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Updated 23/04/2021
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Updated 08/05/2021

6 DAYS AGO

The battle of Alden Biesen

EU leaders gather at Alden Biesen castle to debate how to revive Europe’s economy — and whether “strategic autonomy” can survive internal divisions. POLITICO's Chief EU Correspondent Zoya Sheftalovich is joined by policy editor Sarah Wheaton to unpack the competitiveness retreat. Plus: The Hungary funds case nears a turning point in Luxembourg, as the Court of Justice of the European Union issues a key opinion in the Parliament’s lawsuit against the Commission — with political stakes ahead of Hungary’s April parliamentary election. And finally: Why are EU leaders so fond of castles?Zoya and Sarah also share listeners’ karaoke picks sent to our WhatsApp number: +32 491 05 06 29 With Valentine’s Day approaching, send us a shoutout to your loved one — or maybe a missed connection.That person you exchanged a glance with in the Berlaymont lift.The policy wonk you queued behind for coffee at Schuman.The brunette who walked into the Commission building before you could say hello.Send us a voice note — we might help Brussels’ most bureaucratic love stories find a happy landing. **A message from Amazon: Across Europe, businesses are growing with the AWS Cloud to build innovative, scalable products. From Europe’s largest enterprises and government agencies to the continent’s fastest growing startups, learn more about how AWS Cloud is helping businesses across Europe grow at AWS.eu.** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 days ago

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16 min
10 FEB

Episode 1: The plan to get Ukraine into the EU

Welcome to the first edition of the Brussels Playbook Podcast! In the debut episode, Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart break down two big questions facing Brussels: How far is the EU willing to go to bring Ukraine into its fold? And can Europe finally get serious about fixing its economy? First, Ukraine and enlargement. EU officials are quietly exploring unconventional options to move Kyiv closer to the bloc — potentially as early as next year — as talk of a possible peace deal grows and uncertainty around the U.S. deepens. Then, competitiveness. Ahead of a closed-door leaders’ retreat later this week, EU capitals are under pressure to revive Europe’s sluggish economy and cut internal barriers that have held growth back for years. Ian and Zoya also ask what the recent closure of Irish pubs Kitty O’Shea’s and De Valera’s — two key Brussels institutions for talking shop over a beer — means for the informal spaces where EU politics has long been done. And we’d love to hear from you — where are people now going instead? Send us your pub tips, memories or voice notes. We may play some of them in a future episode. Messages can be anonymous. Our WhatsApp number is: +32 491 05 06 29 **A message from Amazon: Across Europe, businesses are growing with the AWS Cloud to build innovative, scalable products. From Europe’s largest enterprises and government agencies to the continent’s fastest growing startups, learn more about how AWS Cloud is helping businesses across Europe grow at AWS.eu.** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Feb

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15 min
11 FEB

EU talks funding Kyiv and how to boost industry

It’s another day of high-level talks across Belgium. First, the EU’s defense ministers meet in Brussels. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart dive into the Foreign Affairs Council hosted by the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas — with Ukraine’s new defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, also at the table. On the agenda: signing off on eight national plans under the EU’s flagship defense program, SAFE, and discussions around the €90 billion loan for Ukraine. Then we head to Antwerp for the European Industry Summit, where Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever meet industrial heavyweights to talk ideas for boosting Europe’s competitiveness. Plus, De Wever casts himself as a miracle-maker for the Brussels region as long-stalled coalition talks shift into a higher gear. And finally, Ian and Zoya share listeners’ tips on where to go for a drink as Irish pubs disappear from Brussels. Send us your go-to karaoke song for a night out — and sing it for us in a voice note. We might play some in a future episode. Messages can be anonymous. Our WhatsApp number is: +32 491 05 06 29 **A message from Amazon: Across Europe, businesses are growing with the AWS Cloud to build innovative, scalable products. From Europe’s largest enterprises and government agencies to the continent’s fastest growing startups, learn more about how AWS Cloud is helping businesses across Europe grow at AWS.eu.** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11 Feb

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16 min
6 FEB

Can the EU decouple from Trump's America?

Can the European Union really decouple from Donald Trump’s America — economically, politically, and strategically? In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton speaks with Mateusz Morawiecki, former Polish prime minister and president of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) party about his call for an “Economic NATO,” an even stronger economic and political alliance between the EU, the U.S. and others as counterbalance to China and Russia. His vision goes against a mainstream trend we’re observing across European capitals as they seek to decouple from Trump’s America. To explain what this EU-U.S. divorce looks like in practice, Sarah is joined by Zoya Sheftalovich, POLITICO’s Chief EU correspondent. Plus, some exciting news, we introduce the Brussels Playbook Podcast, our new daily show launching next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Feb

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38 min
30 JAN

The Anxious Continent: Social media bans and boozy trade deals

Europe is testing how far it’s willing to go — at home and abroad. In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton talks to Jonathan Haidt, author of the best-selling "The Anxious Generation." His research is inspiring social media bans for kids in countries including France and Australia, even as tech companies and some researchers strongly contest his conclusions. Alongside him is MEP Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová and POLITICO tech reporter Eliza Gkritsi, who is reporting on EU deliberations on protecting teens' mental health. Later, Sarah is joined by POLITICO’s Nick Vinocur and trade reporter Camille Gijs, who was on the ground in New Delhi for the signing of the EU–India trade and defense agreement — dubbed by Ursula von der Leyen the “mother of all deals.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30 Jan

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41 min
04/04/2025

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

What do Marine Le Pen, Yanis Varoufakis and Donald Trump have in common? More than you'd think. In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton breaks down the court decision that could end Le Pen's political career as well as the fallout for France's far right. With POLITICO’s Clea Caulcutt giving us the latest from Paris, Yanis Varoufakis — the former Greek finance minister and leader of left-wing party Mera25 — joins to discuss his controversial defense of Le Pen, and why he believes Europe’s political future is on the line. His stance got us thinking about the horseshoe theory of politics: Are the far left and far right really that different? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

04/04/2025

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42 min
13/12/2024

Westminster's class war over private schools

For centuries, Westminster has been dominated by politicians who attended some of the most prestigious schools in the country. This week on Westminster Insider, host Sascha O'Sullivan finds out whether public schools still dominate or if state educated Rachel Reeves and Bridget Phillipson's move to tax fees reflects the end of the era of Etonians. Sascha visits Eton College and takes a tour around the art school and the theater, hears from an old boy about the kind of education children receive there — and discovers why our prime ministers are far more likely to have been attended this school than any other. Former Labour adviser and old Etonian Patrick Hennessey tells Sascha the confidence a school such as his alma mater instills can easily slip into arrogance. FT journalist and author Simon Kuper explains why privately educated politicians have always tended to banded together in Westminster — and how that can leave those that attended less prestigious institutions out in the cold. Keir Starmer's former adviser Donjeta Miftari describes coming to work in SW1 as a former comprehensive pupil and immediately noticing the networks which the independent sector fosters beyond the school itself. Former David Blunkett adviser Conor Ryan recalls the fights with private school heads when the Blair government axed the state-funded assisted places scheme. Sam Freedman, education expert and former adviser to Michael Gove, explains how the former education's secretary's background informed his attitude to education reform. And Sascha travelled to Brentwood, a private school in Essex, where headteacher Michael Bond tells her Reeves' decision to put VAT on private schools was "punishing" them unfairly, as the private sector was making strides towards making fee-paying schools less exclusive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

13/12/2024

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48 min
21/11/2025

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

When Europe’s biggest political family crosses the aisle to vote with the far right, something fundamental shifts in Brussels. In this episode, host Sarah Wheaton unpacks the vote that cracked the European Parliament’s cordon sanitaire — and what a newly disciplined, image-polished far right means for Ursula von der Leyen’s shaky centrist alliance. POLITICO’s Marianne Gros and Max Griera take us inside the omnibus showdown; Tim Ross demonstrates how the same forces are reshaping politics across Europe — from the English seaside town of Jaywick to Paris, Berlin and beyond. Plus — Aitor Hernández-Morales brings us a surprising counterpoint from Denmark, where voters pushed back against a left-wing government they felt had leaned too far toward the right. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

21/11/2025

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33 min
15/07/2024

Live at the RNC: Trump insider on the survivor and a new VP

Reince Priebus is one the Republican Party's veteran power brokers. He served Donald Trump as his first White House chief of staff and chairs the host committee at this year's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. As Republican delegates gather in the aftermath of a dramatic couple of days, host Anne McElvoy speaks to Priebus live on stage at the CNN-POLITICO Grill. They discuss the attempted assassination, its impact on the party and the significance of his choice of a vice presidential running mate. Later, Anne talks to POLITICO's Global Editor-in-Chief, John Harris, about the surreal atmosphere at the convention and what it means for the race for the White House. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15/07/2024

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34 min
25/07/2024

Kamala Harris takes aim at Trump: Is history on her side?

Kamala Harris' sudden elevation to likely Democrat nominee has transformed the race for the White House. As President Biden passed the baton, can she beat a resurgent Donald Trump? Host Anne McElvoy talks to the doyen of American constitutional experts, Philip Bobbitt, about the significance of the Biden transition to Harris. As Lyndon Baines Johnson's nephew, he has a personal connection with the last time a president stood aside — in 1968 — a year that rocked the Democratic Party. Later, she explores how this week has galvanized the race with John Harris, POLITICO's global editor-in-chief, and Ryan Lizza, host of POLITICO’s "Deep Dive" podcast and co-author of POLITICO Playbook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25/07/2024

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34 min

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