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Roberta Metsola, the new president of the European Parliament, is our special guest. We also unpack French President Emmanuel Macron's appearance in the European Parliament and share suggestions for Angela Merkel's next job.
POLITICO's Andrew Gray, Rym Momtaz and Matthew Karnitschnig analyze Macron's big speech and the subsequent debate with MEPs in Strasbourg, which turned into a domestic French political brawl. For a fun alternative take on Macron's speech, you can read this POLITICO piece on what the French president wouldn't say and why.
The podcast crew also discusses the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis and Macron's vision for European security. And after Angela Merkel turned down an offer to lead a U.N. advisory board on global public goods, we have other ideas for gigs that the former German chancellor might enjoy.
Our special guest is the newly-elected President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola. The Maltese MEP spoke to POLITICO's Maïa de La Baume just after the vote on Tuesday. Metsola talks about why she got into politics, how she addresses criticism of her anti-abortion views and what she hopes to achieve over the coming years. She also shares some book recommendations including this behind-the-scenes account of the Obama presidency, written by one of his long-time aides, and this audiobook on life and leadership from a renowned American statesman and four-star general.
The podcast crew also has some recommendations for your leisure time. Rym is pumped to recommend this athletic documentary series out of Texas. Matt is ready to rumble with a documentary about one of the world's greatest sporting showdowns, which was also the subject of some reporting by Andrew in a previous journalistic life. For his part, Andrew recommends this Aussie-based BBC drama series about a traveler who can't remember who he is.
Finally, as mentioned in the podcast, do be sure to check out our package on the European Parliament's mid-season report card.

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The coronavirus wave engulfing Europe and the West's standoff with Russia over Ukraine both feature in this episode. We also reflect on the legacy of European Parliament President David Sassoli, who died earlier this week.
Russian and Western officials held a series of meetings this week to address fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Chief Brussels Correspondent David M. Herszenhorn, who's been in Geneva and at NATO headquarters this week to cover the talks, updates POLITICO's Andrew Gray on what we've learned and where things go from here.
We also reflect on the life and political legacy of David Sassoli, president of the European Parliament, who died earlier this week at the age of 65. POLITICO's European Parliament reporter Maïa de La Baume tells us how the Italian social democrat is being remembered as a person and as a politician. She also shares her own memories of covering Sassoli over the years.
Our special guest is Walter Ricciardi, professor of public health at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome and scientific adviser to Italy's health minister. He tells POLITICO's Sarah Wheaton what he thinks European politicians should do to get us back to some semblance of normalcy. He also describes what it's like serving as a public figure at the intersection of science and politics.

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We look at the big stories we expect to shape 2022 and suggest a few New Year’s resolutions for European politicians — and DOT Europe Director General Siada El Ramly talks EU tech policy.
POLITICO's Rym Momtaz, Matthew Karnitschnig, Sarah Wheaton and David M. Herszenhorn discuss the stories they believe will drive the European political agenda this year — including political fallout from the pandemic, presidential elections in France and escalating tensions with Russia at the Ukrainian border.
Our special guest is DOT Europe's Siada El Ramly who discusses her organization's lobbying efforts on the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to tighten oversight of online content, with POLITICO tech reporter Clothilde Goujard.

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The podcast crew, Andrew Gray, Rym Momtaz, Matthew Karnitschnig and Cristina Gonzalez, present audio clips that sum up some of the big stories of the year — in a conversation recorded at a (virtual) gathering of EU Confidential listeners, who also feature in the episode.
And with Christmas approaching, we look at the role of Jesus in modern politics. POLITICO's Jacopo Barigazzi walks us through his reporting on where Christian values fit in the political landscape and why some politicians are so keen to claim them.

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As Angela Merkel bows out after 16 years, we focus this episode on Germany's new government and its chancellor, Olaf Scholz. We also debate the growing use of "Denglish" — a hybrid of German and English — among politicians.
POLITICO's Andrew Gray and Matthew Karnitschnig explore expectations for the new government, particularly on foreign policy. And we feature some highlights from a live Twitter Spaces discussion among POLITICO reporters: Florian Eder and Hans von der Burchard look at how the coalition will tackle big EU issues and reveal some key behind-the-scenes operators in the chancellery.
Then we broaden the lens to all of Europe and get the inside scoop from Senior Reporter Joshua Posaner on POLITICO's new list of the 28 most powerful people shaping Europe. You can read the full list here and watch the P28 event, which included interviews with with Frans Timmermans" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Frans Timmermans, executive vice president for the European Green Deal at the European Commission, and with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organization.
Our special guest is German language critic Peter Littger, whose latest book on the Denglish phenomenon is "Hello in the round!" He discusses the pervasive use of this hybrid of German and English among politicians and the impact it has on society.

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This week: the Omicron variant and its impact on Europe's coronavirus response, our editor-in-chief on China's approach to Europe and Amnesty International's boss on EU emergency migration measures.
POLITICO's Andrew Gray, Rym Momtaz and Sarah Wheaton break down Europe's response to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the debate over making vaccines mandatory and the prospects for winter as cases continue to rise.
Making his podcast debut is our new Editor-in-Chief, Jamil Anderlini, who spent most of his career in Asia before making the leap to Brussels. He shares fascinating insights into China's view of Europe, the changes to the country he has seen under Xi Jinping and potential future flashpoints between Beijing and the West.
Agnès Callamard, the secretary-general of Amnesty International, is our special guest. She spoke with POLITICO's Hans von der Burchard during a trip to Brussels this week, just as the European Commission was unveiling new measures related to the arrival of refugees and migrants on the EU's border with Belarus.
Programming note: The EU Confidential crew is hosting virtual holiday drinks on Monday, December 13 at 7 p.m. CET. It's a chance to meet the people behind the podcast, ask your questions and be a part of a live taping of our end-of-year show! If you'd like to join via Zoom, email us at podcast@politico.eu for more information.

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