the Berlin-based host of the wildly popular YouTube channel RobWords, to discuss the peculiarities of the English language and the joys of being a “word nerd”. We’re also talking about Nikol Pashinyan’s ✨pivotal✨win in Armenia’s election, and whether or not we can forgive Dua Lipa for her Sicilian destination wedding.
GOT A HOT TAKE ABOUT BREXIT? If you have a personal experience to share for our next episode, or just something (Brexit-related!) to get off your chest, we want to hear from you. Record a voice memo at your earliest convenience and send it to hello@europeanspodcast.com.
JOIN OUR FIRST-EVER OFFICE HOUR! Next week, come hang out with Katy and Dominic, have a friendly chat, ask questions, and get to know a few more members of the Europeans family. You don’t even have to be a Patreon member to join. The first Office Hour is 18 June at 9pm CET, and you’ll find a link to join the call on our website and all our social media channels an hour before the event.
This week in the Inspiration Station, listener Federico recommended the Free Refugee Week Film Festival.
Contribute to the EUROPEANS SUMMER PLAYLIST! We’re rounding up our favorite tracks that keep the summery vibes going in dozens of languages from across the continent. Special credit will go to songs by lesser-known artists that aren’t in Europe’s most widely spoken languages. Send your picks to hello@europeanspodcast.com or @europeanspodcast on Instagram/Mastodon.
Resources for this episode:
Macron’s recent jam session with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol PashinyanOur inaugural book club podcast (just as good as Dua Lipa’s)RobWords on YouTube and his podcast Words UnravelledRobWords Live at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival “The Chaos” (poem) by Gerard Nolst TrenitéInvestigation suggesting Karapetyan had ties to Russia’s FSBEVN Report – a great news source for anyone who wants to stay up to date with the Armenian election.This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Co-hosts: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak
Produced by Morgan Childs
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 11 Jun 2026 - 1h 11min - 357 - The world's funniest superstate?
The European Union is many things: an economic powerhouse, an improbably successful peace project, or a bureaucratic hellscape, depending on who you ask. Most people would probably agree on one thing that it isn’t: funny. So when Susanna Kierkegaard set out to write Sweden’s first genuinely entertaining book about the EU, many might have dismissed the idea as a fool’s errand. And yet she has somehow pulled it off.
This week, we call up Susanna to share some of the best bits from her book Superstaten : EU och framtiden, from the MEP who expensed 250 kilograms of chocolate to the Italian whose unpaid electricity bills changed the course of European law.
Susanna is a columnist for Aftonbladet. You can read her work here, and follow her on Instagram as well as TikTok.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Katy Lee
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 28 May 2026 - 31min - 356 - What is life really like for Russians right now?
The predictions began soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine: the collapse of the Russian economy was imminent. Four years later, it still hasn’t happened. And yet, the cracks are appearing: Ukrainian drones that are now capable of striking critical targets in Moscow; economic data that even the Kremlin can’t spin as positive. But what do these changes actually feel like for Russian citizens? This week, Wojciech calls people with friends and family in Moscow to find out.
We’re also talking about why your bar of Milka is 10 grams lighter than it was. Oh, and we’re calling up the winner of the Microsoft Excel World Championships. No biggie.
Check out Diarmuid Early’s YouTube videos here, including this one, which starts with an introduction to competitive spreadsheeting.
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are Aleksandar Vučić’s interview with The Rest Is Politics: Leading, and Francesco Pacifico’s essay in The Dial: Are You Enjoying Our Linguine?
Resources for this episode:
The Milka ruling from Bremen in full (German)“Russia blocks Telegram and cracks down on VPNs” – Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich, 17 April 2026“Moscow bans publication of Ukrainian drone strike damage without official permission” – The Kyiv Independent, 13 May 2026“Ukraine conflict in January 2026” – Levada-Center, 4 February 2026“Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s oil export infrastructure” – Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich, 1 April 2026“Turning Point in the War in Ukraine?” – Kyiv Post, 19 May 2026“Disentangling effects of protection on seabed organic carbon and biodiversity in a rare highly protected mud-dominated MPA” – Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, August 2026 issue “Dutch court rules bottom trawling in Dogger Bank is unlawful” – Oceanographic, 11 May 2026This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible — we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Katy Lee
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 21 May 2026 - 57min - 355 - Do you also have a Monstera in your living room?
Vinyl records, coffee table books, low-maintenance pot plants: from Dublin to Dubrovnik, all good hipsters have the same stuff. The Italian writer Vincenzo Latronico captures this boring international aesthetic beautifully in his hit novel ‘Perfection’, while skewering millennial life in general. Do you like hearing about Lisbon food, the internet vs real life, and everything that’s wrong with the word ‘expat’? Then you’ll love our inaugural book club conversation, even if you haven’t read the book. We’re also talking this week about a fugitive Polish politician’s transatlantic dash, and the questionable Frenchness of a celebrated giraffe. Listen to the end if you want to know why we are launching a side-business importing sun loungers.
Our book club is brought to you in collaboration with the European Review of Books, featuring the magazine’s co-founder Wiegertje Postma along with Portuguese bookworm Teresa Bandeira de Carvalho. The latest issue of the European Review of Books is out today!
You can subscribe to Teresa’s excellent Substack here, and read her viral post on the word ‘expat’ here.
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the Zenodot website, where you can check if a book has been translated into your language, and the European Press Prize shortlist.
NEED MORE BOOK CHAT? Subscribers of The Europeans have access to an extended version of our book club conversation – twice as long and packed with thoughtful observations about everything from whether or not this story has a happy ending, to... how to run a book club. If you’re not yet a supporter of the podcast but you’d like to hear the longer version of the conversation, you can sign up at patreon.com/europeanspodcast.
The Europeans is made possible by listener contributions – we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs on Patreon in many different currencies, or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 14 May 2026 - 59min - 354 - Venice has a Russia and Israel problem
‘Art and politics can totally be separated!’ said no one ever – apart from the organisers of the Venice Biennale, a.k.a. the Olympics of the art world. This week we’re diving into the fallout from the Biennale’s decision to allow both Russia and Israel to participate. We’re also looking at a case study of why it’s so problematic to welcome Moscow to events that showcase its (Kremlin-approved) cultural offerings: the film Mr Nobody Against Putin, whose co-director Pavel Talankin, we are happy to report, has now happily been reunited with his mislaid Oscar. A round of applause for Lufthansa!
It’s taken us many years to get over our bitterness that there are some other kids on the block called The Europeans, but since it’s Europe Day this Saturday, we’ve decided to bury the hatchet. This week we’re delighted to be joined by the Dutch writer Arnold van Bruggen, one half of the photo-documentary project The Europeans. Along with the photographer Rob Hornstra, Arnold is spending the decade chronicling life around a continent that, as he puts it, is being rocked by a perfect storm of political, social and environmental changes. We spoke to Arnold about the latest chapter of the project, in which they got to know the migrant workers who keep southern Spain’s giant greenhouse region running. This interview is brought to you in partnership with the European Cultural Foundation.
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are Repro Uncensored, which is doing fine work highlighting a wave of shutdowns of queer Instagram accounts, and Rotraut Susanne Berner’s seasonal Wimmelbilderbücher for kids.
EUROPE DAY: How’s your prep going? Got your Rösti at the ready? If you’d like to spend Saturday celebrating everything that’s wonderful about this continent (and maybe discussing some things we could fix) in the presence of other human beings, our friends at the European Cultural Foundation have a great list of events, from film screenings to family days out. Find your nearest at europeday.eu. #HappyEuropeDay!
DON’T MISS OUR INAUGURAL BOOK CLUB PODCAST: You still have a week to read Vincenzo Latronico’s pleasingly short ‘Perfection’, although we’re confident you’ll still enjoy next Thursday’s conversation about possibly the Berlin novel of our time even if you’ve never heard of it. Book nerds may want to sign up to support the podcast this week, because we’ll be bringing you a longer version of the conversation – brought to you in collaboration with the European Review of Books – on Patreon.
Speaking of bonus content: you’ll find some extra snippets of our conversation with Arnold van Bruggen at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (or in your inbox if you subscribe via our website).
The Europeans is made possible by listener contributions – we cannot continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs on Patreon in many different currencies, or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Resources for this episode:
Amsterdammers can catch The (other) Europeans’ exhibition Plastic Sea, Perfect Stormat Domo until next Wednesday. The book version launches at the same venue on May 7 at 4pm.Madrileños can catch the exhibition at PHotoESPAÑA from June 4.Produced by Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 07 May 2026 - 55min - 353 - Can Pedro Sánchez unite the global left?
This week, we’ve got a little something for everyone: gambling! Kraftwerk! Blast from the recent US political past Tim Walz! It was a Good Week yet again for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the darling of the global left, who threw a party for… the global left. And it was a Bad Week for the legendary German electronic band Kraftwerk, who apparently have been around since 1970(!) and therefore can withstand the occasional bad week. We also caught up with Greek investigative reporter Eurydice Bersi, who was part of a team that uncovered a slew of streamers on places like YouTube and Twitch who’ve been directing their followers to unlicensed gambling sites – and profiting off it.
Eurydice is a reporter with Reporters United, Investigate Europe’s partners in Greece.
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the European Cultural Foundation’s calendar of the smörgåsbord of events coming up in celebration of Europe Day 2026, and the website WhoSampled.com.
UPCOMING BOOK CLUB: Don’t forget to pick up a copy of Vincenzo Latronico’s novella Perfection, which we’ll be discussing with our friends from the European Review of Books right here on 14 May.
Resources for this episode:
“The European rule on whether samples need to be cleared moves to a ‘maybe’ with latest Kraftwerk ruling” – Complete Music Update, 15 April 2026“The Court of Justice clarifies the scope of the exception for ‘pastiche’ in relation to sampling” – Court of Justice of the European Union, 14 April 2026“Greek utility completes 2.13 GW solar cluster at former coal mine” – PV Magazine, 7 April 2026“Social media influencers steer millions of Europeans to unlicensed gambling websites” – Investigate Europe, 24 February 2026Shady Bets, Investigate Europe’s series on online gamblingWe know what you’re thinking: you wish you got more emails. What about more emails from…The Europeans? GOOD WEEK BAD WEEK is the Substack newsletter your inbox craves. Don’t believe us? Subscribe here and see for yourself.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 23 Apr 2026 - 52min - 352 - How did Ukrainians end up sailing in Russia's shadow fleet?
Shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Elon Musk’s company SpaceX swept in to restore internet connectivity to areas that had been affected by Russian attacks. But SpaceX and its internet service, Starlink, have hardly remained indisputable forces for good in the war in Ukraine. Earlier this month, the Kyiv Independent revealed that a fleet of old, rusty ships has been transporting hundreds of millions of barrels of Russian oil… with Starlink’s help. Investigative journalist Tanya Kozyreva joins us to explain what her reporting uncovered about how Starlink is used by the Russian “shadow fleet” – and how Ukrainian sailors have found themselves onboard. We’re also joined by The Europeans’ resident Luxembourger, Nina Lamparski, to discuss a resurgence of bison in Europe and the imperiled fate of halloumi.
JOIN OUR BOOK CLUB: We’re so excited to be partnering with our friends at the European Review of Books on a new audio book club! Want to read along with us? We’ll be discussing our first pick, Vincenzo Latronico’s Perfection, on 14 May.
Resources for this episode:
“From biodiversity to carbon capture: Saving bison from extinction has brought big benefits to Europe” – Euronews, 8 April 2026“Foot-and-Mouth Disease - questions and answers” – European Commission“Disease and division threaten Halloumi in latest Cyprus-Turkey spat” – Politico, 10 April 2026Our 2021 episode about halloumi, “Cheese Diplomacy”“Exclusive: We discovered what’s going on inside Russia’s shadow fleet” – Kyiv Independent, 1 April 2026If this podcast gets you singing “more, more, more!”, we’d love to introduce you to our newsletter, GOOD WEEK BAD WEEK. Same groove, different format, every Friday in your inbox. 🎵How do you like it, how do you like it?🎵
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Morgan Childs and Katy Lee
Editorial support from Katz Laszlo
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 16 Apr 2026 - 1h 02min - 351 - Where are the Zohran Mamdanis of Europe?
A few weeks back, we asked you to weigh in on a question that’s been on our mind a lot lately: Who are the Zohran Mamdanis of Europe, and when, pray tell, are they going to give our beloved, ailing continent a much-needed shake-up? As it turns out, that’s a complicated question. This week’s guest, Brussels-based journalist Dave Keating, says that the decks are stacked against insurgent outsiders like the New York mayor – yet we need them more than ever. We had a long-overdue chat with Dave about what might be preventing a charismatic, insurgent figure on the left from taking off in the EU, and we also talked about a few of the leaders you wrote in to share with us. (Of course, keep us posted of any changemakers cropping up in your country at hello@europeanspodcast.com.)
We’re also talking about a controversial new law in Germany introducing voluntary military service in the country for men under the age of 45. We recorded this segment a few hours before the news that young men will not have to seek permission for long stints abroad after all; you can read updated reporting here. We also unpack Netflix’s failed legal challenge to EU regulations that led to a flood of funding for European TV and film production. A burning question has now been answered: yes, the US streaming giant really does have to set aside a decent budget for francophone Belgian content.
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the viral videos emerging from Zara Larsson’s tour and Juhani Karila’s book Summer Fishing in Lapland, brought to our attention by listener Monika.
Resources for this episode:
Dave Keating’s websiteDave’s book The Owned ContinentUK Green Party leader Zack Polanski on the BBC’s Political Thinking“Why a legal challenge by Netflix and Disney in Belgium could have huge implications for European producers” - Screen Daily, 14 May 2025“Forget Netflix — YouTube is our main rival, top French broadcaster says” - Politico Europe, 3 April 2026“Reading for a star: Meet the Portuguese teenager influencer helping kids to pick up books” - Euronews, 18 March 2026Can’t get enough of us? Of course you can’t! For more of The Europeans, subscribe to our newsletter, Good Week Bad Week. New issues land in your inbox every Friday.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 09 Apr 2026 - 1h 08min - 350 - Can a group of strangers solve Europe’s biggest problems?
If you got a knock on your door from someone inviting you to Brussels to hash out some EU policies…you’d think it was a scam, right? Us, too. At least, that was the case until last week, when our producer Wojciech went to report on a European Citizens’ Panel, an event designed to allow 150 randomly selected Europeans to weigh in on some of the EU’s thorniest problems. This week we’re taking a deep dive into the ins and outs of what seems like the nerdiest game show ever. How do these panels work? What do they actually achieve? And crucially, are they worth the cost?
Resources for this episode:
European Citizens’ PanelsEU Citizens’ Engagement PlatformMaybe you’re tuning in this week and thinking, “Wait, where’s Good Week, Bad Week?” To that we say: Have you heard about our newsletter? GOOD WEEK BAD WEEK is available for free on Substack and offers everything you love about the podcast, plus a few extra memes and internetty things. Try it; we think you’ll like it.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Reported, written, and produced by Wojciech Oleksiak
Editorial support by Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer
Audio editing by Morgan Childs
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne, Mariska Martina and Blue Dot Sessions
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram|Mastodon|Substack|hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 - 45min - 349 - The end of Orbán?
It has been 16 years since Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party assumed power in Hungary – and it might have begun to feel like things could never change. But with a parliamentary election just around the corner, there’s now a glimmer – a hint! a twinkle! – of hope that the EU's most illiberal government could finally be on its way out.
This week, we’re devoting the entire episode to the April 12 elections: what’s certain, what remains to be seen, and most importantly, what’s at stake. And to make sense of it all, we’re joined by two Budapest-based friends of the podcast: the novelist Krisztián Marton, and Viktória Serdült, reporter at HVG, one of the last surviving bastions of independent journalism in Hungary.
- “At last, a figure has emerged who could wrench power from Viktor Orbán in Hungary” – Viktória Serdült for The Guardian, 18 December 2024Paul the Octopus on WikipediaKrisztián Marton on InstagramViktória Serdült on X
This week’s Hungary-themed Inspiration Station recommendations are the song “Tizenhat” by Elefánt, the documentary The Trap, and the FT series The Orbán System.
MISS OUR NORMAL PROGRAMMING? This week’s edition of our newsletter, Good Week Bad Week, has you covered. Subscribe over here to learn what’s been going on beyond Hungary’s borders (the good, the bad, the silly).
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Morgan Childs, Wojciech Oleksiak and Katz Laszlo
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 26 Mar 2026 - 46min - 348 - Europe's anti-Elon
Back when Elon Musk was challenging Mark Zuckerberg to a cage fight, Eugen Rochko was building an open-source, non-problematic Twitter alternative, completely without fanfare. Last year, the Mastodon founder announced his departure from the head of the social media platform in a candid blog post, citing a growing discomfort with the role and an interest in preserving the site’s decentralised values. But Mastodon lives on, and – full disclosure – we’re all for it. This week, we spoke to Eugen about his dreams for the “fediverse” and about whether his vision for ethical, supervillain-free online communities has a promising future. In fact, we enjoyed the conversation so much that we’re releasing a longer version for supporters of the podcast.
Also in this episode: a compromise in Europe’s War on Veggie Burgers and the end of the decade-long Iceland-the-country-versus-Iceland-the-grocery-store dispute.
Resources for this episode:
“‘Veggie burgers’ are here to stay. Lab-grown ‘steaks’ never will be.” – Politico, 5 March 2026 “European consumer insights on the alternative protein sector” – The Good Food Institute Europe, 25 November 2025 Eugen on Mastodon “My next chapter with Mastodon” – Mastodon blog, 18 November 2025 “The Statues Were Mostly Men or Nude Women. So These Knitters Got to Work.” – The New York Times, 5 March 2026This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the Apple TV show Drops of God and the Swiss Android app Nearby Glasses.
You’ve probably heard by now that we have a newsletter. And you’ve probably already subscribed. Why wouldn’t you have? You’re smart, you’re cool, you’re with the programme; you love us, you want more of us. So leaving this link here for you to sign up is purely a formality.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible – we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaThe Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 12 Mar 2026 - 1h 06min - 347 - How to keep going when the world feels broken
This week, we wanted to ask a question that has been in our hearts and on our minds for years: Is it possible to try to make positive change in the world, and still stay healthy and sane? Dutch writer, political philosopher, and “recovering diplomat” Nori Spauwen believes that the answer is yes – even if it’s not always easy to strike the right balance. We chatted with Nori about “healthy” activism and training yourself to feel empowered in response to difficult news. If you’ve been overwhelmed lately (has anyone not?), this is a conversation for you.
Also in this week’s episode: a successful European Citizens’ Initiative that will make it easier for European women to procure abortion across borders, and a very Bad Week for Greece’s former finance minister-turned-public intellectual Yanis Varoufakis stemming from a Kylie Minogue concert 36 years ago.
Resources for this episode:
Re: Iranians in Europe (documentary) My Voice My Choice on Instagram (a masterclass in how to run an online campaign in 2026) How to launch a European Citizens’ Initiative Our episode from August 2025 in which Wojciech discusses the Stop Destroying Videogames Europeans Citizens’ Initiative Nori’s website Her book, Actie! (in Dutch) Her podcast, Verzetje (also in Dutch) The European Little OwlThis week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are this video recipe for Mezrab soup and Die Erweiterung by Robert Menasse.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: Get more of what you like from the podcast, delivered to your inbox each Friday. Sign up for GOOD WEEK BAD WEEK right here.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Katz Laszlo and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Record scratch sound effect by luffy via freesound.orgThe Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 05 Mar 2026 - 59min - 346 - How feminist economics could change Europe
Imagine what would happen if our political, cultural, and economic leaders began to reconsider what it means to create “value” in Europe. What if we were supported to rest, to look after our families, and to enjoy ourselves and our communities as much as we’re encouraged to generate capital? What would it look like for Europe to translate its wealth into greater wellbeing?
These are some of the big questions raised by Emma Holten, two-time Europeans guest and author of the book Deficit: How Feminist Economics Can Change Our World, now being translated into a dizzying number of languages. This week, we’ve devoted the entire show to our conversation with Emma about what “feminist economics” means and how it could change things for the better – not just for women, but for everyone.
GET INSPIRED WITH US: Who are the politicians that are proposing the most exciting and hopeful policies where you live? Introduce us to the leaders who are helping to bring a brighter, more equitable Europe to life: hello@europeanspodcast.com.
Resources for this episode:
Emma’s website Her book, Deficit Emma on The Europeans back in 2020SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: On the way to building a better world, how about building a better inbox? GOOD WEEK BAD WEEK comes out most weeks and significantly improves them. Your email will thank you. Get in on the action here.
This podcast was paid for by our listeners. If you like what we do – and you’d like our sassy brand of independent European journalism to keep existing in the world – we’d love it if you’d consider supporting us. You can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Wojciech Oleksiak and Morgan Childs
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaYouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 26 Feb 2026 - 39min - 345 - When will Europe get the trains it deserves?
If you’ve ever wondered where all the affordable night trains are, or struggled to book tickets for an international journey, or spent hours of your one wild and precious life petitioning for compensation for a significantly delayed trip (*takes deep breath, collects self*)... let us introduce you to Jon Worth. This prolific train watcher and commentator is behind a new European Rail Passengers’ Union that is pushing for easier cross-border transit and may even help to resolve some people’s personal cross-border nightmares. Jon thinks Europe’s train travellers deserve better, and we tend to agree.
Find out about the European Rail Passengers' Union here. Subscribe to his newsletter here, and check out his posts on Mastodon here.
Also in this week’s episode: the latest in all those big moves to get European youth off of social media, and an Olympics opening ceremony broadcast debacle for the ages. And some crime-fighting llamas. This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are Rosalía making a tortilla de patatas and the Spanish TV series Los Años Nuevos.
Resources for this episode:
“'I feel free': Australia's social media ban, one month on” – BBC, 9 January 2026 “Children should be at least 16 to access social media, say MEPs” – European Parliament, 26 November 2025 “France: TikTok still steering vulnerable children and young people towards depressive and suicidal content” – Amnesty International, 20 October 2025 Winter Olympics chaos at Italian broadcaster RAI (in Italian) Mariah Carey’s performance at the opening ceremony in Milan “Herd of crime-fighting llamas ‘make citizen’s arrest’ of man fleeing police” – @itvnews, 11 February 2026Talk of social media bans getting you down? Keep the screen time going with our newsletter, GOOD WEEK BAD WEEK. We recommend it for anyone over the age of 16 looking to level up their scrolling. Subscribe here; it’s good for you!
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Katz Laszlo and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 19 Feb 2026 - 59min - 344 - What do the Epstein files reveal about Europe’s elite?
It has been an absolutely Awful Week for everyone who has been paying attention to the latest release of the Epstein files, both on this continent and around the world. We’re taking a look at what the documents reveal about Europe’s rich and powerful and whether any overdue reckonings might come out of the horrific revelations. On the brighter side: we also discuss a sitting president who does NOT want to be handed the Nobel Peace Prize. A win for us all!
Our guest this week is journalist Salsabil Fayed, co-author of the recent Follow the Money investigation “U.S. donors bankroll Europe’s policy ideas through think tanks”. (Gulp.) What does it mean that some of the biggest American tech companies are financing some of the work of some of the most influential think tanks on this side of the Atlantic? Salsabil spells it all out.
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are Fairphone and not looking at your phone in the morning. So…go out and touch grass. (But catch up on your podcasts first.)
Resources for this episode:
“Moldovan president rejects Nobel Peace Prize nomination, says Ukrainian POWs deserve it instead” – Yahoo! News, 6 February 2026 “Holding the Line Between Democracy and Putin | President of Moldova, Maia Sandu” – The Rest is Politics, 11 January 2026 “Los ‘miles de fallos’ que exponen a las víctimas de los papeles de Epstein” – El Pais, 4 February 2026 “A survivor on the Epstein files – podcast” – The Guardian, 5 February 2026 Soundos el Ahmadi sets the record straight about misogynist violence on Flemish TV – De Afspraak, 7 February 2026 “U.S. donors bankroll Europe’s policy ideas through think tanks” – Follow the Money, 23 October 2025 “Podcast | The hidden U.S. influence on Europe’s policymaking” – Follow the Money, 10 December 2025 “US pressure revives call for powerful EU tech regulator” – Politico Europe, 18 January 2026 Screen time increases risk of dementia – Brankele Frank on Brainwash, January 2026 (In Dutch) “Digital dementia in the internet generation: excessive screen time during brain development will increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in adulthood” – Journal of Integrative Neuroscience, 28 January 2022Are you a visual learner rather than an auditory one? We got you. Here’s our new newsletter. (Almost) all of what you like from the weekly podcast, but…quieter. It’s nice. Try it.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Morgan Childs and Wojciech OleksiakEditorial support from Katy Lee
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech OleksiakMusic by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 12 Feb 2026 - 58min - 343 - The Europeans: Ask Us Anything
A very special bienvenue to this very special episode of The Europeans! This week, the entire team gathered in person in a swanky studio in Paris to answer some of your burning questions, from “How do you stay sane when you’re immersed in the news?” to “Is there a favourite bird?” (i.e. the simple to the deeply complex). Plus: Wojciech’s dream of being a “failed sportsman”, the unvarnished truth about the team’s vegan/teetotaling façade, and… The Europeans Matchmaking Agency?!
We’ll be back with a regular episode next week. In the meantime, subscribe to our cheeky new newsletter! If you like this here, we think you’ll enjoy that there.
Resources for this episode:
“A 24-year-old Frenchman shows up at hospital with a World War I shell lodged in his rectum” – El País, 2 February 2026 A heartwarming TikTok compilation of running owlsThis podcast was funded by our listeners. If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Katy Lee
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaYouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 05 Feb 2026 - 29min - 342 - A European social network for the WTF era
By popular demand (and thanks to Dominic’s singing schedule), our silly, brilliant Luxembourger-in-chief Nina Lamparski is back in the hosting chair – and she’s brought her longstanding grudge against Elon Musk with her. Musk has made a real dog’s breakfast of that app we all used to like, and his AI assistant, Grok, seems designed for maximum awfulness. Can the European-made social media platform “W” provide an ethical alternative to X? We break it down. Plus: 10 European countries have committed to building a power grid in the North Sea that would become the world’s largest reservoir of clean energy, an ambitious move that happens to come on the back of some annoying comments from the American president at Davos. Next time someone calls you a loser, just give ‘em the windmill.
Our guest this week is Katja Diehl, Hamburg-based mobility activist, author, and host of the German-language podcast She Drives Mobility. If you, too, believe that you should have the right to a life without cars, you’ll enjoy hearing from her just as much as we did.
SEND US YOUR Qs! WE’LL GIVE YOU OUR As! Next week we’re recording a special episode of The Europeans, and we’re seeking listener questions. Got something you’re dying to know about? Drop us a line – or better yet, a voice memo – at hello@europeanspodcast.com.
LISTENER SURVEY: Are you the sort of person who listens to podcasts and thinks, “I have notes”? Now’s your time to shine! Fill out our survey and give us the performance review we’ve been waiting for! (It really won’t take long, and we’ll be very grateful.)
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are That Glasgow Witch and the song “Qanoruna isigivinga?" by Greenlandic singer-songwriter Tûtu.
Resources for this episode:
“EU risks new energy dependence as US could supply 80% of its LNG imports by 2030” – Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, 19 January 2026 International Energy Agency overview of Europe’s natural gas supply “European Electricity Review 2026” – Ember, 22 January 2026This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Katz Laszlo and Morgan Childs
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaYouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 29 Jan 2026 - 56min - 341 - The UK and the EU: best buds again?
You’d be forgiven for forgetting that Europe is bigger than Davos this week, but we’ve got three great stories to remind you. First up: it’s been a good week for Berliners making Kartoffelsalat, Kartoffelsuppe, Kartoffelknödel, et cetera et cetera, thanks to an initiative that is distributing more than 170 tonnes – TONNES – of potatoes across the German capital. Then we examine a newly leaked “Made in Europe“ proposal that seeks to promote industrial production in the EU (very very fun, we promise).
We’re also joined by Nick Thomas-Symonds, the UK government minister pursuing a post-Brexit “reset“ in relations with the EU, about how the Labour government might help clean up some of the post-Brexit mess. This one goes out to those of you who like to email to remind us that Britain is still Europe. We see you. We read you.
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the Norwegian film Sentimental Value and these 'tasting notes' from a water sommelier.
LISTENER SURVEY: Fear not – we are still seeking responses to our listener survey! It’s not too late to help! It’s simple and really does help us make the show better. Fill it out here and pat yourself on the back afterwards.
Resources for this episode:
4,000 Tonnen, the “great potato rescue operation” “Record potato harvest is no boon in fries-mad Belgium” – France 24, 29 October 2025 “Den regionalen Erzeugern wird vors Schienbein getreten” – Taz, 15 January 2026 “EU Aims to Fight Industrial Decline With ‘Made in Europe’ Law” – Bloomberg, 17 January 2026 Aurora Notifier app Joachim Trier’s acceptance speech at the European Film Awards Veronika the cow, scratching herselfSUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: Other things happened/are happening in Europe this week (🫠) and if you’d like to learn more about them, join us over at our newsletter, GOOD WEEK BAD WEEK.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 22 Jan 2026 - 57min - 340 - ChatGPT is ruining weddings now
If you are the sort of person whose New Year’s resolutions read something like: “(1) Shoot for the moon, (2) Do what you love, (3) Change the world” – have we got a guest for you! We’re joined this week by former Icelandic prime minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, who resigned from office in 2024 in order to run for president and is now enjoying a second life as a successful crime novelist and climate activist. Be still, our hearts. We chatted with Katrín about the security threat that climate change and the current geopolitical instability pose to Iceland; her career in politics; and why she wanted to write fiction (“Doesn’t everybody?” she asked).
Also in this episode: The Mercosur primer of your dreams! And the disconcertingly relatable story of a ChatGPT-informed wedding gone awry. This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the 10th edition of the European Review of Books and the Deutsche Welle podcast Delayland.
LISTENER SURVEY: Do you have a moment to help us out? We would be so grateful to hear your thoughts about what we’re doing well and where we can improve. Fill out our short, simple survey here.
Resources for this episode:
“32.7% of EU people used generative AI tools in 2025” – Eurostat, 16 December 2025 “Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory” – European Broadcasting Union, 22 October 2025 “Thinker, Plaintiff, Merkel, Spy” (our interview with the creators of the European Review of Books) – The Europeans, 3 June 2021 The Weapons to Ukraine fund, AKA Czech initiative A Gift for Putin (Dárek pro Putina)SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER: Although this episode came out on a Friday, we are a *Thursday* podcast, because who wants to think about the imminent World War III on a Friday? That being said, if you would like to laugh through your tears on Friday, we recommend our newsletter, GOOD WEEK BAD WEEK. It will carry you through a full weekend of existential dread.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Morgan Childs, Wojciech Oleksiak and Katz Laszlo
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech OleksiakMusic by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Fri, 16 Jan 2026 - 55min - 339 - 2026: The year Europe gets its act together?
We are returning from our winter holidays feeling refreshed, renewed, and optimistic about 2026. Ha ha ha ha! No, but seriously, Trump’s capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores was the New Year’s gift that Europe certainly did not ask for, and it raises a host of alarming questions. Among them: Does this move grant a permission slip for Vladimir Putin to encroach even further into Europe? And what does this mean for Greenland?
As we tiptoe into the year ahead with heaps of anxiety about what it might have in store, we wanted to get some perspective from Alberto Alemanno, professor of EU law, founder of The Good Lobby, and longtime friend of the podcast. Alberto always has a smart, fresh perspective on what’s happening on the continent, and despite being jetlagged this week, he certainly did not disappoint.
We’re also talking this week about Bulgaria’s adoption of the euro—a move that comes with some risks, but about which we are cautiously optimistic—and about the 308,000 Greek students who recently lost their student status. This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are Rosa Balistreri’s song “Curri Cavaddu Miu”, the French-owned streaming platform Qobuz, which offers a potentially more ethical alternative to Spotify, and going to the dentist in other countries (makes more sense if you listen in).
Resources for this episode:
“Hitting record highs: unpacking support for the euro” – European Central Bank, 2025 Alberto’s excellent and information-rich Instagram, LinkedIn, and BlueSky accounts “Rosa Balistreri” – Enciclopedia Delle Donne Even more songs by Rosa Balistreri Instagram post by @patriciana comparing the ethics, content, and costs of various streaming platformsStride trepidatiously into the new year with The Europeans in your inbox! Our new newsletter, Good Week Bad Week, comes out on Friday mornings. Sign up here.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Katz Laszlo and Morgan Childs
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech OleksiakMusic by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 08 Jan 2026 - 59min - 338 - Pavarotti is trapped in an ice rink
It’s that time of year when we gather together with friends from near and far, indulge in seasonal treats, and take a lighthearted look at the stories that are rounding out these past 12 wild months. It’s our annual Christmas extravaganza (🎄🎁🧑🎄✨ etc)! And in case you weren’t able to attend the party live over Zoom, not to worry – there’s plenty of revelry to be had in this episode.
This week we discuss two of the lighter news items to cross our messy Q4 desks: the fact that Denmark’s national postal service, PostNord, will soon cease to send letters or postcards, and the rather awkward saga surrounding a statue of opera legend Luciano Pavarotti that has been encased in an ice rink. Then we catch up with Jim Barne, a musician who made his name composing the theme music for a little podcast called The Europeans (wink, blush) and has just opened a smash-hit Broadway show, Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York). Jim and his Two Strangers co-creator, Kit Buchan, are here to answer a burning question of Dominic’s: what is it, exactly, that makes Christmas music so Christmasy?
In the spirit of the holidays, here’s something a little more serious: sometimes it’s hard to believe that an independent podcast like ours has been able to find so many wonderful listeners across the world who have made it possible for us to keep going and growing over the years. You can hear a bit about how far we’ve come over the course of 2025 in this episode. But suffice to say, your generosity is an enormous gift that we don’t take lightly. Thank you.
If you don’t yet support the podcast but you’d like to help us keep making it, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies). Or you can gift a donation to a superfan this Christmas! We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about The Europeans. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations came from listeners! Attila recommended the recent Catalan film Molt lluny (Away), Anna loved the book When the Cranes Fly South by Swedish author Lisa Ridzén, and Stephen plugged Simon Kuper’s memoir Impossible City: Paris in the Twenty-First Century.
Watch Christiani Pitts and Sam Tutty performing ‘Under the Mistletoe’ here.
Our final newsletter of 2025 will be out tomorrow. Click here to get it in your inbox.
Produced by Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
00:00 Light on the carp, heavy on the Lithuanian liquor
05:01 Good Christmas: Danish memorabilia collectors
15:22 Bad Christmas: An operatic ice rink blunder
22:52 The state of The Europeans' finances in December 2025
28:35 Interview: Jim Barne and Kit Buchan on the secrets of Christmas song-writing
46:46 The Inspiration Station: 'Molt lluny (Away)', 'When the Cranes Fly South' and 'Impossible City'
50:43 Happy Ending: Owls livin' it large in SpainYouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 18 Dec 2025 - 54min - 337 - Can the EU make Poland recognise gay marriage?
If the winter blues have got you down, these two things might lift your spirit: (1) the Christmas section at your local Lidl, and (2) the news that a same-sex marriage in one EU country must be recognised in another. But how this ruling is going to be implemented across the bloc—especially in the countries where there are no civil partnership rights—remains to be seen. This week, we unpack the manifold questions raised by this big-step-in-the-right-direction decision. We also examine the Louvre’s controversial new ticketing policy. Is giving cheaper tickets to Europeans a form of discrimination?
Our guest this week is Angéla Kóczé, chair of the Romani Studies programme at Central European University. Angéla recently wrote a compelling article for Verfassungsblog in response to a troubling new Hungarian law. We caught up with her to discuss Europe’s long history of anti-Roma discrimination, including decades of forcible sterilisation of Roma women.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. An extra incentive to support us this week: on December 15 at 2030 CET, we'll be recording the final episode of the year on Zoom at a very fun live show just for our supporters. We'd love to have you with us!
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the 2022 film Woman on the Roof and the very cool website Mapping Diversity, which reveals just how many streets in your European city were named after women (spoiler: probably very few).
ICYMI: We’ve launched a newsletter! Get a fuller picture of who’s had a good week and who’s had a bad week in Europe each Friday in GOOD WEEK BAD WEEK. You can sign up at europeanspodcast.substack.com.
Other resources for this episode:
“How significant was an EU ruling on same-sex marriage?” – RTÉ, 30 November 2025 “Poland will implement EU court order to recognise same-sex marriages, says justice minister” – Notes from Poland, 26 November, 2025 “L’établissement public du musée du Louvre et son fonds de dotation” - French auditors’ report on the Louvre’s finances, 6 November, 2025 “Contrat à 15 000 euros, commanditaires « à l’accent slave », van blanc… Les secrets du casse du siècle au Louvre” - the juiciest French reporting on the investigation into the Louvre heist. Le Parisien, 25 November, 2025 “Multilingualism protects against accelerated aging in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of 27 European countries” – Nature Aging, 10 November 2025
Produced by Katz Laszlo and Morgan Childs
Editorial support from Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina00:46 Two radically different solutions for beating the winter blues
04:52 Good Week: A landmark gay marriage ruling in the EU
17:32 Bad Week: The Louvre's new ticketing system
33:08 Interview: Angéla Kóczé on how Roma people are experiencing the rise of the far-right
48:54 The Inspiration Station: 'Woman On The Roof' and MappingDiversity.eu
52:46 Happy Ending: Duolingo could protect you from ageingYouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 04 Dec 2025 - 55min - 336 - Europe's climate vibe has shifted. Now what?
It hasn’t been a Good Week for the climate since, er, 1820-something? And it wasn’t last week, either. But it is a good week for The Europeans, because we’re joined by Luisa Neubauer, one of Germany’s best-known climate activists. Luisa recently wrote a terrific piece for The Economist about Europe’s climate “vibe shift”. We got her insights on what has caused the greenlash and what we ought to be doing about it. It’s a thoughtful, self-reflective, heartening conversation we think you’ll enjoy.
We’re also talking about Brussels’ proposed “military Schengen” agreement, which would allow EU member states to move troops and equipment across borders relatively swiftly. (You don’t want to know how sluggish things are now.) And we’re taking a look at Slovenia’s troubling new “Šutar Law”, a security bill that is widely understood to target the Roma minority.
In other news… The Europeans are launching a newsletter! If you want to hear more about what happened in Europe over the past week and find out what we left on the podcast-cutting-room floor, subscribe to GOOD WEEK BAD WEEK over on Substack. New issues hit inboxes on Friday mornings.
And someone else has a new newsletter, too. Our very own Katy Lee has just published the first issue of Millefeuille, an English-language newsletter “for Parisians who are bad at local news”. If you fall in the middle of the Europeans podcast–Francophile Venn diagram, subscribe here.
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are two newly resurfaced works by Johann Sebastian Bach (here and here) and Carlo Rovelli’s book about the physics of time, The Order of Time. And if you, too, are in the market for a novella to help you knock out your 2025 reading goals, Dominic likes Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These.
Other resources for this episode:
“The surreal 45-day trek at the heart of Nato’s defence” - Financial Times, 17 November, 2025 “Commission moves towards ‘Military Schengen' and transformation of defence industry” - European Commission press release, 19 November, 2025 “Why you probably should not re-gauge railways in Europe” - Jon Worth, 30 September, 2025 “Slovenia’s ‘Šutar Law’ Sets a Dangerous Precedent for Europe” - Roma Foundation for Europe, 18 November, 2025 “Romani Activists Fear Collective Punishment & Discrimination as Slovenia Passes New Security Bill" - European Roma Rights Centre, 7 November, 2025This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Produced by Morgan Childs
Editorial support from Katz Laszlo
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaYouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 27 Nov 2025 - 1h 01min - 335 - How Ireland proved a basic income for artists actually works
We don’t often get to cover joyful policy news on this podcast, so this week we’re delighted to be discussing that rare thing: a European country that’s investing serious money in culture. For three years, Ireland has been experimenting with paying artists, musicians and other creative workers a basic income. And guess what? The scheme has worked so well that they’re keeping it going. But is the policy all it’s cracked up to be? This week we speak to John Baker, a co-founder of the Equality Studies Centre at University College Dublin and one of the coordinators of Basic Income Ireland, about the logic and limits of Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts.
In sillier policy news, we’re looking at why Slovakia has been regulating the speed of kids cycling on the pavement. And we’re diving into Ukraine’s massive corruption scandal: what exactly happened, and just how bad is it for Volodymyr Zelenskyy?
You can read interviews with the artists who’ve been receiving Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts here.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations: ‘Dopamine’ by Robyn, ‘Choke Enough’ by Oklou, ‘West End Girl’ by Lily Allen and ‘La symphonie des éclairs’ by Zaho de Sagazan.
Other resources for this episode
‘The EU Parliament now has a right-wing majority’ - Gulf Stream Blues (Dave Keating’s newsletter), November 14, 2025
‘Rage, panic, and a glimmer of hope in Ukraine as corruption scandal unfolds’ - The Kyiv Independent, November 15, 2025
‘No, there is no ‘speed limit’ for pedestrians in Slovakia’ - Euractiv, October 30, 2025
‘Bratislava built under 4 km of cycle paths last year, leaving cyclists disappointed’ - The Slovak Spectator, April 1, 2025
Produced by Morgan ChildsMixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 20 Nov 2025 - 48min - 334 - Help! My manager is an algorithm!
KATY IS BACK! And we are proud to report that her new baby no longer looks like far-right French politician Éric Zemmour. Relief all around!
It’s been a hectic time in Europe, but we’re happy to be covering it all—or, you know, a sizable sliver of it—starting with Latvia’s potential withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention and the European Parliament’s call for new regulation of algorithmic tech in the workplace. Algorithmic management has made its way into all sorts of industries; we dig into whether or not that’s a good thing and how new legislation might help to protect us all.
Then it’s off to Paris, where tens of thousands of shoppers have already flooded the aisles of the new brick-and-mortar Shein store and thousands of others have been protesting its very existence. That’s not only because of Shein’s environmentally toxic business model but because of the recent appearance of some despicable products on its website—which has led the French government to threaten to ban the fast-fashion giant. To break it all down, we rang up Paris-based fashion journalist Dana Thomas, author of the book Fashionopolis and host of the podcast The Green Dream.
Mentioned in this episode:
‘“Cynical and completely reckless” Latvia has the highest femicide rate in Europe — including Russia. Its parliament just voted to exit a treaty protecting women from violence.’ - Meduza, November 4, 2025 EU study: 37% of employees are monitored for working hours 1 in 4 workplaces make decisions with algorithms Case studies in algorithmic management Dana’s book Fashionopolis Dana’s newsletter, The Style FilesThis week's Inspiration Station recommendations are the Rosalía album Lux and the podcast series Where Is Jón?, a co-production of RTÉ in Ireland and RÚV in Iceland.
We don't often have sponsors on this podcast but this week, we do: Patagonia. Three years ago, Patagonia named Earth as its only shareholder. But moving more profits to environmental causes hasn’t made them a perfect company—let alone a sustainable one. Out now is Patagonia's 2025 Work-in-Progress report: the raw truth about where they’re messing up, but also, the latest ways they’re rethinking business as usual. You can check out the report here.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
01:21 Katy's back!
05:33 Bad Week: Latvian politicians
19:08 Good Week: All European workers! (Maybe)
30:48 Interview: Dana Thomas on France's threat to ban SHEIN
46:00 The Inspiration Station: 'Lux' by Rosalía and 'Where is Jón'?
50:46 Happy Ending: Europe's first major elephant sanctuary
Produced by Morgan Childs
Editorial support from Katz Laszlo
Mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comFri, 14 Nov 2025 - 53min - 333 - Drugs policy: Who Does It Best?
Should weed be legalised? What about heroin? Set aside any previously held opinions and prepare a far-out trip! In the final episode of 'Who Does It Best?' producer Wojciech is taking us across the landscape of Europe’s drug policies. From 90s Portugal to the coffee shops of Amsterdam to a little pit stop in Uruguay(!), we’re taking a deep dive into which policies are the sanest and safest on offer.
MASSIVE THANKS: We want to give a HUGE shoutout to everyone who made this series possible. Our generous crowdfunders hit our goal within two months, making it possible for us to do extensive reporting fully independently. Our hearts are beyond full. Thank you.
BOOST THE SHOW: If you liked the series and want to help us spread the good word, we’ve prepared some social media posts that you can download and share. Here they are! We’d be eternally grateful if you influenced your followers with our snappy graphics ✨
DON’T QUIT WHILE YOU’RE AHEAD: If you’re feeling inspired to support The Europeans’ ongoing work, please go to patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can drop us a few euros or dollars or francs or crowns or whatever the heck ya got.Additional resources for this episode:
Research on Portugal’s decriminalization success story Amsterdam’s drop-in center AMOC ZuidWritten, reported and produced by: Wojciech Oleksiak
Editor: Jasmin Baoumy
Editorial support: Dominic Kraemer, Katz Laszlo, Katy Lee, Morgan Childs
Sound design: Jesse Lou Lawson
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music and SFX: Jim Barne, Epidemic, FreeSound.org
Artwork: RTiiiKA
Thanks to everyone who sat down with Wojciech to share their expertise, including Tom Decorte, Katrin Schiffer, Annika Apfel, Malu Salazar, Cedric Chervet, Adam Nowotarski, Peter Sarosi, Ferry, the De Barones crew, Reinoud van Delft, Gośka, Yahya, Leonie, AMOC clients Bouhz and Damian, Breda’s coffeeshop owners. Special thanks go to Leonie, Tom, Łukasz and Michał.
Stay safe out there!
YouTube |Bluesky |Instagram |Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com00:00:43 Intro: Rockstar life and drugs
00:09:55 Act I: Soft drugs, tolerance and the myth of legal weed
00:23:15 Act II: You gotta regulate that thing!
00:30:43 Act III: Total decriminalization
00:49:05 Act IV: Legalise everything, regulate everythingFri, 07 Nov 2025 - 1h 00min - 332 - Report from Novi Sad: Can students bring down a regime?
We’re taking a momentary break from “Who Does It Best?” to take a trip to Serbia with producer Wojciech Oleksiak. Wojciech was on the ground in Novi Sad last weekend to report from the massive demonstration marking the one-year anniversary of the tragic accident at the city’s railway station.
And if you’re not following this story, you should be. Much of what’s happening in Serbia is a heartening example of how peaceful demonstrations can really move the needle, even in places where the political situation looks bleak. And Serbia’s leadership has been following a playbook that is increasingly common across Europe and the rest of the world. Even if you don’t live under an illiberal democracy…you might want to get familiar with how they take shape.
If you’re interested to hear more on this evolving story, check out our episode from earlier this year called “Is real change coming to Serbia?”
We’ll be back with the final episode of “Who Does It Best?” on Friday. (Wojciech has had a busy week.)
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Reported, produced, mixed, and mastered by Wojciech Oleksiak. Editorial support by Dominic Kraemer and Morgan Childs. Special thanks go to Filip Djordjević and Mila Dragnić.
Tue, 04 Nov 2025 - 30min - 331 - Childcare policy: Who Does It Best?
Childcare policy affects all of us at some point in our lives. And depending on where you live, your country’s parental leave and early-education policies can determine everything from what you do for a living to how you divide household labor to how you plan for your future. Reporters Maja Stepančič and Uršula Zaletelj took a whirlwind trip across Europe to find out which country does childcare policy best. And even if you don’t have kids of your own, we’re pretty sure you’ll enjoy taking the journey with them.
Maja and Uršula are the hosts of the Slovenian-language parenting podcast Šala za starše, or ‘A Joke for Parents’. You can find their show here.
This series was fully funded by you, our listeners. Our generous crowdfunders hit our goal within two months, making it possible for us to do extensive reporting fully independently. We couldn’t be more grateful. If you’re feeling inspired to support The Europeans’ ongoing work, please go to patreon.com/europeanspodcast.
Want to support us in another way? Please share this episode with one or two friends who you think might find it interesting. It’s the most effective way for us to reach people!
The Day Iceland Stood Still UNICEF report on parental leave and family-friendly policies Zoe Williams’ Guardian piece “‘These are not numbers – they are people’: what ex-communist Slovenia can teach the world about child poverty”
Additional resources for this episode:
00:00:43 Introducing Uršula Zaletelj and Maja Stepančič00:05:52 How childcare made this episode about childcare possible
00:13:55 How Icelandic women went on strike and brought the entire country to a halt
00:17:25 A Swedish toddler trouble
00:21:52 Is it best to raise your child in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower?
00:28:26 The longest parental leave in Europe
00:34:54 Italy: La Famiglia Mulino Bianco
00:42:39 No place like home!
Written, reported and produced by: Uršula Zaletelj and Maja StepančičAdditional production: Katz Laszlo
Editors: Jasmin Baoumy, Katz Laszlo
Editorial support: Dominic Kraemer, Katy Lee, Morgan Childs
Sound design: Jesse Lou Lawson
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music and SFX: Jim Barne, Epidemic, FreeSound.org
Artwork: RTiiiKA
With thanks to everyone that talked to us for this episode: Mathieu Lefèvre, Ana Marija Sikirić Simčic, Martina Pezer, Petra Klasić, Ivona Ivić Lovrenović, Mojca Dominikovič, Katarina Hovfing, Katy Lee, Stephanie Scherer, Dana Thompson, Richard Thompson, Madalina Ion, Corina Parvu, Alenka Švab, Katarina Bogataj, Carlotta Giordano, Giulia Milan, Letizia Mencarini, Maria Rosaria Gualano and Anne Wiebke Peters.
And a final, heartfelt thanks to the wonderful professionals who looked after Uršula and Maja’s children so they could work on this episode ❤️
YouTube |Bluesky |Instagram |Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Fri, 31 Oct 2025 - 58min - 330 - Housing policy: Who Does It Best? - Part 2
Katz goes back to the drawing board. If the housing crisis is really about wealth inequality, doesn’t the policy we need to fix it… need to address wealth inequality? We go in deep, and what Katz finds makes us wonder: are we even having the right conversation when it comes to the housing crisis?
If you're curious about where you stand on your country's wealth ladder, you can find the World Bank’s calculatorhere, which adjusts for things like home ownership.
The intergenerational wealth audit that Molly co-authored, you can find here.
You can find one of the OECD’s reports on housing tax in Europehere.
You can find Cody’s book on housing shame here.
Interested in hearing more radio that looks at how politics gets into our intimate lives? Journalist Anna Sale’s book and podcast “about the things we think about a lot and need to talk about more” have been a huge inspiration.
If you want to know your renters' rights, many countries have renters' unions that give (legal) advice. Here's the Dutch one: Woonbond.
And most importantly, this series was fully funded by you - our listeners! Our generous crowdfunders hit our goal within two months, and made it possible for us to do extensive reporting fully independently. We couldn’t be more grateful. If you’re feeling inspired to support our ongoing work, please go to patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can donate as little as 3 euros, less than an overpriced cappuccino! But you can also donate plenty more ;)
Want to support us in another way? Please consider telling one or two friends specifically about this episode, and sharing it with them. It is the most effective way for us to reach people!
Written, reported and produced by: Katz Laszlo
Editors: Jasmin Baoumy, Katy Lee
Editorial support: Dominic Kraemer, Morgan Childs, Uršula Zaletelj, Maja Stepančič
Sound design: Jesse Lou Lawson
Mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music and SFX: Jim Barne, Epidemic, FreeSound.org
Artwork: RTiiiKA
Special thanks to: Vera Vrijmoeth, Georgia Walker, Cody Hochstenbach, Molly Broome, Juha Kahila, Ton Heijdra, Marie-Jeanne Dumont, Museum Het Schip, Woonbond, and the many more friends and strangers who talked to us about housing and money.YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 - 46min - 329 - Housing policy: Who Does It Best? - Part 1
Why is your rent so high? What are the policies that created this housing crisis, and what policies can get us out of it? This week we launch the first two parts of our new series, ‘Who Does It Best?’. At a time when many people feel like their governments are not taking care of them, we wondered: how do policies actually shape our daily lives? And are there places getting it right?
In Housing Part 1, Katz takes us on a journey through Vienna, Finland, and Paris, looking for Europe’s most ambitious housing policies and what we can learn from them (and maybe even copy?!). But first, Katz and Dominic sit down to face the elephant in the room: money, housing, and inheritance.
If you’re curious about where you stand on your country’s wealth ladder, you can find the World Bank’s wealth calculator here.
If you want to know your renters’ rights, many countries have renters’ unions that give (legal) advice. Here is the Dutch one: Woonbond.
Interested in hearing more radio that looks at how politics gets into our intimate lives? Journalist Anna Sale’s book and podcast “about the things we think about a lot and need to talk about more” have been a huge inspiration for this podcast.
And most importantly, this series was fully funded by you - our listeners! Our generous crowdfunders hit our goal within two months, and made it possible for us to do extensive reporting fully independently. We couldn’t be more grateful. If you’re feeling inspired to support our ongoing work, please go to patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can donate as little as 3 euros, less than an overpriced cappuccino! But you can also donate plenty more ;)
Want to support us in another way? Please consider telling one or two friends specifically about this episode, and sharing it with them. It is the most effective way for us to reach people!
Written, reported and produced by: Katz LaszloEditors: Jasmin Baoumy, Katy Lee
Editorial support: Dominic Kraemer, Morgan Childs, Uršula Zaletelj, Maja Stepančič
Sound design: Jesse Lou Lawson
Mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music and SFX: Epidemic & FreeSound.Org, including pneumatic drill by acclivity
Artwork: RTiiiKA
Special thanks to: Vera Vrijmoeth, Georgia Walker, Cody Hochstenbach, Molly Broome, Juha Kahila, Ton Heijdra, Marie-Jeanne Dumont, Museum Het Schip, Woonbond, and the many more friends and strangers who talked to us about housing and money.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 - 51min - 328 - Who Does It Best? - A new miniseries, coming this weekTue, 21 Oct 2025 - 01min
- 327 - Babiš is back
It’s been a busy week for European politics, European protests, and European wallabies. In the midst of the madness, we caught up with Kateřina Šafaříková of Czech news outlet Seznam Zprávy, who filled us in on the Czech Republic’s recent parliamentary elections. Is the probable next Prime Minister, Andrej Babiš, likely to be an Orbán-esque thorn in the EU’s side, or does he just kinda wanna text with Macron? Kateřina shares her thoughts. We also catch up on the protests that Georgia’s democratic opposition has been staging against the country’s government in Tbilisi and a grassroots victory in Lithuania.
If you’re moved to learn more about what’s going on in Georgia, check out our interview with Anna Gvarishvili in the episode “Is this the end of Georgia’s European dream?” You can also follow some of the initiatives and journalists Wojciech recommends:
Project 64 https://x.com/64project_ George Melashivili https://x.com/geomel_ge Marika Mikiashvili https://x.com/Mikiashvili_M Anna Gvarishvili https://x.com/AnnaGvarishviliYou can discover more of Kateřina Šafaříková’s work over here or follow her on Instagram here.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations are the documentary Pianoforte and the book Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, courtesy of Patreon member Pia.
Brace yourselves if you decide you do indeed want to hear the now former Lithuanian minister for culture singing on an episode of the Voice.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
00:00:47 Bentornato!
00:04:08 Good Week: Lithuania’s cultural sector
00:15:15 Bad Week: Georgian democratic opposition
00:28:11 Interview: Journalist Kateřina Šafaříková on last week’s Czech elections
00:47:34 The Inspiration Station: The documentary Pianoforte and the book Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
00:52:40 Happy Ending: Massive Der Spiegel wallaby scoop!
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech OleksiakThu, 09 Oct 2025 - 56min - 326 - Are we all trapped in a transatlantic Truman Show?
Can we talk about Trump’s culture war, Putin’s war on inclusivity, and just about everyone’s unwillingness to pay teachers fair wages—and giggle throughout? You better believe it. Nina Lamparski is back in the hosting chair, and strap in, listeners, because this week’s show is a *ride.*
Our guest this week is the delightful and incisive political analyst Paweł Zerka of the European Council on Foreign Relations. Paweł returns to the podcast to tell us why Europe is living in a Truman-Show-style universe directed by Donald Trump and his international team. We pick Paweł’s terrific brain about what our leaders can do to build upon the growing pro-European sentiment (really!) and engage with the US as its peer, not its lackey. Plus: Nina raises a glass of crémant to Luxembourgish teachers, who had what seems to us like a very swanky Good Week. And Dominic awards Bad Week to Eurovision, which seems to be crumbling whilst Russia’s Intervision is back and creepier than ever.
Mentioned in this episode:
The European Sentiment Compass 2025from ECF and ECFR, “Reality show: Why Europe must not cave in Trump’s culture war”
culture war” Europeans jingles composer Jim Barne’s Broadway(!) musical, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) This live blog from Czech Radio’s Zlín service that tracked the movements of Emil the Elk all summerThis week's Inspiration Station recommendations are Twelve Months of Monastery Soups, a cookbook by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette, and Rejected: Designs for the European Flag by Jonas von Lenthe.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
00:00:47 This podcast is co-hosted by a bionic woman
00:04:45 Good Week: Luxembourgish teachers
00:12:18 Bad Week: Eurovision
00:29:09 Interview: Paweł Zerka of the European Council on Foreign Relations
00:43:50 The Inspiration Station: The books Twelve Months of Monastery Soups and Rejected: Designs for the European Flag
00:50:14 Happy Ending: Central Europe adopts elk mascot
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 25 Sep 2025 - 54min - 325 - Should we be worried about Russian drones in NATO’s skies?
There’s no denying it’s been a pretty dark week, but we’ve got a couple of bright spots for you. What could be a better job than dreaming up ways that Europe could be improved? That’s what this week’s guest, Johanna Fabrin, does each day at the Copenhagen think tank 21st Europe. Ahead of our miniseries Who Does It Best, Dominic sat down with Johanna to talk about the group’s “blueprints” for the continent, the importance of optimism, and who, exactly, is going to pay for a fantasy train system that links all of Europe together like a massive metro line.
And not to be too negative, but…we decided it was a pretty Bad Week for basically all of the western world, thanks to the Russian drone incursion into Poland and Romania. But! It was a Good Week (er, a marginally, “meekly” better week) for the European Union, which is finally—finally—taking some overdue action regarding the war in Gaza. Did Ursula von der Leyen tune into our episode from a couple of weeks ago? We suspect yes.
You can learn more about what 21st Europe is up to on their website and on Instagram. Also mentioned in this episode: Simply Shada, the new Substack created by the brilliant former Europeans guest Shada Islam and the interview with Finland's President Alexander Stubb.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations are visiting countries in transition/The Wojciech Oleksiak Dua Lipa Tour of Pristina* and the David Szalay novel Flesh. *Restrictions apply, see Wojciech for details
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Timestamps
00:00:47 Intro: Is it just us or are we all feeling like half-deflated balloons?
00:03:17 Bad Week: Russian drone incursion
00:18:05 Good Week: The EU steps up in Gaza war
00:32:21 Interview: Johanna Fabrin of 21st Europe
00:44:11 The Inspiration Station: Wojciech’s tour of Kosovo and David Szalay’s novel Flesh
00:47:41 Happy Ending: Austrian nun convent break-in
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 18 Sep 2025 - 51min - 324 - Terrible week for ABBA
The music industry is reeling due to what’s being called the 'largest intellectual property theft in history' — we’ll dig into the fight between Big Tech and the people who make the music. Meanwhile, Sweden’s new cultural canon has people fuming — not least because it leaves out ABBA.
We’ll also hear from Der Spiegel’s Gunter Latsch about his chilling investigation into the shadowy world of organ trafficking. And we’ll finish, as always, with something a little lighter: archaeologists in Denmark have been uncovering a kind of Stone Age Atlantis beneath the sea and they’ve been using a funky underwater vacuum to do so.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: Addison Rae - 'Headphones On' | Behind the Song and Love in Five Acts by Daniela Krien (translated by Jamie Bulloch)
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
Other resources for this week's episode:
No Abba, no meatballs? Sweden’s new cultural canon is a listicle that will soon be forgotten:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/04/sweden-cultural-canon-abba-ikea-meatballs
Since we recorded this episode, a US federal judge has postponed approval of the $1.5 billion Anthropic copyright deal: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/anthropic-judge-blasts-copyright-pact-as-nowhere-close-to-done
Taskforce recommends prosecution of Mishra for alleged organ trafficking:
00:00:47 Introduction: Emoji fuelled marital strife
00:04:26 Good Week: Sweden’s controversial ’cultural canon’
00:13:31 Bad Week: The fight between AI and musicians
00:27:05 Interview: Gunther Latch on Germans going abroad for kidneys
00:40:51 Inspiration Station: ’Headphones On’ and ’Love in Five Acts’
00:46:01 Happy Ending: Denmark’s Stone Age Atlantis
Producers: Katz Laszlo, Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Hosts: Nina Lamparski and Dominic Kraemer
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 11 Sep 2025 - 49min - 323 - Why is the EU not acting on Gaza?
This week, we’re dedicating the entire episode to Gaza. We have a lot of questions about the EU’s role in what’s happening there: Why is the EU not suspending trade with, or at the very least banning weapon sales to, Israel? Why is Israel being treated differently than the way Russia has been? And what will inaction mean for the credibility of the EU?
We put those questions to two esteemed guests: Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, who served as the EU’s representative to Palestine from 2020 until July 2023, and Shada Islam, Lahore-born, Brussels-based commentator who has recently written some incredibly moving and thought-provoking pieces about the EU’s complicity in the war in Gaza. And we round out the episode with a brief Inspiration Station recommendation: the book Enter Ghost by British-Palestinian author Isabella Hammad.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
00:00:46 Introduction: The cucumber season is over
00:02:53 What’s been happening in Gaza for the past two years
00:06:45 Interview: Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff
00:29:00 Interview: Shada Islam
00:46: 16 The Inspiration Station: the book Enter Ghost by Isabella HammadProducers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Editorial support: Katz Laszlo
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne, Mariska Martina and Morrisella by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comFri, 05 Sep 2025 - 49min - 322 - Three Rivers and a Sausage Fight
It’s our second week of “cucumber season” programming, and fair warning: we’re really leaning into the late-summer goofiness. This week, we go hard on German gastronomy, with a deep dive into Europe’s declining alcohol consumption and a recap of the utterly absurd row over the origins of Bratwurst.
Because we don’t want you to think we’ve totally lost the plot, we also had a perfectly civilised conversation with Robert Winder, the prolific author and sometime editor of The Independent and Granta whose new book, Three Rivers, comes out next week. Robert spoke with our producer Katz about the waterways that shape Europe as we know it—and about their future in a warming climate. You can purchase the book here on 28 August.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations are the Danish film The Guilty and the audio recordings of Colm Tóibín’s novels Brooklyn and Long Island. Our Happy Ending comes from Helsinki, which managed to go an entire year with no traffic fatalities! You can read more about the milestone achievement here and how they did it here.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
00:00:47 Welcome back to cucumber season!
00:03:09 Good Week: European livers
00:16:29 Bad Week: Bratwurst ensnared in national feud
00:31:16 Interview: Robert Winder reconnects us with the poetry of rivers
00:44:00 The Inspiration Station: the film The Guilty and Colm Tóibín’s novels Brooklyn and Long Island
00:49:11 Happy Ending: Helsinki successfully stamps out road deaths
Producers: Morgan Childs, Katz Laszlo, and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comFri, 22 Aug 2025 - 52min - 321 - Save the games! Preserve the bread! Guard your rabbits!
Welcome back! We’re easing back into the swing of things after our summer holidays with a bit of “cucumber season” fare. It’s our regularly scheduled programming, just a little bit…sillier.
This week, we take a peek into the world’s first “sourdough library” with Karl De Smedt, head of the Puratos Sourdough Institute. Karl gives us a taste of his unconventional career preserving breadmaking biodiversity and explains why the starters in his library are a little like Europeans themselves. Plus: we learn why the Aalborg Zoo in Denmark is encouraging people to bring in unwanted pets and how Dominic “gave” Daniel Radcliffe his career(!).
You can take a virtual tour of the Puratos sourdough library here and check out Karl on Instagram here.
And if you want to find out more about the Stop Killing Games campaign, watch this video.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations are two books, Patrick Radden Keefe’s spellbinding history of the Troubles, “Say Nothing,” and the novel “Second Best” by French author David Foenkinos.
00:00:00 First things first: WTF is up with strawberry pasta in Poland?
00:04:25 Good Week: The Stop Killing Games movement
00:16:01 Bad Week: The pets of Aalborg, Denmark
00:25:47 Interview: Karl De Smedt gives us permission to eat more bread
00:41:50 The Inspiration Station: “Say Nothing” by Patrick Radden Keefe and “Second Best” by David Foenkinos
00:46:57 Happy Ending: Jellyfish believed extinct makes Scottish comebackProducers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 14 Aug 2025 - 50min - 320 - Hungary's Pride ban goes up in smoke (and glitter)
This year’s Budapest Pride was banned in March under the Orbán government’s contentious “child protection” law. Demonstrators were threatened with hefty fines for participating, and the government said it would employ facial-recognition technology to identify and potentially prosecute those who turned out to take part at the march on 28 June.
Did the ban work? Not in the slightest. In fact, more people than ever in the 30-year history of Budapest Pride showed up to celebrate their rights as LGBTQ+ human beings.
The massive Pride march brought a glimmer of hope to some Hungarian citizens, including this week’s guest, writer Krisztián Marton. We spoke with Krisztián about the lead-up to the event, the thrill of being on the ground last Saturday, and what might be next for Hungary, now that Viktor Orbán finally has a formidable challenger in Péter Magyar. We also chatted with Dominic’s husband, Thomas Lamers, a philosopher and dramaturg who hit the streets for us, mic in hand. (Thanks, Thomas, we owe you!)
Krisztián Marton is a screenwriter and novelist. You can follow him on Instagram here and read an excerpt in English of his Margó Prize-nominated novel Crybaby here. You can donate to Thomas’s fundraiser to pay some of the fines that may be incurred by Pride attendees here.
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible—we could not do it without you. If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (in many different currencies!), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: the recent episode of Zakia Sewell’s Radio 6 series Dream Time, “Solstice selections…with Zakia,” and the Ukrainian band The Sixsters, winners of the European Emerging Bands Contest.
00:00:46 A sweltering hello and a tick PSA
00:03:44 Bad Week: Venetians overrun by billionaire wedding
00:11:45 Good Week: Owners of Danish faces (and their copyrights)
00:21:13 Interview: Thomas Lamers on Budapest Pride and Krisztián Marton on the present and future for LGBTQ+ people in Hungary
00:49:57 The Inspiration Station: the BBC Radio 6 Dream Time episode “Solstice selections…with Zakia” and the Ukrainian band The Sixsters.
00:53:12 Happy Ending: Cannes caps cruise-ship tourismProducers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 03 Jul 2025 - 55min - 319 - Toxic chemicals, abortion rights, and a Nazi-era train law
Depending on where you are in Europe, your right to a safe abortion — and reproductive care in general — can vary dramatically. This week, we speak to pioneering abortion activist Rebecca Gomperts about why she's hopeful that we can fight back against these inequalities as well as crackdowns on abortion access in other parts of the world. We're also talking about a rebel campaign in Germany to defeat a draconian Nazi-era law, and some disturbing research into the weedkillers used by many of the farmers who grow our foods.
Note: We updated this episode's audio on June 20, 2025. The original version incorrectly stated that glyphosate is sprayed directly on many European crops, which is not the case.
You can find out more about Women on Waves here and Women on Web here. Read about the mifepristone study here. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast! This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: Secrets We Keep (Reservatet) and The Outlaw Ocean Podcast. Bonus entries: Vessel, a 2014 documentary about Women on Waves; A Sense of Quietness, Eleanor McDowall's audio documentary about abortion in Ireland; and Tending Grief by Camille Sapara Barton.
Other resources for this episode:
'Carcinogenic effects of long-term exposure from prenatal life to glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides in Sprague–Dawley rats' - Environmental Health, June 10, 2025 'Revealed: Monsanto’s secret funding for weedkiller studies' - The Guardian, March 12, 2020 'Europe likely to miss most green targets for 2030' - Politico Europe, February 20, 2025'EWG’s 2025 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce' (USA) - Environmental Working Group, June 11, 2025
'Here’s why some people still evade public transport fares – even when they’re 50 cents' - The Conversation, February 13, 2025
00:00:46 Is it a Smörgåsbord? Is it a charcuterie board? No, it's The Europeans
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
00:04:56 Bad Week: Glyphosate
00:21:41 Good Week: Germany's freed fare-dodgers
00:35:22 Interview: Rebecca Gomperts on the state of reproductive rights in Europe
01:01:46 The Inspiration Station: Secrets We Keep and The Outlaw Ocean Podcast
01:07:10 Happy Ending: Beavers are back in Portugal
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 19 Jun 2025 - 1h 12min - 318 - Could Europe switch off big tech's algorithms?
The EU supposedly has some of the world's toughest laws regulating big tech. So why does it still feel like Europeans are being sucked into increasingly polarised online communities, and manipulated during our elections? Can we do anything about it? This week's guest, the Irish internet campaigner Johnny Ryan, argues that a pretty radical solution is within the EU's reach. We're also talking about the Dutch government's collapse, and why bear meat may soon be on the menu in Slovakia.
Johnny is the Director of Enforce. You can follow him on Bluesky here and read his article calling on the EU to switch off social media's algorithms here in The Guardian. A longer version of our interview with Johnny is available on our YouTube channel. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast! This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: Last One Laughing UK, LOL: Qui rit, sort, and 'The Mars House' by Natasha Pulley. Bonus: our interview in February with Jean Chalaby about the international TV format trade.
Other resources for this episode:
'Bears stray into political territory in Romania and Slovakia' - BalkanInsight, April 21, 2025
00:00:46 People, politics and peculiarities
00:02:45 Good Week: Dutch leftwing and centrist parties?
00:22:01 Bad Week: Bear meat on the menu in Slovakia
00:36:43 Interview: Johnny Ryan on why Europe's supposedly tough tech regulation isn't nearly tough enough
00:55:53 The Inspiration Station: Last One Laughing UK, Qui rit sort and 'The Mars House' by Natasha Pulley
01:00:52 Happy Ending: A condom masterpiece
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 12 Jun 2025 - 1h 03min - 317 - Is real change coming to Serbia?
Serbia’s government has come under intense pressure since a deadly disaster at Novi Sad’s main railway station last November. Student-led protests have spiralled into a nation-wide resistance movement and for months, Serbians have been speaking out against corruption, a lack of accountability, and a culture of impunity in Aleksandar Vučić’s regime. But if you’re listening to this from Western Europe, or indeed much of the rest of the world, the odd headline is probably all you’ve seen.
What are these protests really about? And what makes them different? This week, an in-depth conversation about what it’s like to be living through a potential turning point in Serbian history.
Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans atpatreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), orgift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast!
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news.
Co-hosts: Wojciech Oleksiak and Katy Lee
Editorial support: Morgan Childs, Dominic Kraemer and Katz Laszlo
Production, scoring and mixing: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music by Jim Barne, Mobygratis and Epidemic Sounds
With thanks to Nikola Radić
YouTube |Bluesky |Instagram |Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 05 Jun 2025 - 43min - 316 - Hungary's plight, kids' rights, and Spargelzeit
Asparagus, lesbian family rights and Viktor Orbán’s latest power plays: like all good meals, this podcast episode is perfectly balanced. German food writer Ursula Heinzelmann joins us to explain the ‘Spargelzeit’ phenomenon that sees foodies going nutty for asparagus at this time of year. We’re also taking a look at LGBTQ rights in Italy and unpacking the Hungarian government’s plans to ‘starve and strangle’ civil society. Can Orbán be stopped?
You can find out more about Ursula’s work on her website and follow her on Instagram here.
Thanks for listening. If you have any spare cash this week, please consider donating to Hungarian civil society groups and independent media outlets before the planned passing of the ‘starve and strangle’ law in mid-June. UNITED for Intercultural Action, the NGO run by our former guest Philip Pollák, would be extremely grateful for your donations; you can also donate to any of the organisations on this list of Hungarian NGOs (get in touch if you have ideas of organisations to add to this list).
Still got some spare cash? If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans atpatreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast!
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: Rita Payés’ Tiny Desk Concert and CMAT.
Other resources for this episode:
The Convention on the Rights of the Child - United Nations, November 20, 1989
Sentenza 68/2025 (Italy’s constitutional court ruling on lesbian couples and IVF) - Corte Constituzionale - May 22, 2025
‘A Threat to the Core: Why the New Hungarian Transparency Bill is an Attack on the Foundations of the European Union’ - Verfassungsblog, May 21, 2025
00:46 The Europeans: Pouring asparagus straight into your ears
02:49 Good Week: Lesbian mothers in Italy
12:47 Bad Week: Hungary's 'starve and strangle' law
37:10 Interview: Ursula Heinzelmann on the magic of Spargelzeit
49:58 The Inspiration Station: Rita Payés and CMAT
54:10 Happy Ending: Portugal's clever teen media strategy
Producer: Morgan Childs
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 29 May 2025 - 56min - 315 - What the hell just happened in Romania (and at Eurovision)?
Romania, Poland, Portugal... and of course, most importantly of all (?), Eurovision. It's been a huge week of voting across Europe! This week we're mostly diving into Romania's election drama with Codruţa Simina, a journalist with an extremely helpful specialism in online misinformation and disinformation. We're also tackling the controversy over Israel's continued participation in Eurovision, as well as the Pfizergate scandal: will we ever get to read the text messages Ursula von der Leyen sent to one of the world's most powerful pharmaceutical bosses?
Codruţa's excellent newsletter, Misreport, can be found here. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast! This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: The EU's personal carbon footprint calculator and 'Apeirogon' by Column McCann. You can find McCann's conversation with Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan, recorded in November 2023, here. Other resources for this episode: 'Politics by WhatsApp? Even "Pfizergate" won’t end that' - Politico Europe, May 14, 2025 'The maths behind the public votes at Eurovision 2025' - RTE, May 18, 2025 'Wasted love?: broadcasting and fandom at a crossroads after Eurovision 2025' - Catherine Baker, May 18, 2025 'Why doesn't the EBU kick Israel out of Eurovision?' - Overthinking It, May 8, 2025 'Coal produces less than half of Poland’s power for first time' - Notes from Poland, May 13, 2025 00:00:46 An election bonanza hangover
00:06:58 Bad Week: Pfizergate
00:21:50 Good Week (?): Austrian Eurovision winner JJ
00:45:12 Interview: Codruţa Simina on Romania's election drama
01:02:51 The Inspiration Station: The EU's personal carbon footprint calculator, and 'Apeirogon' by Colum McCann
01:07:00 Happy Ending: Is Poland finally kicking its coal habit?Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 22 May 2025 - 1h 09min - 314 - Europe, an unfinished love story
This week, a not-so-classic 'girl meets boy' story. Başak Layic, storyteller extraordinaire, reflects on what the European Dream looks like from the outside.
This story was recorded live at SPUI25 in Amsterdam as part of 'Europe Up For Grabs?', an event organised for Europe Day 2025 by DutchCulture and the European Cultural Foundation. You can watch a livestream of the whole event here.
You can find out more about Başak's work on her website and follow her on Instagram here.
Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast!
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news.
Producers: Morgan Childs and Katy LeeMixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 15 May 2025 - 17min - 313 - Is a pregnant nun about to crash Poland's election?
In theory, the government's guy looks set to win Poland's presidential election, making life a hell of a lot easier for Donald Tusk as he attempts to undo eight years of destructive authoritarian rule under the previous rightwing populists. But might a pregnant nun swoop in and change everything at the last minute? For an explanation of this metaphor (and yes, it is just a metaphor), listen in to this week's great interview with Poland's best political YouTubers, Dominika Sitnicka and Agata Szczęśniak. We're also digging into Sweden's plans to crack down on porn influencers, and celebrating the sweeter side of last week's mass blackouts in Spain and Portugal.
Dominika and Agata are reporters at OKO.PRESS and co-hosts of its YouTube show, Program Polityczny (which can be watched with English auto-subtitles). Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast! This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' (especially the Ankh-Morpork City Watch series), and Carême. Bonus recommendations: 'The Butterfly Effect' and 'The Last Days of August'. We'll be at two events in Amsterdam for Europe Day on May 9! You can buy a ticket to EuropaNacht at Paradiso here; tickets to the earlier event, at SPUI25, are available here. With many thanks to our friends at the European Cultural Foundation, DutchCulture and De Kiesmannen. Other resources for this episode: 'In the Madrid power cuts, I saw patience and common sense – but we were woefully unprepared' - María Ramírez, The Guardian, April 29, 2025 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/29/madrid-power-cuts-blackout-radio-internet 'In case of crisis or war' - Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), November 2024 https://rib.msb.se/filer/pdf/30874.pdf 'The EU Commission's survival kits - fearmongering or necessary preparedness?' - Euronews, April 2, 2025 https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/04/02/the-eu-commissions-survival-kits-fearmongering-or-necessary-preparedness 00:00:46 Smoke, bureaucracy and extra outfits: get ready for May in Europe
00:03:51 Good Week: Blackout behaviour
00:22:22 Bad Week: OnlyFans influencers in Sweden
00:38:20 Interview: Dominika Sitnicka and Agata Szczęśniak on Poland's upcoming presidential election
01:03:14 The Inspiration Station: Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' and Carême
01:07:51 Happy Ending: An off-the-pitch win for Norway's women's teamProducers: Morgan Childs and Katy Lee
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 08 May 2025 - 1h 12min - 312 - How to make sense of Europe's place in the world right now
The world is in flux. What's Europe's place in it, exactly? This week, we're bringing you something different: a big, sprawling conversation with leading European historian Timothy Garton Ash. Can anything good come from Trumpism for this continent? What can be done to stop autocrats like Viktor Orbán from undermining the EU from the inside? And does it matter if we talk about different things when we talk about Europe? Timothy is Professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford. 'Homelands' is now available in more than 20 languages; you can find all the available editions here. We'll be at two events in Amsterdam for Europe Day on May 9! We've got two pairs of tickets to give away to the late-night EuropaNacht event at Paradiso. Email hello@europeanspodcast.com for a chance to win them. If you're too late, you can buy a ticket here; tickets to the earlier event, at SPUI25, are available here. With many thanks to our friends at the European Cultural Foundation, DutchCulture and De Kiesmannen. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast! This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. Producers: Wojciech Oleksiak and Morgan Childs
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 01 May 2025 - 46min - 311 - Hungary's Pride crackdown, Ukrainian sleuths, and 158 barrels of poop
We've got a veritable smörgåsbord for you this week on The Europeans, from human rights in Hungary to the sorry tale of two Danish sustainability influencers whose eco-resort business went spectacularly wrong. We discuss why Viktor Orbán is concentrating so much effort on bullying the LGBTQI community at a time when Hungary has major problems to fix, and whether anything can be done to stop him. Plus, Daria Verbytska calls in from Kyiv to explain how an army of volunteer online sleuths helps Ukrainian authorities use open-source intelligence to fight back against Russia. Daria is the executive director and cofounder of the Molfar Intelligence Institute. You can find out about the wider Molfar company on their website and read their investigations here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: LA NIÑA and Den stora älgvandringen ('The Great Moose Migration' on Sweden's STV). Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast! This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. Other resources for this episode 'Hungary's ban on Pride has little to do with being gay' - BalkanInsight, March 27, 2025 https://balkaninsight.com/2025/03/27/hungarys-ban-on-pride-has-little-to-do-with-being-gay/ 'Anti-spying phone pouches offered to EU lawmakers for trip to Hungary' - Politico Europe, April 16, 2025 https://www.politico.eu/article/lawmakers-offered-anti-espionage-phone-pouches-in-hungary/ 00:00:46 Welcome to Europe, land of toxic eggs and tomatoes
00:06:50 Bad Week: Hungary gives constitutional backing to its Pride ban
00:22:59 Good Week (?) for Guatemala-bound tourists
00:44:51 Interview: Daria Verbytska on how OSINT is being used to help Ukraine's fightback against Russia
00:59:55 The Inspiration Station: LA NIÑA and Den stora älgvandringen ('The Great Moose Migration')
01:03:07 Happy Ending: The amazing cross-border teenagers tackling antibiotic resistance Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 24 Apr 2025 - 1h 06min - 310 - Inside Europe: Exploring Grief
We're away this week, but you're in good company: our friends at Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany's international broadcaster, are here to fill in for us. On this special edition of DW's weekly podcast Inside Europe, the team takes a break from the news to explore grief as a lens for understanding global events. Author Sarah Jaffe joins host Kate Laycock to unpack how loss — from COVID to deindustrialisation — shapes politics, protest, and our shared humanity. A powerful journey through mourning, memory, and hope. You can find Inside Europe at pod.link/insideeurope. The Europeans will be back next week. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting us. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 17 Apr 2025 - 54min - 309 - Tesla, Turkey, and unnecessary trash
We're taking the Schadenfreude approach to the chaos that Trump's tariffs have unleashed upon Europe (and the rest of the world). This week, our favourite Luxembourger Nina Lamparski joins Dominic to explain why sales of Elon Musk's Tesla cars have already plunged in Europe and could now fare even worse thanks to his best bud's trade policies. We're also joined by Turkish political scientist Ezgi Başaran to discuss why President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is feeling liberated in a time that's been dubbed 'springtime for autocrats' — and whether the huge protests against him could change that. Plus, is Spain's clever new food waste law as good as it sounds? This episode was recorded on Tuesday night, before the EU's announcement of retaliatory tariffs... and before the White House's announcement of a 90-day pause on higher tariffs for dozens of countries. At any rate, at the time of publication the world economy is still looking decidedly chaotic, so we hope you still find this an enjoyable and useful listen.
Thanks for listening. After some rather troubling financial news, this independent podcast needs your support more than ever. If you enjoy our work, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting us. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast!
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'Criminal Record' and 'Rural Fictions', an essay in The Dial by Bartolomeo Sala. Nina's bonus recommendations: 'Inspector Ellis' and 'The Bay'.
00:33 Moien, a wëllkomm bei den Europäer
05:09 Bad Week: Tesla in Europe
19:28 Good Week: Spain's new food waste law
33:03 Interview: Ezgi Başaran on Turkey's protests
49:25 The Inspiration Station: Criminal record and Bartolemo Sala's essay on farming in European fiction
54:33 Happy Ending: Hooray for shingles vaccines
Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 10 Apr 2025 - 56min - 308 - Rockets, recipes and Le Pen(itentiary)
Marine Le Pen has been banned from running for the French presidency after this week's bombshell court ruling finding her guilty in a huge embezzlement case. But does she have any chance of a comeback? And could the far-right win the presidency without her? This week we're discussing the earthquake in French politics, as well as Europe's space ambitions. Plus, a delightful interview with Greek podcaster and hungry man Thom Ntinas, about what ancient Europeans ate. Thom is the host of The Delicious Legacy podcast. Find it here, or wherever you're listening to this. Thanks for listening. After some rather troubling financial news this week, this independent podcast needs your support more than ever. If you enjoy our work, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting us. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast! This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: @forkranger on Instagram and 'How Stockholm Stuck' from Radiolab. 00:33 Damn clocks
03:43 Good Week: Marine Le Pen's enemies
20:36 Bad Week (?): The Spectrum rocket launch
33:59 Interview: Thom Ntinas on what the Ancients ate
46:27 The Inspiration Station: @forkranger and 'How Stockholm Stuck'
49:55 Happy Ending: The best place to lose your wallet Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 03 Apr 2025 - 53min - 307 - How would Europe's €800 billion defence plan actually work?
Europe is set to spend an eye-wateringly huge amount of money on building up its militaries over the next few years, after That Guy In The White House signalled he's no longer that interested in helping us defend ourselves against Russia. But where is all this money supposed to come from? And does it matter if some countries are more enthusiastic about this plan than others? This week we call defence expert Marina Henke to figure out what this spending bonanza actually involves. We're also talking about a Czech-led plan to save Radio Free Europe from Trump's cuts, and why ChatGPT falsely accused a Norwegian man of murder.
Marina is a professor of international Relations at the Hertie School in Berlin and director of the Centre for International Security. You can watch the full version of her interview here on our YouTube channel and follow her on Bluesky here. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast! This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'And Then We Danced' and The Bittersweet Life. Other resources for this week's episode 'Trump’s decision to cut Radio Free Europe comes at a great cost to democracy' - Muhammad Tahir, editorial for MSNBC, March 24, 2025 https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-voice-of-america-radio-free-europe-rcna197367 'Malfunction: the Hungarian Radio (Silence) on Chernobyl' - Archivum, April 26, 2021 https://www.archivum.org/entries/blog/malfunction-the-hungarian-radio-silence-on-chernobyl 'EU privacy body weighs in on some tricky GenAI lawfulness questions' - TechCrunch, December 18, 2024 https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/18/eu-privacy-body-weighs-in-on-some-tricky-genai-lawfulness-questions/The EU's White Paper for European Defence: Readiness 2030 - March 19, 2025 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_793
00:34 Deep breath: it's time for another episode of The Europeans
04:47 Good Week: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
18:41 Bad Week: The Norwegian man who ChatGPT falsely accused of murder
31:41 Interview: Marina Henke on Europe's huge new defence plan
56:23 The Inspiration Station: 'And Then We Danced' and 'The Bittersweet Life'
59:45 Happy Ending: Petko Gantsjev Is Very Much Alive
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 27 Mar 2025 - 1h 02min - 306 - Should Canada join the EU?
Europe and Canada have a lot in common, from their headaches over Donald Trump to a shared belief in welfare states. If Australia can be a part of Eurovision, is there anything stopping us from welcoming our Canadian friends into the EU?! This week we talk to Stanley Pignal, The Economist's semi-Canadian Brussels bureau chief, about what would be in it for both sides. We're also looking at the escalating political crisis in Bosnia, and the places in Europe where you're likely to live the longest.
You can read Stanley's article about the case for Canadian EU membership here and find his Charlemagne column on European politics here. He posts on Bluesky here. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast! This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'The Agency' and writing a letter to a Russian political prisoner via OVD-Info (an initiative discovered via this essay in The Dial by Francesca Mastruzzo). Other resources for this week's episode 'The Economics Show' podcast by the Financial Times: 'Can societies age gracefully?' - January 13, 2025 https://www.ft.com/content/8ce0571d-06f0-40de-8579-4446d1fb07f3 'The EU needs a proactive approach in Bosnia' - editorial in Politico Europe by Arminka Helić, March 17, 2025 https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-bosnia-western-balkans-europe-war-bih-crisis-serbia/ 00:34 Spring Is Real
02:50 Good Week: Europeans are living longer
15:00 Bad Week: Bosnia and Herzegovina
28:54 Interview: Stanley Pignal on the case for Canadian EU membership
45:38 The Inspiration Station: The Agency and letters to Russian political prisoners
50:46 Happy Ending: Germany's economy could be wurst Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech OleksiakMixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaThu, 20 Mar 2025 - 53min - 305 - Putin's African antics, the death of Skype, and a Eurovision c-bomb
Thousands of kilometres from the devastating war it's been waging in Ukraine, Russia has involved itself in a swathe of other conflicts that attract much less attention: in Africa. Why? This week we speak to Beverly Ochieng, a self-described Wagner Group stalker, about what Russia is playing at. We're also talking about a foul-mouthed (?) Eurovision controversy, and why none of the world's big bad tech giants come from Europe. Beverly is a senior analyst for francophone Africa at Control Risks and a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. You can follow her here on Bluesky and here on Mastodon. Check out our full conversation with Beverly on our YouTube channel. Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast! This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: Codenames and The Economist's Glass Ceiling Index. Other resources for this week's episode European Alternatives - euro-companies making all kinds of digital products: https://european-alternatives.eu/ Jitsi, the great Zoom alternative created by a swing-dancing Erasmus student: https://jitsi.org/ 'The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World' by Anu Bradford: https://academic.oup.com/book/36491 Fact-check: Does the EU really buy 80% of its weapons from overseas? (No, no it doesn't.) Bluesky thread by The Economist's Stanley Pignal, March 9, 2025: https://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3ljxd4r4cos25 Miriana Conte - Kant (‘Singing’); National Final Performance, Eurovision Song Contest 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qNK1tt6L5k 00:33 Smellovision and feminist babies
03:32 Bad Week: Skype
25:19 Good Week: Language prudes
37:39 Interview: Beverly Ochieng on Russia's African antics
53:40 The Inspiration Station: Codenames and The Economist's Glass Ceiling Index
56:44 Happy Ending: Easier breathing for Londoners Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 13 Mar 2025 - 1h 00min - 304 - Big news for The Europeans!
Producers Katz and Wojciech join Katy and Dominic to share a couple of nuggets of exciting news for The Europeans. You can find out all about our new partners at Euranet Plus, a network of radio stations across Europe, here. And you can read all about our crowdfunded mini-series 'Who Does It Best?' — and contribute, if you'd like! — here. Maja and Uršula's show, Šala za starše, can be found here and you can find Jasmin's work here. Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. Producer: Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Tue, 11 Mar 2025 - 17min - 303 - Germany's elections: should we freak out or not?
Germany just staged one of Europe's most crucial elections this year. The results are simultaneously shocking and not-shocking: shocking because the far-right made huge gains; not shocking because they are likely to deliver a coalition between the country's two legacy mainstream parties. So, to what extent should we be freaking out right now? In this election special, we ring up Germanysplainer extraordinaire Tarik Abou-Chadi to unpack that question. Plus, we speak to the writer and activist Emilia Roig about what it feels like to be a long-term immigrant in Germany right now — and how to think about the fightback. Tarik is a professor of European politics at the University of Oxford. You can follow him on Bluesky here. You can find out more about Emilia's work here and follow her on Instagram here. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work in 2025. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina 03:50 Tarik Abou-Chadi untangles the German election results for us
27:34 Emilia Roig on how to think about the fight against the far-right YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 27 Feb 2025 - 45min - 302 - Euro-defence, euro-booze and euro-TV
This week, the great transatlantic break-up. How can we make sense of the seismic shift in Europe's relationship with the US since Trump took power? What does it mean for Ukraine, and Europe's ability to defend itself from Russia? As a palate-cleanser, we're also hearing all the secrets of the international TV trade. Why do people in so many countries end up watching national versions of the same reality and game shows? Jean Chalaby joins us to explain how this fascinating industry works. Plus, Europe's changing relationship with booze.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work in 2025. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. Jean is a professor of international communication at City University London, and the author of The Format Age. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'Prezidentka' and 'The Taste of Things' ('La Passion de Dodin Bouffant'). Other resources for this week's episode 'I Really Believe That Time Has Come: The Armed Forces of Europe Must Be Created – Speech by the President at the Munich Security Conference' - Website of the Ukrainian Presidency, February 15, 2025 https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/viryu-sho-cej-chas-nastav-neobhidno-stvoriti-zbrojni-sili-ye-96089 'Vance uses half-truths to lecture a European audience well aware of the threat of authoritarian rule' - CNN, February 14, 2025 https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/14/world/vances-speech-upsets-european-leaders-intl-latam/index.html 'Alcohol labels should warn of cancer risk, says new WHO/Europe report' - World Health Organization, February 14, 2025 https://www.who.int/europe/news-room/14-02-2025-alcohol-labels-should-warn-of-cancer-risk--says-new-who-europe-report 'Secret love lives of crickets revealed' - The Slovenia Times, February 14, 2025 https://sloveniatimes.com/42509/secret-love-life-of-crickets-revealed Producers: Morgan Childs and Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina 00:00:22 Don't be koi
00:03:15 Bad Week: Transatlantic relations
00:28:52 Good Week: Our livers
00:40:38 Interview: Jean Chalaby on the secrets of the TV format trade
00:57:01 The Inspiration Station: 'Prezidentka' and 'The Taste of Things'
01:02:22 Happy Ending: Sexy vibracoustics YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 20 Feb 2025 - 1h 07min - 301 - Dark skies, cheap shopping and an EU laser show
Nocturnal tourism is supposedly one of the big travel trends of 2025, and from star-gazing to truffle-hunting, there are plenty of places in Europe to do it. But where is this craving for darkness coming from? This week we speak to Anna Levin, author of two beautiful books about the impact of artificial light on the world around us, about why Europe's night skies deserve much better protection. We're also talking about the Baltic countries' move to cut their electrical cords with Russia, and the EU's attempt to tackle our cheap Chinese shopping addiction. Anna is the author of 'Incandescent' and 'Dark Skies'. You can find out more about her work here. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'The Day of the Jackal' and 'Italia Express' from Radiooooo. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work in 2025. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. Other resources for this week's episode 'Baltic Energy Independence Day' aka the amazing EU laser show - European Commission livestream, February 8, 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeU829DcoKQ&t=24s 'EU toolbox for safe and sustainable e-commerce' aka the EU's proposed crackdown on cheap shopping websites, February 5, 2025 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/e-commerce-communication-comprehensive-eu-toolbox-safe-and-sustainable-e-commerce DarkSky International: All international Dark Sky Places https://darksky.org/what-we-do/international-dark-sky-places/all-places '"Must-have genre" for uncertain times: why spy thrillers have taken over TV' - The Guardian, February 2, 2025 https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/feb/02/spy-thrillers-television-must-have-genre-uncertain-world 'Beavers build planned dams in protected landscape area, while local officials still seeking permits' - Radio Prague International, January 31, 2025 https://english.radio.cz/beavers-build-planned-dams-protected-landscape-area-while-local-officials-still-8841536 Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina 00:22 Is Dominic ok?
03:48 Good Week: The Big Baltic Electricity Switch
13:58 Bad Week: Chinese e-commerce giants
26:19 Interview: Anna Levin on the magic of Europe's dark skies
44:42 The Inspiration Station: 'The Day of the Jackal' and 'Italia Express' by Radiooooo
49:01 Happy Ending: Industrious Czech beavers Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 13 Feb 2025 - 51min - 300 - Butterflies and bullied protesters
Europe's rarest butterfly lives on the outskirts of a single town in North Macedonia. So why is it possible to find specimens of this incredibly endangered animal for sale online for 30 euros? This week we speak to Kiril Arsovski Przo, one of the scientists behind an investigation into this troubling legal loophole. We're also talking about the farcical election in Belarus and Britain's crackdown on climate protesters. You can watch 'Nature for Sale' here and read more about the investigation here. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work in 2025. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'Earnest Cole: Lost and Found' and 'Murder Mindfully' (Achtsam Morden). Other resources for this week's episode 'Hope for our rarest UK bat' - Bat Conservation Trust, January 27, 2025 https://www.bats.org.uk/news/2025/01/hope-for-our-rarest-uk-bat Zeno Siemens and Jacco Prantl - 'Learning to listen with Gordon Hempton' https://soundcloud.com/thecorrespondent/zeno-siemens-and-jacco-prantl-learning-to-listen-with-gordon-hempton Invisibilia - 'The Last Sound' https://open.spotify.com/episode/2vPX641oHRo1vetDVl7CeH?si=qu4otcOPTeS4hGyimw5Snw Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina 00:23 Cold dips and the future of memory culture
04:27 Good Week: Aleksandr Lukashenko
12:08 Bad Week: Freedom to protest in the UK
32:11 Interview: Kiril Arsovski Przo on the legal loophole threatening Europe's most endangered butterfly
47:31 The Inspiration Station: 'Earnest Cole: Lost and Found' and 'Murder Mindfully' (Achtsam Morden)
50:59 Happy Ending: Company for the world's loneliest bat Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 30 Jan 2025 - 56min - 299 - The world needs more drag cows
In an otherwise miserable week, this podcast is delighted to bring you a joyful interview with a drag cow. At least, an interview with the person behind the cow: the Swiss artist, performer and animal rights activist Daniel Hellmann. We chat to Daniel about why he decided to channel his campaigning side into something so wonderfully silly. We're also talking about a trigger-happy Croatian politician and Ursula von der Leyen's return from hospital. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work in 2025. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. You can follow Soya the Cow here and find out more about Daniel's work here. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'The Outrun', Danish spruce cookbook 'Mad med gran', and European TikTok. Other resources for this episode
'Što društvo može napraviti da spriječi porast nasilja?' (What can society do to prevent the rise in violence?') - HRT, January 16, 2025 https://vijesti.hrt.hr/hrvatska/otvoreno-659-11963849
'A Brit Explains Wagatha Christie To An American' - Bustle, October 19, 2023 https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/wagatha-christie-explained-by-a-brit-to-an-american Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina 00:23 An (attempted) orange-man free zone
03:08 Good Week: Ursula von der Leyen
10:32 Bad Week: Croatia's government
21:40 Interview: Daniel Hellmann (Soya the Cow) on the case for joyful activism
39:05 The Inspiration Station: 'The Outrun', 'Mad men gran', and European TikTok
44:23 Happy Ending: A social network making a good decision, for once?! Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 23 Jan 2025 - 47min - 298 - Russia's gas games
There's been a weird loophole in the war in Ukraine up until now. Nearly three years after Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine was still being paid to transport Russian gas for sale to Europe, all while Moscow continued to kill its people. What does the end of this strange deal mean? This week we ring up energy expert Szymon Kardaś to ask how Putin's regime might seek to use the new situation to his advantage, and to what extent Europe has really managed to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels. We're also talking about the new challenge to Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić, and whether or not it's a good idea to eat your Christmas tree.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work in 2025. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. Szymon is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and an assistant professor at the University of Warsaw. You can read his tweets here. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: The European Journalism Centre's Journalism Innovation Podcast and 'Beyond the Wall' by Katja Hoyer. Other resources for this episodeGhent city hall's guide to reducing post-holiday waste — now with added disclaimer: https://stad.gent/nl/groen-milieu/nieuws-evenementen/na-de-feestdagen-wat-met-de-restjes#je-kerstboom
'Sweden says Christmas tree needles safe to eat — after Belgian warning'. AFP / France 24, January 8, 2025 https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250108-sweden-says-christmas-tree-needles-safe-to-eat-after-belgian-warning Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina 00:22 Polish apple facts, and some amazing news
05:05 Bad Week: Aleksandar Vučić
17:02 Good week: Adventurous chefs
26:44 Interview: Szymon Kardaś on what the Russia-Ukraine gas pipeline shutdown means for Europe
42:31 The Inspiration Station: The European Journalism Centre's Journalism Innovation Podcast, and 'Beyond the Wall'
46:12 Happy Ending: From Thiberville to Thiberville, with love Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 16 Jan 2025 - 50min - 297 - Democratic salami and boiling frogs
Between Elon Musk's meddling and Romania's election rollercoaster, the state of Europe's democracies feels a little scary at the start of 2025. This week we talk to Tom Theuns, author of a new book about Europe's failure to stop the slow slide towards autocracy so far and what we can do to fix it. Tom is a senior assistant professor of political theory and European politics at Leiden University. You can find out all about his book, 'Protecting Democracy in Europe', here, and follow him on Bluesky here. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'My Favourite Cake' and 'La Chimera'. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work in 2025. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We're also crowdfunding our new series, 'Who Does It Best?', which will delve into the most imaginative policies around Europe. We're 96% of the way there! You can find out all about our plans for the series, and help us start making it, at https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast. Other resources for this episode:
Double Dutch on Instagram and TikTok
Ada Colau's amazing Instagram post Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina 00:23 The headwinds of 2025
02:48 Bad Week: Fireworks
11:50 Good Week: Greenland's pro-independence movement
22:31 Interview: Tom Theuns on protecting Europe's democracies
38:01 The Inspiration Station: 'My Favourite Cake' and 'La Chimera'
43:13 Happy Ending: Ada Colau's amazing Instagram post Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 09 Jan 2025 - 47min - 296 - Cold water, warm hearts
As the winter chill sets in, throngs of Europeans are heading each week to the nearest pond, lake or coastline to dunk themselves voluntarily in freezing cold water. Cold swimming has centuries of history on this continent, but why do it? This week we're delving into the science of why it makes us feel good — but also why it helps so many people through difficult times, with the help of Katharina Smets, audio maker and proud member of Antwerp's biggest cold plunge club. We're also talking about the Vatican's Christmas tree drama and a festive inflation-busting policy in Greece. This final episode of the year was recorded live in front of an audience of our supporters. Thank you for listening to The Europeans in 2024! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work into 2025. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of the show at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), and even gift a donation to a super fan of The Europeans here. We're also crowdfunding our new series, 'Who Does It Best?', which will delve into the most imaginative policies around Europe. We're 80% of the way there! You can find out all about our plans for the series, and help us start making it, at https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast. You can follow Katharina on Instagram here and learn more about the Deurnese IJsberen here. The BBC article Dominic mentioned on the environmental impact of Christmas trees can be found here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'The Bee Sting' by Paul Murray and Jazz Station in Brussels. Listeners' other recommendations:
- 'Opinci'. Irina says: 'A wonderful 20-minute animation about the story of a Romanian man who in 1910 attempted to circumnavigate the world on foot. It's beautiful and I think you would really enjoy it.' - Frederik recommends 'Schwarze Früchte' from Germany's ARD. 'It's about growing up queer and black.' - 'Somebody Somewhere' - 'Really worth watching,' says Juliette. - Owen recommends his new book of poetry, 'Nature Is Real And So Am I'. 'It’s about my relationship with the four seasons of natural landscape around me on the Isle of Man.' Producer: Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina 00:22 Winter tea and Swedish gnomes
04:40 Good Week: Greece's Christmas shopping basket
12:50 Bad Week: The Green Giant of Trentino
27:29 Interview: Katharina Smets' guide to cold swimming in Europe
49:42 The Inspiration Station: 'The Bee Sting' by Paul Murray and Jazz Station in Brussels
53:56 Happy Ending: The best Christmas market in Europe... or is it? Instagram | Bluesky | Mastodon | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.comWed, 11 Dec 2024 - 59min - 295 - The manosphere, the 'TikTok messiah', and 132 hamsters
We've got a heady mix of Romanian politics, online misogyny and animal-based chaos for you this week. Friend of the show Andrei Popoviciu joins us to explain why his dad and many other voters backed the TikTok-fuelled campaign of far-right Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu. And we ring up three young people from Greece, Ireland and Lithuania to ask: what's it like being part of a generation that's increasingly divided over whether feminism is a good thing? Plus, hamsters. Lots of hamsters. This week's interview with Siloé Musoke, Goda Skiotytė and Chris Ntonis was produced in collaboration with the European Institute for Gender Equality. You can find out all about the Gender Equality Forum 2024, and sign up to attend online, here. You can follow Andrei on Twitter here and Bluesky here. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of the show at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), and even gift a donation to a super fan of The Europeans here!
We're also crowdfunding our new series for 2025, 'Who Does It Best?', which will delve into the most imaginative policies around Europe. We're three-quarters of the way there! You can find out all about our plans for the series, and help us start making it, at https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast.
This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Nature Manifesto' by Björk and Aleph; lohikeitto. Other resources for this episode Anna Sale - 'Let's Talk About Hard Things 'Capturados hamsters que pararam avião da TAP' - Correio da Manhã, November 18, 2024 (video at the bottom) Producers: Morgan Childs and Katz Laszlo Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
00:23 Which country's got quiet, boring politics right now?
02:42 Good Week, Romania, Bad Week, Romania
20:52 Interview: Siloé Musoke, Goda Skiotytė and Chris Ntonis on the rising divide over feminism in young Europeans
46:08 The Inspiration Station: 'Nature Manifesto' by Björk and Aleph at the Centre Pompidou; lohikeitto
50:53 Happy Ending: Hamsters on a plane Instagram | Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 05 Dec 2024 - 54min - 294 - Has Donald Tusk fixed Poland?
It's been a year since Donald Tusk took power, filling liberals and progressives in Poland with hope as eight years of rightwing populist rule came to an end. But how much has Tusk's coalition really improved things? This week Dominika Lasota of Wschód, an increasingly influential force that has been holding Tusk's government to account, joins us to discuss what still needs to change. We're also talking about Ursula von der Leyen's new squad, and why you might no longer need your passport for trips to Romania or Bulgaria.
It's seven years today since we published the first episode of The Europeans! If you'd like to send us a little birthday present, we'd love it if you'd consider funding our work. We're crowdfunding a new mini-series at https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast, and you can also support the weekly running of The Europeans via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/europeanspodcast. Thank you so much to everyone who makes our independent European journalism possible. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: The World In Maps and My Voice, My Choice.
Other resources for this episode: David Gilmour - Rattle That Lock (Official Music Video)'Schengen in Sights, EU and Frontex Overlook Violent Bulgarian Pushbacks' - Balkan Insight, February 26, 2024
00:22 Dominic's SNCF jingle trauma
04:02 Bad Week: The European left
15:09 Good Week: Romania and Bulgaria's Schengen bid
28:07 Interview: Dominika Lasota on one year of Donald Tusk's government in Poland
49:29 The Inspiration Station: The World In Maps and My Voice, My Choice
53:46 Happy Ending: Dominic's Barcelona metro challenge
Producers: Katz Laszlo and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 28 Nov 2024 - 57min - 293 - The perils of standing up to Iran from Europe
From Turkey to France and the UK, Iranians who've challenged the regime at home have often sought safety in Europe. But how safe are these dissidents, really? This week we speak to Fariba Nawa, host of 'Lethal Dissent', a fascinating new podcast series that investigates Iran's efforts to silence those in exile on European soil and beyond. We're also talking about Denmark's remarkable mass rewilding plan, and Slovakia's nationalist crackdown on the use of Hungarian and other minority languages. You can find 'Lethal Dissent' wherever you're listening to this. It was produced by the team at slow journalism podcast On Spec. We're crowdfunding a new series! You can find out all about it in the special announcement on our feed, as well as on the crowdfunding page itself: https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast. You can also support the weekly running of The Europeans via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/europeanspodcast. Thank you so much to everyone who makes our independent European journalism possible. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: Bluesky (here's the Sky Follower Bridge) and 'Metrokosmos' on Arte. 00:23 Hot and fresh in your ear canals
04:52 Good Week: Denmark's huge rewilding plan
11:28 Bad Week: Slovakia's Hungarian minority
24:15 Interview: Fariba Nawa on Iran's hunting of its citizens abroad
40:09 The Inspiration Station: Bluesky and 'Metrokosmos'
45:32 Happy Ending: Granny's revenge on the phone scammers Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 21 Nov 2024 - 48min - 292 - A special announcement from The Europeans
Producers Katz and Wojciech join Katy and Dominic for a very special announcement from The Europeans.
We’re incredibly excited to make this series for you. Please help us turn it into a reality! Sign up to support this project here: https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast
Got ideas for places we need to go or people we need to interview for this series? Email us at hello@europeanspodcast.com.
Thank you, as always, for listening.
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | europeanspodcast.comThu, 14 Nov 2024 - 15min - 291 - Spain's floods, Moldova's election, and what the kids of Europe are watching
The world may be transfixed by the US election results, but this was a huge week for news on this side of the Atlantic too. This week we're trying to make sense of the cataclysmic floods in Spain, and talking about another presidential election with major consequences — the one in Moldova. Plus, a much-needed palate-cleanser: we're delving into a fascinating report into what European children are watching, and what grown-up film producers can do to make better stuff for kids.
Anne Schultka is the project manager of KIDS Regio, which campaigns for the children's film industry in Europe. Rikke Flodin is a partner at PUBLIKUM. You can download the report, 'European Children's Film in Focus', here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Kapsalon Romy' ('Romy’s Salon') and 'Leto kada sam naucila da letim' ('How I Learned To Fly'). Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Other resources for this episode: 'Valencian president downplayed floods while Spain’s rivers rose' - Politico Europe, November 1, 2024 https://www.politico.eu/article/spain-valencia-floods-death-toll-carlos-mazon/
'Pumpkin paddling season: Kasterlee's giant pumpkin regatta' - DW News, October 28, 2024 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2701632486675304 00:22 A non-US election podcast
04:48 Bad Week: Spain's floods
24:39 Good Week: Maia Sandu
37:26 Interview: Anna Schultka and Rikke Flodin on what the kids of Europe are watching
55:00 The Inspiration Station: 'Romy's Salon' and 'How I Learned To Fly'
58:19 Happy Ending: Belgium's pumpkin kayak race Producers: Morgan Childs and Katz Laszlo Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 07 Nov 2024 - 1h 03min - 290 - Is this the end of Georgia's European dream?
Georgia's pro-Russian ruling party claims to have won last weekend's election — a fraudulent election, according to a mounting pile of evidence. A country that was once on the path to EU membership is now veering much closer to the Kremlin. Is there any hope left? We ring Anna Gvarishvili, Tbilisi-based journalist and head of the Investigative Media Lab, to unpack what just happened and what might happen next. We're also discussing two suitably scary topics in this Halloween episode: France's money problems, and the noxious substances spewing out of your gas cooker.
This episode was recorded before Wednesday's devastating floods in Spain. You can donate to the Cruz Roja (Spanish Red Cross) relief efforts here. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). If you're short on cash but still want to support us, it would be amazing if you could leave us five juicy stars, as Dominic put it, on Pocket Casts: https://pocketcasts.com/ratings. This week's Inspiration Station picks: fave dei morti (recipe here) and the Swiss video game Mundaun. Other resources for this episode Search Engine: 'Why is it so hard to tax billionaires? (Part 1)', October 18, 2024 https://www.searchengine.show/listen/search-engine-1/why-is-it-so-hard-to-tax-billionaires-part-1 'They will protest ketchup': Hugh Vuillier's Europe Letter newsletter, October 3, 2024 https://hughvuillier.substack.com/p/french-budget-not-good Universitat Jaume I's study on the health impact of gas stoves, October 28, 2024 https://repositori.uji.es/items/156fbd65-070d-4ca4-9856-9415513d505f 00:23 It's Halloween, but we won't be talking about He Who Must Not Be Named
02:15 Good Week: French efforts to tax the super-rich
16:42 Bad Week: Gas stove fans
24:55 Please rate us on Pocket Casts!
26:06 Interview: Anna Gvarishvili on Georgia's elections
43:26 The Inspiration Station: Fave dei morti and 'Mundaun'
46:08 Happy Ending (?): Norway's teen social media ban Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 31 Oct 2024 - 50min - 289 - Naughty, naughty Switzerland
Wine fraud, migration policy and climate litigation: there's something for everyone this week. Back in April, Switzerland's government lost a groundbreaking European court case and was ordered to rewrite its climate policy. Has it actually done that? No, no it has not. We speak to Geneva-based climate lawyer Seb Duyck about whether Switzerland can be forced to change its tune. We're also talking about offshore migrant detention centres, a full-bodied fraud case and the latest sign that AI is coming for podcasters' jobs.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Seb is a senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law. You can follow him on Twitter here. You can listen to our award-winning 2023 episode about the KlimaSeniorinnen case, 'The Biggest Climate Case That Ever Was', here and find the follow-up interview with Molly Quell here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Swimming in the Dark' by Tomasz Jędrowski, translated by Robert Sudół; 'World Without End' by Christophe Blain and Jean-Marc Jancovici, translated by Edward Gauvin. Other resources for this episode: Ursula von der Leyen's letter to EU leaders on migration, October 14, 2024 https://www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/15/October-2024-EUCO-Migration-letter.pdf 'What is refugee rentierism? An explainer'. The New Humanitarian, August 14, 2024 https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2024/08/14/what-refugee-rentierism-explainer 00:22 Katy's parents made a podcast
06:18 Good Week: Pedro Sánchez
19:48 Bad Week: Rich wine-drinkers
29:14 Interview: Seb Duyck on Switzerland's failed response to the KlimaSeniorinnen ruling
46:26 Inspiration Station: 'Swimming In The Dark' and 'World Without End'
51:02 Happy Ending: Luka Modrić, an inspiration for all people in their late thirties Producers: Katz Laszlo and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaInstagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 24 Oct 2024 - 53min - 288 - Russia's mysterious sabotage campaign
Arson, vandalism, attacks on NATO vehicles: around Europe, mysterious acts of sabotage have been multiplying. And there's a pattern: the perpetrators were recruited on Telegram via accounts linked to Russian agencies. This week, we hear from Marta Vunš about how she and other journalists went undercover to figure out how this recruitment actually works. We're also asking whether Germany's nausea-inducing opera deserves its scandalised headlines, and why France has been low-key obsessed with a treasure hunt for the past three decades. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. "‘Make a Molotov Cocktail’: How Europeans Are Recruited Through Telegram to Commit Sabotage, Arson, and Murder". You can read the investigation by Delfi, Der Standard, Paper Trail Media and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project here. This week's Inspiration Station offering, sponsored by the European Cultural Foundation: Liquid Becomings. Other resources for this episode: Trailer: SANCTA | Staatsoper Stuttgart Talk Eastern Europe: Spies, sabotage and Russia-West relations 00:22 The week EU politics got spicy
03:22 Bad Week: Unwell opera-goers
13:54 Good Week: France's mystery treasure-hunt winner
24:38 Interview: Marta Vunš on Russia's shady Telegram recruitment
38:46 The Inspiration Station - The European Cultural Foundation presents: Liquid Becomings
42:45 Happy Ending: Phew! Art saved from the garbage canProducers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaInstagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 17 Oct 2024 - 45min - 287 - Using grandma to make people cry about climate change
Why is it so hard to talk about climate change in a way that actually makes us... feel something? This week, our producer Katz Laszlo talks to an Icelandic writer who manages against the odds to do just that: Andri Snær Magnason, author of — among many other things — the hit memoir 'On Time And Water'. We're also talking about the German politician alleged to have hired Belarusian political prisoners, and the extraordinary bounceback of Mediterranean turtles. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. You can find out more about Andri's work here and watch Emergence Magazine's documentary, 'The Last Ice Age', here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'When I Lived In Modern Times' by Linda Grant and 'Kneecap'.
Other resources for this episode
'Finance minister responds to book VAT backlash, cuts the rate on books' - The Slovak Spectator, 26/09/2024
'«Onion is tasty». Political prisoners work on an onion plantation owned by AfD MP Jörg Dornau' - Reform News, 24/09/2024
'Hanna' - The Europeans, 02/06/2022
'Germany’s far right loves one migrant group: Russian Germans' - Politico Europe, 29/09/24
'Cruinniú na nÓg 2024 - The Spark' - Creative Ireland
'How Germany outfitted half a million balconies with solar panels' - Canary Media, 27/09/2024 00:22 Good job, Slovakia!
02:42 Good Week: Mediterranean turtles
12:38 Bad Week: Jörg Dornau
24:03 Interview: Andri Snær Magnason on how to talk about climate change in a way that makes people Actually Feel Something
44:12 The Inspiration Station: 'When I Lived In Modern Times' and 'Kneecap'
48:30 Happy Ending: Germany's mini solar panel bonanza
Producers: Morgan Childs and Katz Laszlo
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaInstagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 03 Oct 2024 - 51min - 286 - What do the European Union and Barbie have in common?
Are European leaders living in a Barbie-like dreamworld? This week, the idealised fantasy of the EU versus its awkward reality. Far from being a continent of grateful europhiles, a lot of people feel apathetic about the European project at best. Paweł Zerka joins us to discuss why non-white, young and Eastern Europeans feel especially left out of the EU, and what we can do to fix this. We're also joined by Deutsche Welle's Kate Laycock for a special guest edition of Good Week, Bad Week! We discuss how victory was snatched from the AfD in last weekend's state elections in Brandenburg, as well as the backlash against tax hikes on books in both Slovakia and the Netherlands. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. You can read Paweł's report here. The European Sentiment Compass is a joint initiative of the European Council on Foreign Relations and the European Cultural Foundation. Kate is the presenter of DW's Inside Europe. You'll be able to catch Katy and Dominic on the show next week! Inspiration Station offerings: 'What language does your inner child speak?' - The First 1,000 Days 'How Libraries Thrive' - you can read the whole book online here Other resources for this episode: 'German far-right AfD song calls for deporting millions - DW News 'Elderly Romanian woman used amber nugget worth over $1 million as a doorstop for decades' - El País 00:22 Insure yourselves, people!
04:07 Good Week: Dietmar Woidke (Special edition with Kate Laycock from Deutsche Welle)
12:24 Bad Week: Book-lovers in Slovakia and the Netherlands
22:00 Interview: Paweł Zerka on the Barbie-like European Union
39:13 The Inspiration Station: 'The First 1,000 Days' and 'How Libraries Thrive'
43:45 Happy Ending: The world's fanciest door-stop?Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaInstagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 26 Sep 2024 - 47min - 285 - Mussolini, testicles, and the Schengen zone
Last week we brought you geopolitics, this week we're bringing you testicles. Why has male contraception remained such an underground idea, despite decades of research? We speak to Paul Labourie, one of a growing number of men (in the francophone world at least) who are turning to DIY contraception devices to take on more of the responsibility in their relationships. We're also talking about the crackdown on Germany's borders and a surprise move by Mussolini's granddaughter. Paul is a journalist and photographer based in Brussels. You can find his website here and follow him on Instagram here. You can read Paul's article about heat-based contraception for VICE Belgium here and find out more about Samuel Flambard's workshops here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Another Round' and 'The Gullspång Miracle' (available here via the BBC and here via DR). Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:23 Not sponsored by any kind of nasal irrigation device
03:02 Good Week: Standing up to the far-right in Italy
09:50 Bad Week: The Schengen Zone
21:19 Interview: Paul Labourie's primer on thermal contraception
35:19 The Inspiration Station: 'Another Round' and 'The Gullspång Miracle'
38:38 Happy ending: Fewer screens, more dessertsProducers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaInstagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 19 Sep 2024 - 41min - 284 - Swedish authorities say it's fine if you listen to this podcast
We're back from our summer break! Rym Momtaz, the new editor-in-chief of the Strategic Europe blog, is here to catch us up on the main political developments we missed over the summer, from Ukraine to France. We're also talking about Sweden's suggestions for cutting kids' screen time, and a possible crackdown on outrageous concert ticket prices.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify.Strategic Europe is a blog from the Carnegie Europe think-tank. You can find it here, and follow Rym on Twitter here.
This week's Inspiration Station picks: 'Evenings and Weekends' by Oisín McKenna and 'Berlin' by Andris Kuprišs, translated by Ian Gwin.
Other resources for this episode: 'A Different Way to Look at Screen Time' - ParentData, April 2024 If you're feeling brave, you can download Mario Draghi's competitiveness report here. If you're short on time because you're contributing to European productivity, you can read his summary here. Waldrapteam, the conservationists working with the northern bald ibis, can be found on Instagram here. You can follow their progress here. 03:10 Bad Week: Ticketmaster
14:23 Good Week: Swedish kids
26:40 Interview: Rym Momtaz catches us up on the main European political developments of the summer
47:44 The Inspiration Station: 'Evenings and Weekends' by Oisín McKenna; 'Berlin' by Andris Kuprišs
50:24 Happy Ending: The return of the northern bald ibisProducers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 12 Sep 2024 - 56min - 283 - This Is What A Generation Sounds Like: Kinga
This week, we're re-releasing another of our all-time favourite episodes to entertain your ears during our summer break. First aired in 2022, it's a story from our long-running series, 'This Is What A Generation Sounds Like', and it takes us to Georgia.
Thanks for listening! We'll be back in September. If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify.
Producers: Wojciech Oleksiak and Kinga Goc
Mixing, mastering and sound design: Wojciech Oleksiak
Editorial support: Katz Laszlo, Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer
Music by Casletila. Theme music by Jim Barne
You can find a beautiful visual version of this podcast, produced by our friends at Are We Europe, here.
This series was co-produced with Are We Europe and made in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation.
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 15 Aug 2024 - 32min - 282 - This Is What A Generation Sounds Like: Sara
We're away on our summer break until September, but this week and next week we're re-releasing two of our favourite episodes from The Europeans' award-winning series, 'This Is What A Generation Sounds Like.
This week, a story that spans three generations of women: Sara, her mother, and her grandmother. In their collective lifetimes, Albania entered a communist dictatorship; the regime fell; and then there was a transition. And through it all, there was a dish: trahana.
This episode first aired in 2021. You can find a beautiful visual version of this podcast, produced by our friends at Are We Europe, here.
This series was co-produced with Are We Europe and made in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation.
Producers: Katz Laszlo and Sara
Assistant producer: Priyanka Shankar
Editor: Katy Lee
Sound design: Katz Laszlo
Editorial support: Dominic Kraemer, Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Era e Feminise, by Elina Duni; Song of Emigration, by Women’s Choir from Permet; Tana, by Saziso; Ka Nje mot e gjysem viti, by Elina Duni Quartet; Jonuzi Me Shoket by Vaome Kaba; Ballerina by Yehezkel Raz; Mëmëdheu by the Peter Pan Quartet; Jim Barne. SFX from Freesound.org.Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify.
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 08 Aug 2024 - 27min - 281 - A Q&A with The Europeans
It’s our first ever Q&A episode! Katy, Dominic, Katz and Wojciech answer listeners’ questions – from how we make the show, to the episodes we’d make if we were gazillionaires.
We’ve saved a couple of our answers for supporters of the podcast. If you’d like to hear them, we’d love it if you could send a few bucks our way at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). Thanks so much to everyone who makes our show possible by helping us cover our production costs!
You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify.
Producer: Katz LaszloMixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 01 Aug 2024 - 43min - 280 - 'Luca'
One Hungarian family. One piece of land. Two very different visions.
This is the final episode in our long-running series This Is What A Generation Sounds Like, made in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation. You can find the other episodes in the series here.
Thanks, as ever, to the listeners who support this podcast so that we can keep making it. You can chip in atpatreon.com/europeanspodcast.
Producers: Katz Laszlo and Luca Borsos
Sound design: Katz Laszlo
Editors: Dominic Kraemer and Katy Lee
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Odú, 777, Fa Lenni and O, by Deva; Palinka, by Mónika Lakatos and Hangok Cigány; Zenebuddhizmus by Akkezdat Phiai; Marsh Warbler by Cosmo Sheldrake; Arcade Ride by Vens Adams; BlueDot Sessions and of course our theme music by Jim Barne. SFX from Freesound.org
Instagram |Threads | Twitter |Mastodon |Bluesky hello@europeanspodcast.comThu, 18 Jul 2024 - 39min - 279 - What happens after France's surprise swing to the left?
A surprise left-wing election win? In Europe? In 2024? This week, we turn to our resident Parisian journalist to try to get our heads around what just happened in France, as well as what might happen next. We’re also looking at the other big left-wing winners of the week: the UK Labour Party. What might their new government mean for Britain’s relationship with Europe? Plus, Barcelona’s anti-tourist revolt and what may be the world’s toughest crackdown on Airbnb.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify.
This week's Inspiration Station picks: BBC Assignment: 'Germany's AI detectives' and The Europeans on YouTube.
Other resources:
'El malestar por el turismo masivo se traslada a las calles de Barcelona' - La Vanguardia, July 6, 2024
'Quelle coalition ? Composez votre majorité absolue avec notre simulateur de coalitions exclusif' - Le Grand Continent, July 7, 2024
00:22 The return of human co-host Dominic Kraemer
03:51 Good Week: Britain's relationship with the EU
15:02 Bad Week: Tourists in Barcelona
28:16 Interview: Katy on France's surprise election results and what might happen next
48:33 Isolation Inspiration: 'Germany's AI detectives' and The Europeans on YouTube
51:24 Happy Ending: Climate-resilient cacao
Producers: Wojciech Oleksiak and Katy Lee
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon |Bluesky hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 11 Jul 2024 - 54min - 278 - Why is European cinema so different from Hollywood?
Fewer expensive car chases, more moody shots and ambiguous endings: movies made in Europe are often very different from those made in the US. But Europe's more arty film output isn't just a product of our culture — it has a lot to do with how the industry is financed. This week, we're asking: why is European cinema the way it is, and should we be trying to change it? Plus, producer Wojciech Oleksiak joins Katy to discuss Europe's latest far-right alliance and why Kaja Kallas may be glad to be stepping down as Estonia's prime minister. This episode was supported by KIDS Regio. Thanks so much to project manager Anne Schultka for joining us, along with Tamara Kolarić, assistant professor in social sciences at SALIS, Dublin City University.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify.
This week's Inspiration Station picks: Euro 2024 and Search Engine: 'Why didn't Chris and Dan get into Berghain?' Parts 1 and 2 Other resources: 'The Hungarian presidency: Let the games begin' - Politico Europe, June 25, 2024
00:22 Hot in Warsaw, even hotter in Paris
02:45 Good Week: Kaja Kallas (and her replacement)
12:40 Bad Week: The Mainstream
26:05 Interview: Anne Schultka and Tamara Kolarić on how money shapes Europe's film industry
43:56 The Inspiration Station: Something called 'football', and Search Engine: 'Why didn't Chris and Dan get into Berghain?' Parts 1 and 2
48:58 Happy Ending: Dominic's holiday voice noteProducers: Morgan Childs and Katy Lee
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Thu, 04 Jul 2024 - 52min - 277 - Pigeon murders, the nature restoration law, and Scandinavian family therapy
Enough politics: we’ve got a nature-themed episode for you this week. Producer Katz Laszlo joins Katy to explain how Austria’s environment minister went rogue to save the EU’s hugely important nature restoration law; we’re also talking about the German town that just voted to kill all its pigeons. And in the human world: the podcast that brings Scandinavians together in their own languages. Hilde Sandvik takes us behind the scenes of ‘Norsken, svensken og dansken’, a show described as family therapy for neighbouring nations.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify.
Hilde is one of the board members of NORD 55, an initiative seeking to build public debate in the Nordic region. You can listen to ‘Norsken, svensken og dansken’ here via NRK.
This week’s Inspiration Station picks: Garden to Grill and ‘Midsummer Night’.
Other resources:
‘Pigeon problems: German town votes to have birds killed, outraging animal rights’ activists’ - Euronews, July 12, 2024
‘How do we survive the media apocalypse?’ - Search Engine, March 15, 2024
00:22 Summer plunges and untranslatable words
04:19 Good Week: Europe's plants and animals
16:17 Bad Week: The pigeons of Limburg
28:43 Interview: Hilde Sandvik on creating Scandinavia's cross-border, multilingual podcast
41:03 The Inspiration Station: 'Garden to Grill' and 'Midsummer Night'
44:52 Happy Ending: Wild times for Windy
Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon |Bluesky hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 27 Jun 2024 - 47min - 276 - The most confusing elections of all time?
The far-right surged but the centre held; somehow the two are true at once. Nearly 100 members of the new European Parliament have yet to tell us which political family they’ll be joining. And as for who’s actually going to be running the EU’s institutions for the next five years – right now, it’s anyone’s guess. How can we make sense of these European elections? Alberto Alemmano joins us to help decipher a momentous, and very confusing, moment in Europe’s democracy.
Alberto is a professor of EU law at HEC in Paris and the College of Europe. You can follow him on Twitter here.
We’ve got a new look! Check out our beautiful new website, designed by the wonderful RTiiiKA, at europeanspodcast.com.
This week’s Inspiration Station offerings: ‘Untold: Power for Sale’ and ‘Under Paris’. You can check out ‘Mixed Signals’, the new podcast from Semafor, here.
This special episode was made possible thanks to the financial support of theCulture of Solidarity Fund, powered by theEuropean Cultural Foundation in collaboration withAllianz Foundation and theEvens Foundation. You can check out the #CulturalDealEU campaignhere.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month atpatreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show byleaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify.
Hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Katy Lee
Producer: Katy Lee
Sound design, mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Editorial support: Katz Laszlo
Music: Jim Barne and Blue Dot Sessions
Sound effects: Freesound.org
Artwork: RTiiiKA
Instagram |Threads | Twitter |Mastodon |Bluesky | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 20 Jun 2024 - 45min - 275 - Why give a damn about the European elections?
They’re the second biggest elections on Earth. For the next four days, 373 million people are eligible to take part in the vote for the European Parliament. And yet in most EU countries, the prevailing mood is… ‘meh’.
This week, we take on the challenge of convincing you that these elections are anything but meh, with the help of one of our favourite explainers of all things EU, Beatriz Ríos.
You can follow Beatriz on Twitter here and find Politico Europe’s guide on how to vote here.
This special episode was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Culture of Solidarity Fund, powered by the European Cultural Foundation in collaboration with Allianz Foundation and the Evens Foundation. You can check out the #CulturalDealEU campaign here.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify.
Hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Katy Lee
Producer: Katy Lee
Sound design, mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Editorial support: Katz Laszlo
Music: Jim Barne and Blue Dot Sessions
Sound effects: Freesound.org (JoeDeshon)
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon |Bluesky | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 06 Jun 2024 - 36min - 274 - The Big-Agri Bully Boys
Protests by angry farmers have swept across Europe this year. But from country to country, powerful groups have taken these protests over and changed their agenda. Who are these people, and what are they up to?
This is a special episode produced in collaboration with investigative journalists from Lighthouse Reports and media partners across Europe.
This podcast was made possible by our generous Patreon supporters. If you enjoy our work, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify.
Read the articles published as part of this investigation:
‘Farmers protest, who gains?’ - Lighthouse Reports https://www.lighthousereports.com/investigation/farmers-protest-who-gains/
‘Bauernschlaue Lobbyisten’ - Taz https://taz.de/Doppeltes-Spiel-des-Agrarverbandes/!6009938/
‘Le lobbying agricole de la FNSEA à la loupe’ - Splann! https://splann.org/lobby-agricole-fnsea/
Reporters: Wojciech Oleksiak, Thin Lei Win, Marianne Kerfriden, Silvia Lazzaris, Elena DeBre and Emmanuel Freudenthal
Producer: Wojciech Oleksiak
Editor: Katz Laszlo
Editorial support: Dominic Kraemer and Katy Lee
Sound design, scoring, mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne, BlueDot SessionsSound effects: Freesound.org (miastodzwiekow, Cosmopolight, Quistard)
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon |Bluesky | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Fri, 31 May 2024 - 46min - 273 - What's more endangered: wolves or Eurovision?
This week, the high drama of both European wolf policy and the Eurovision Song Contest. Wolves have made a huge comeback in Europe in recent years. How can we coexist peacefully with these hungry carnivores? We speak to the social scientist Hanna Pettersson about how humans are living alongside predators in Spain and Sweden. Plus, all the controversy from the most chaotic Eurovision in history, and why Catalans just voted to boot out their separatist government after a decade in power. Hanna is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of York. You can listen to her interview with The Conversation here. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'The Regime' and this accompanying episode of 'Cautionary Tales'; 'There's Still Tomorrow'. 'Lost On Me' was translated into English by Leah Janeczko.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify.
Other resources for this episode: 'Why did Ireland give Israel 10 points at the Eurovision?' - RTEAitor Hernández-Morales on the Catalan elections
00:22 Europe needs a new continent-wide public holiday
02:38 Bad Week: The European Broadcasting Union
20:35 Good Week: Catalonia's Socialists
30:03 Interview: Hanna Pettersson on living with Europe's wolves
44:45 The Inspiration Station: The Regime and There's Still Tomorrow
49:28 Happy Ending: A pioneering law in BelgiumProducers: Morgan Childs and Katy Lee
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 16 May 2024 - 51min - 272 - Can food labels make us healthier?
Across a fair chunk of Europe, we've grown used to seeing little traffic light symbols on our food packets that supposedly rate the healthiness of our food. But why might Dominic's chamomile tea get a Nutri-Score rating of C, when a diet cola gets an A? And does Giorgia Meloni have a point in claiming that the ratings are biased against Italians? This week we ring up Alie de Boer, an expert on all things food labelling, to demystify the Nutri-Score system once and for all. We're also talking about why Georgia's at a crossroads between Russia and the EU, and why it's such a scary moment in German politics.
Alie is an assistant professor of nutrition and food law at Maastricht University's Venlo campus. You can watch her excellent video about Nutri-Score here.
This week's Inspiration Station offerings: Marina Abramović's new exhibition and Desert Island Discs interview; Gugelhupf.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify.
Other resources for this episode:
'Is Georgian Dream Digging Its Own Grave?' - Transitions, May 2024 https://tol.org/client/article/is-georgian-dream-digging-its-own-grave.html
'Are right-wing populists more likely to justify political violence?' - European Consortium for Political Research, March 2024 https://ejpr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1475-6765.12668?af=R
'How Italian "food nationalism" has blocked Nutri-Score nutrition labelling system in Europe' - Mediapart, January 2024 https://www.mediapart.fr/en/journal/international/060124/how-italian-food-nationalism-has-blocked-nutri-score-nutrition-labelling-system-europe
00:23 A delicious, digestible bowl of European news
02:52 Good week: Georgia's brave protesters
09:43 Bad week: German democracy
21:10 Interview: Alie de Boer on how those Nutri-Score labels on your food actually work
37:51 The Inspiration Station: Marina Abramović and gugelhupf
42:52 Happy Ending: The European Seagull Screeching Championship
Producers: Morgan Childs and Katy Lee
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 09 May 2024 - 45min - 271 - The regime that ended with a song
It’s the only revolution in world history (that we know of) that began with a Eurovision song. This week, Portugal marks 50 years since the Carnation Revolution ended decades of dictatorship. We speak to Alex Fernandes, author of a new accessible history of the revolution, about the day that changed everything. We’re also talking about the UK’s missed opportunity to give an entire generation fun memories (and skills, but mostly fun memories) and Milan's ice cream uproar.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify.
FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/the-regime-that-ended-with-a-song
Alex’s book, ‘The Carnation Revolution: The Day Portugal’s Dictatorship Fell’ is out now. You can find him on Twitter here and read his article on the music of the revolution here.
Inspiration Station offerings: ‘E Depois Do Adeus’ by Paulo de Carvalho; Grândola, Vila Morena by José Afonso and MARO on tour. Bonus entry: the ‘Feat. NATURE’ playlist.
Other resources for this episode:
‘What is behind the UK’s labour shortage?’ - UK in a Changing Europe, February 2024
‘Percentage of businesses experiencing a shortage of workers in the United Kingdom in 2023, by industry sector’ - Statista, November 2023
‘Nature is an artist! Inside AKQA’s design for mammoth Spotify and UN project, Sounds Right’ - It’s Nice That, April 2024
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 25 Apr 2024 - 45min
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