Brussels Playbook Podcast

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Europe edges toward a multi-speed future Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

At this year's Munich Security Conference, the U.S. struck a softer tone — but Europe remains wary.

Back in Brussels, as finance ministers gather for a Eurogroup meeting, a new informal format — the so-called E6 — is drawing attention. Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland — Europe’s biggest economies — are coordinating more closely. This is reigniting questions about whether the EU is drifting toward a multi-speed future and not everyone is comfortable with it.

Meanwhile, after 613 days without a fully empowered executive, Brussels finally has a new regional government.
Host Zoya Sheftalovich is joined by Nick Vinocur, POLITICO’s chief foreign affairs correspondent.
As always, we’d love to hear from you. Send us a line or a voice note with your thoughts — or ideas for topics we should cover. You can reach us at our WhatsApp number, +32 491 05 06 29.

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Omnibusted: The EU’s competitiveness conundrum Feb 13, 2026

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European leaders have spent the week talking about how to make the EU more competitive — first with industry heavyweights in Antwerp, then behind closed doors at a leaders’ retreat in Belgium.

On this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton digs into what’s really behind the latest push to revive Europe’s economy. Are calls for deregulation and lower energy costs a genuine course correction — or another round of diagnosis without delivery?

POLITICO’s Zia Weise, fresh from the industry summit in Antwerp, joins the discussion on how chemical giants and other industrial players are pressing for relief from climate and energy rules. Marianne Gros examines the backlash over Brussels’ simplification drive and growing concerns about transparency and democratic safeguards. And Carlo Martuscelli breaks down the political fault lines exposed at the Alden Biesen retreat — and why so much of Mario Draghi’s reform agenda remains stalled.

Plus, Aitor Hernández-Morales joins us with the latest on political developments in Portugal.

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BONUS: "Europe has to be saved from itself" - Sweden's Deputy Prime Minister Feb 12, 2026

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European leaders and defense ministers gathering at the Munich Security Conference are grappling with how to end the war in Ukraine as it approaches its fourth anniversary. But do they have any influence on how and when it might end — and on whose terms?

In this bonus episode of EU Confidential, host Anne McElvoy talks to Ebba Busch, Sweden’s deputy prime minister and energy minister, who is calling for a more robust stance against Russia and insists that “Europe must now lead itself, not wait for American leadership or even wait for EU institutions.” She argues that “Europe has to be saved from itself” in becoming more agile and not being slowed down by an increasingly powerful bureaucracy.

Busch’s Christian Democrats formed a coalition with other right-leaning parties, marking a shift in Sweden’s political landscape and defending conservative values on issues from immigration to energy security. Busch has also emerged onto the wider European stage, but can her forthright brand of politics make a difference in Brussels?

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The battle of Alden Biesen Feb 12, 2026

Show notes

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.

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EU talks funding Kyiv and how to boost industry Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

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

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Episode 1: The plan to get Ukraine into the EU Feb 10, 2026

Show notes

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

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Can the EU decouple from Trump's America? Feb 06, 2026

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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.

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Introducing: The Brussels Playbook Podcast Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

POLITICO’s daily audio briefing on what’s moving Brussels — and why it matters.

The Brussels Playbook Podcast is the audio extension of the Brussels Playbook newsletter. Hosted by the Chief EU Correspondent Zoya Sheftalovich, the podcast runs Monday through Thursday, offering a clear, reporting-driven guide to EU politics in under 15 minutes. It’s a perfect companion for your morning coffee.

Each episode takes listeners inside the decisions, power shifts and debates shaping the day in Brussels — and explains how they connect to national capitals across Europe.

Clear, conversational and shaped by reporting from the heart of the EU, the Brussels Playbook Podcast brings context to EU politics as your day begins.

On Fridays, the same feed features a longer episode that goes deeper into the week’s biggest themes, offering context and analysis beyond the daily news cycle — with Sarah Wheaton behind the mic.

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The Anxious Continent: Social media bans and boozy trade deals Jan 30, 2026

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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.”

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What really happened after Trump blinked Jan 23, 2026

Show notes

What a week!

Tariff threats, Greenland brinkmanship and a dramatic Trump U-turn in Davos: EU leaders gathered in Brussels for an emergency summit meant to pick up the pieces of the shattered transatlantic relationship and figure out what to do next.

In this episode of EU Confidential, we’re on the ground, right next to the European Council meeting as it unfolds. Unpacking how Europe can move forward after Trump escalated fast, reversed course even faster — and still left allies rattled. What did the EU learn? Did standing up work? And is Brussels finally rewriting its playbook for dealing with Washington?

Joining host Sarah Wheaton are POLITICO’s own Zoya Sheftalovich, Nick Vinocur and Tim Ross to break it all down.

We also dig into other issues looming over the summit: Trump’s Gaza “Board of Peace,” which has split European capitals; the sudden derailment of the Mercosur trade deal; and Ukraine’s abandoned hopes for a security deal.

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