Brussels Playbook Podcast

Latest Episodes:

How about them assets — making Russia pay for Ukraine Oct 24, 2025

Show notes

The EU wants to lend €140 billion in cash from frozen Russian funds to Ukraine; Belgium is afraid it will be the one on the hook for paying it back. That’s just one of the tough topics EU leaders discussed as they gathered in Brussels at a meeting devoted to fighting the external threat from Russian President Vladimir Putin — and the internal threat from the far right.

POLITICO’s Gregorio Sorgi breaks down why lending Russian frozen assets is so tricky, while host Sarah Wheaton catches up with colleagues Zia Weise, Gabriel Gavin, Nick Vinocur and Tim Ross on the ground at the European Council summit to get a handle on how debates over climate, sanctions and deregulation played out.

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How to go from hero to zero, with Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel Oct 17, 2025

Show notes

French President Emmanuel Macron has gone from “Mr. Europe” eight years ago to the solitary man by the Seine. At the same time, ex-German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s legacy is also going through a sudden and sharp downgrade. How did these centrist pillars of Europe tank so quickly? With parties on the far right and far left rising up in their place, are citizens actually becoming more extreme — or are they just fed up?

To discuss these questions, host Sarah Wheaton was joined by John Kampfner — an expert on Germany, Nick Vinocour — our chief foreign affairs correspondent, and Clea Caulcutt — our senior correspondent in Paris. Plus, we dive into the alleged espionage scandal facing Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi.

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How not to fall: Behind von der Leyen’s fightback and Macron’s meltdown Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

While the French government collapses in Paris, Ursula von der Leyen stands unshaken in Strasbourg.
It’s been a week of political tremors — some performative, others seismic. Just three months after facing her first motion of censure, the European Commission president was hit with not one but two new attempts to topple her — and once again held firm.

Host Sarah Wheaton talks with Sophia Russack of the Centre for European Policy Studies about the history of no-confidence votes — and the unlikely scenario in which one might actually succeed. From the buzzing corridors of the European Parliament in Strasbourg she also catches up with Greens MEP Marie Toussaint, Socialist René Repasi, Marc Botenga from The Left, and Anders Vistisen from Patriots for Europe — to unpack the politics behind these censure motions and whether they’re becoming a new ritual.

And in Paris, POLITICO’s Clea Caulcutt breaks down a very real political crisis — the collapse of the French government, an event that further weakened President Emmanuel Macron, bolstered the far-right National Rally and sent shockwaves all the way to Strasbourg.

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Humiliating Europe: Trump’s culture war and the EU’s response Oct 03, 2025

Show notes

What do Donald Trump’s culture war, Moldova’s EU ambitions, and Czechia’s upcoming parliamentary election have in common? They all reveal how Europe is being tested — and sometimes humiliated.

In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton speaks with Paweł Zerka, senior policy fellowat the European Council on Foreign Relations, about his new report. It argues that Trump is waging a deliberate culture war against Europe — trying to weaken the continent, polarize its politics, and strip it of its dignity.

We also bring you a dispatch from Moldova, where POLITICO’s Gabriel Gavinreports on last weekend’s election and what it means for the country’s EU path. And we also zoom in on Czechia’s election with political marketing scholar Anna Shavit in Prague, who unpacks Andrej Babiš’ comeback campaign — and his oddly revealing “shovel theory” of leadership.

Further readings:

Reality show: Why Europe must not cave in Trump’s culture war, by Paweł Zerka

EU must unblock Moldova’s membership bid, government urges after historic vote, by Gabriel Gavin

Pro-EU party secures majority in high-stakes Moldovan election, by Gabriel Gavin

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Escalating trouble – Trump takes on the UN and Europe Sep 26, 2025

Show notes

Trump says Ukraine can win — but should Europe believe him?

At a hectic U.N. General Assembly in New York, U.S. President Donald Trump stunned world leaders with a dramatic rhetorical reversal on the war in Ukraine, mocking Russia as a “paper tiger” and urging NATO allies to shoot down Russian aircraft. Host Sarah Wheaton unpacks what this means with POLITICO’s Clea Caulcutt and Nick Vinocur, reporting from Manhattan — and asks whether Europe can trust Trump’s new tune.

Then we turn to a different transatlantic question: Europe’s own defense. Sarah sits down with Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen for candid reflections on NATO, neutrality and how their countries see the threat from Russia.

It’s a week of motorcade gridlock, geopolitical pivots and presidential soul-searching.

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Jourová’s secrets and Putin’s drone tests Sep 19, 2025

Show notes

From rule of law battles to inside stories, Věra Jourová looks back on a decade in the Berlaymont. The former European Commission vice president recalls her clashes and alliances in Brussels — from sparring with Frans Timmermans to discovering that Thierry Breton never laughed at her jokes. Now back in Prague as vice rector of Charles University and adviser to President Petr Pavel, she reflects on Czech politics, Europe’s future, and life after stepping back from frontline politics. She has also published a book with Viktor Daněk: “Bohové, mlíkař a já.”

Plus: Vladimir Putin’s drone incursions over Poland and Romania — cheap plywood craft with costly consequences. Host Sarah Wheaton asks what they revealed about NATO’s readiness, Europe’s unity, and Donald Trump’s hesitation, with Oana Lungescu, distinguished fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and former NATO spokesperson; Jan Cienski, POLITICO’s defense editor; and Eva Hartog, POLITICO’s Russia expert.

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Ursula’s Fight Song — who’s singing along? Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

“Europe is in a fight.”

With those words, Ursula von der Leyen set the tone for her State of the European Union speech — framing this as Europe’s “Independence Moment.” She proposed sanctions on extremist Israeli ministers over Gaza; floated using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine; and backed calls for a drone wall to protect the bloc's eastern flank against Russia. She also pledged action on jobs, poverty and housing.

But were those fighting words enough to bridge the gap between promises and reality — or did they simply paper over a fraying coalition?

Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by Rym Momtaz, editor-in-chief of Carnegie Europe’s Strategic Europe blog; Carsten Brzeski, ING’s global head of macro research; and Sorcha Edwards, secretary general of Housing Europe, to unpack the geopolitics, economics and social policy in the speech. We’ll also hear from POLITICO’s Max Griera in Strasbourg, with on-the-ground reactions from MEPs — and look across the border to France, where President Emmanuel Macron faces fresh political turmoil after the government of Prime Minister François Bayrou collapsed.

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Tyrants are forever: Has Europe missed its moment? Sep 05, 2025

Show notes

Under the jackhammers on Schuman, Brussels is filling back up for the rentrée — and the fault lines are showing.

Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by colleagues Clea Caulcutt, Nick Vinocur and Paul Dallison to unpack a cliff-edge week: France’s confidence vote on an austerity budget that could topple Prime Minister François Bayrou and push Paris back into chaos; Europe’s next moves on Ukraine; and Ursula von der Leyen’s big address in Strasbourg on the EU’s place in a shifting world. It’s a tough speech to deliver, with few clear wins to trumpet.

Plus, our resident comedian brings von der Leyen bingo back: Place your bets on how many times she will say “competitiveness.”

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Limping through the Trump era: Can Europe lead again? Aug 29, 2025

Show notes

From a picturesque mountain resort in Austria, at the European Forum Alpbach, host Sarah Wheaton unpacks fresh threats by the U.S. to hit countries with tariffs over their digital rules — drawing instant reactions from the European Commission’s Sabine Weyand and Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz. She then sits down with former Spanish Foreign Minister — now dean of the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po — Arancha González Laya, to ask how Europe can move from “limping along” to setting the pace on trade, tech and alliances.

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EU's sweaty summer — what you missed (and what matters) Aug 22, 2025

Show notes

Just when we thought we could get a break for the summer, geopolitics had other plans.

This week on EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton is joined by POLITICO colleagues Jordyn Dahl, Gabriel Gavin and Jan Cienski for a catch-up on what moved while the bubble was at the beach. From Alaska to the White House: Did anything real shift on Ukraine beyond choreography? We break down the EU-U.S. tariff framework and turn to Gaza — where Brussels is grasping for some sort of leverage — and how the politics split across capitals.

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