394 episodes

EU Confidential is a weekly European news and politics podcast published every Friday by POLITICO Europe. Each 30-minute episode features POLITICO’s analysis of the top stories driving EU politics, as well as notable guests shaping European policy and deep-dive stories from around the Continent. It’s hosted by Sarah Wheaton, POLITICO’s chief policy correspondent, who is joined by reporters from around Europe. Discover our show notes for EU Confidential here: https://www.politico.eu/eu-confidential-podcast/
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EU Confidential POLITICO Europe

    • News
    • 4.4 • 87 Ratings

EU Confidential is a weekly European news and politics podcast published every Friday by POLITICO Europe. Each 30-minute episode features POLITICO’s analysis of the top stories driving EU politics, as well as notable guests shaping European policy and deep-dive stories from around the Continent. It’s hosted by Sarah Wheaton, POLITICO’s chief policy correspondent, who is joined by reporters from around Europe. Discover our show notes for EU Confidential here: https://www.politico.eu/eu-confidential-podcast/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Portuguese voters' anger and what it means for Europe

    Portuguese voters' anger and what it means for Europe

    Portugal's snap election has brought seismic change — the Socialists are now in opposition and the center-right Democratic Alliance, which narrowly won the vote, will try to form a minority government. But the biggest shock came when the far-right, ultra-nationalist, anti-immigrant Chega won more than a million votes and became the third-largest party in parliament.
    In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton is joined by POLITICO’s Aitor Hernández-Morales, Barbara Moens and Nicholas Vinocur to break down the results of the vote and discuss what the far-right surge in Portugal could mean for the future of the EU — with the European elections on the horizon and the race for top jobs underway.
    Later, POLITICO's Stuart Lau interviews Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson after his country officially joined NATO.
    Further readings:
    Ursula von der Leyen’s reelection campaign gets off to a bumpy start – POLITICO
    Portugal’s far right comes roaring back – POLITICO
    Portugal swings right in knife-edge snap election – POLITICO

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    • 31 min
    Inside the European People's Party Congress 2024

    Inside the European People's Party Congress 2024

    On this bumper edition of EU Confidential, we take you inside the two-day European People Party's Congress in Bucharest.
    Host Sarah Wheaton and POLITICO's Eddy Wax reveal what was happening as the center-right EPP sealed the deal on its campaign manifesto and anointed its lead candidate for the European Parliament election: Ursula von der Leyen.
    They speak exclusively to delegates and key EPP figures including Roberta Metsola, Manfred Weber, Thanasis Bakolas, Leo Varadkar, Michel Barnier, Petteri Orpo, Mariya Gabriel, Peter Liese, Adina Ioana Vălean, Petri Sarvamaa, Dara Murphy and Lídia Pereira.

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    • 58 min
    European Parliament election 2024 — state of play

    European Parliament election 2024 — state of play

    With less than 100 days until the European Parliament election, we bring you the state of play. Also, we hear from Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili about her country's ambitions to join the EU.
    Host Sarah Wheaton assembles a panel of astute election watchers to break down the key issues and people shaping the discussions as campaigns get underway for the EU election in June: POLITICO's Parliament reporter Eddy Wax; Francesca Romana D'Antuono, co-president of Volt Europa; and Thomas Thaler, co-lead of APCO's EU election task force. And be sure to subscribe to POLITICO's weekly EU Election Playbook, authored by Eddy.
    Then later in the podcast, Berlin Playbook author Gordon Repinski sits down with Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili to discuss her country's EU aspirations, domestic political tensions and persistent threats from neighboring Russia. You can sign up to receive POLITICO's new Berlin Playbook here.

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    • 34 min
    VDL 2.0 — How Europe and Ukraine have changed, two years into Russia's all-out war

    VDL 2.0 — How Europe and Ukraine have changed, two years into Russia's all-out war

    As we mark two years of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we take stock of how the war has changed Europe's political landscape and identity — as well as life for Ukrainians under siege. Also, we look at Ursula von der Leyen's campaign to remain European Commission chief.
    Von der Leyen finally announced her intention this week to officially seek another term at the helm following the European Parliament election in June. Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by POLITICO's Hans von der Burchard about the not-so-surprising announcement and what we can expect from von der Leyen's campaign over the coming months. And as mentioned, Hans is part of POLITICO's new Berlin Playbook team — you can subscribe here.
    Then we turn our focus to Ukraine. Executive Producer Cristina Gonzalez sits down with renowned Bulgarian political scientist Ivan Krastev at the recent Munich Security Conference to unpack how the war in Ukraine has fundamentally changed Europe.
    And finally, Sarah is joined by our reporter in Kyiv, Veronika Melkozerova, for a poignant personal account of how the war has impacted her and her fellow Ukrainian citizens. You can read Veronika's full story here: "Being Ukrainian in 2024: 'People look at me as if I'm terminally ill'".

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    • 39 min
    Europe responds to Donald Trump

    Europe responds to Donald Trump

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

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    • 29 min
    Can the EU defend Ukraine (and itself)?

    Can the EU defend Ukraine (and itself)?

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

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    • 29 min

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5
87 Ratings

87 Ratings

Nadia McS. ,

Excellent resource to stay in the know

I teach European politics and this is my number one resource to stay up-to-date and get expert analysis on political developments in Europe. The dynamic among the participants is great—a positive, entertaining tone.

M.H. 250 ,

No balance where is Karnitschnig?

I used to listen when they had Matthew Karnitschnig on but without him it’s dominated by left wing journalists and left wing guests.

John_F_ ,

Please Politico, could I have some more?

Excellent overview of recent happenings in Europe by the excellent Politico team headed by the wonderful Andrew Gray.

My only criticism is that some discussions seem a bit short.

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