Brussels Playbook Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The crown slips: How queen Ursula failed her transparency test May 16, 2025

Show notes

Those text messages Ursula von der Leyen didn’t want to share? The EU’s top court says that’s not OK.

In a win for transparency advocates, Europe’s judges have ruled that the European Commission was wrong to hold back von der Leyen’s text exchanges with Pfizer’s CEO during vaccine contract negotiations. POLITICO health reporter Mari Eccles joins host Sarah Wheaton to unpack what the ruling means for Brussels, for von der Leyen’s leadership style, and for how the EU handles power behind the scenes.

Then we turn to Poland, where voters are preparing for a high-stakes presidential election. Calling in from Warsaw is Andrzej Bobiński, managing director at Polityka Insight. Joining Sarah in the studio is Małgorzata Bonikowska, president of the Centre for International Relations, a Polish think tank. Together they break down what’s at stake for Donald Tusk’s government — and why this vote is seen as a bellwether for Europe’s political direction and a potential reshaping of regional alliances.

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Populist currents and fragile coalitions: Trump’s shadow over Europe May 09, 2025

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Europe’s political center is wobbling. Again.

In Germany, a dramatic Bundestag vote leaves new Chancellor Friedrich Merz bruised before he’s even begun. In Romania, the first round of the presidential election wipes out the mainstream — and puts a Trump-admiring provocateur on top.

EU Confidential breaks down a week of shaken coalitions, rising populists, and what they all say about the shifting balance of power in Europe.
Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by Politico’s Nette Nöstlinger in Berlin, our in-house Romanian expert Carmen Paun, and Chief Political Correspondent in Europe and the U.K. Tim Ross to explore what’s driving the backlash against the mainstream — and how Trump’s influence plays out very differently across the map.

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How Trump transformed Europe in just 100 days May 02, 2025

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After 100 days of U.S. President Donald Trump’s shock and awe, is the EU still stuck in stunned paralysis — or does it finally have a plan?

POLITICO trade reporter Camille Gijs, tech reporter Eliza Gkritsi, defense editor Jan Cienski and senior climate correspondent Karl Mathiesen join host Sarah Wheaton to unpack the EU’s response on multiple fronts.

Plus, Max Griera and Aitor Hernández-Morales break down the controversy around the European People’s Party congress in Valencia — and the strange blackout that hit the Iberian Peninsula just as delegates were arriving.

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A divorce and a birthday: Five years of Brexit, 10 years of POLITICO Apr 25, 2025

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With POLITICO turning 10 and Brexit hitting 5 earlier this year, this episode of EU Confidential takes stock of two milestones that shaped Brussels — in very different ways.

Host Sarah Wheaton kicks things off with Zoya Sheftalovich, editor of Global Playbook, reflecting on POLITICO Europe’s early days and its first big scoop: Jean-Claude Juncker’s kidney stones.

Then we head to Maastricht for highlights from a debate organized by Studio Europa Maastricht, where Sarah moderated a conversation on Brexit’s legacy with Joris Luyendijk, Fleur Launspach, Oliver Garner and Ferenc Laczó.

Finally, Sarah checks in with former MEP — and Nigel Farage confidant — Alex Phillips to ask: Did Brexit deliver?

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Holiday special: Driving toward a trade war with China Apr 18, 2025

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This week, EU Confidential is on a spring break — but with trade tensions between the U.S. and the rest of the world (China in particular) escalating, we thought it was the perfect moment to revisit a timely episode from our archives.

As Trump’s new trade war heats up, with triple-digit tariffs hitting Chinese goods and Beijing retaliating, the global trade landscape is shifting dramatically. These developments have significant implications for Europe, especially as the EU navigates its own challenges with Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) and has imposed duties to protect its market.

In this episode, we delve into the complexities of the EU's approach to Chinese EVs. Abigaël Vasselier from the Mercator Institute for China Studies joins POLITICO’s Koen Verhelst and Jordyn Dahl to unpack these contradictions, with host Sarah Wheaton guiding the conversation.

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Trump blinks on tariffs. Can Europe exhale? Apr 11, 2025

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A tariff storm was brewing — and then, just like that, the forecast changed. Donald Trump shocked everyone by pausing his planned tariffs for 90 days (for all countries except China), throwing global markets a lifeline and leaving the EU wondering what game he’s playing.

In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton unpacks the fallout from Trump’s trade U-turn withJosh Lipsky, senior director at the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center, and Doug Busvine, POLITICO’s editor for agriculture and trade. They dig into whether this is a moment of de-escalation in Trump’s trade war — or just the eye of the storm — as well as how Brussels might respond, and what it all means for the future of globalization and free trade.

As always, the situation is fluid. All information and figures were accurate at the time of recording.

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Beautiful beef: Le Pen, Varoufakis and the horseshoe theory of politics Apr 04, 2025

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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?

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Erdoğan, not Trump, is Europe's new best friend on security Mar 28, 2025

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Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul’s mayor and the main political rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been arrested. So what is Europe doing about it? Staying pretty quiet, it seems. Mass protests are breaking out across Turkey but Brussels is keeping its counsel.

In this episode Sarah Wheaton speaks with Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former journalist in Turkey, about what’s really driving Erdoğan’s shift toward authoritarianism and how Europe is responding — especially with a view to Turkey’s growing importance for European security.

But Europe’s focus isn’t all on defense. We also examine some of the EU’s overlooked policy changes, from food and textile waste to agriculture and medicine shortages. Sarah is joined by Politico’s experts on sustainability, agriculture and health — Marianne Gros, Bartosz Brzeziński and Rory O’Neill — for an insightful dive into what’s going on behind the scenes.

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Dirty games in Brussels and war games in Europe Mar 21, 2025

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A lobbying frenzy, secret perks, and now police raids. Huawei’s cozy ties in Brussels have exploded into a full-blown corruption scandal.

As the European Parliament tries to rehabilitate its image post Qatargate, lawmakers are once again at the center of allegations. With offices sealed and arrests made, there are serious questions about how deep Beijing’s influence really runs.

Host Sarah Wheaton breaks it all down with POLITICO's cybersecurity and intelligence reporter, Antoaneta Roussi, and Laurens Cerulus, POLITICO's cybersecurity editor.

Meanwhile, over in Berlin, the Bundestag made a historic move: voting to break from Germany’s long-standing fiscal conservatism. Get ready for unprecedented borrowing to bolster defense spending, aligning Germany with the EU's broader defense initiatives. POLITICO’s Chris Lunday joins us from Berlin to explain what it means for Germany and Europe.

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Can EU leaders handle a world on fire? Mar 14, 2025

Show notes

100 days in, Europe’s top leaders are facing a reality check.

Ursula von der Leyen talks about a new sense of urgency — but is she leading, or just firefighting? António Costa wants to unify the bloc — but can he keep Europe together on defense? Kaja Kallas vowed to sharpen EU foreign policy — but after a snub in Washington, is anyone listening?

With transatlantic ties fraying, host Sarah Wheaton sits down with Brussels top policy minds to assess whether Europe’s leadership is fit for purpose — or stuck in the past.

Joining her are Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe; Karel Lannoo, CEO of the Centre for European Policy Studies; and Heather Grabbe, senior fellow at Bruegel.

Later, Jacopo Barigazzi, POLITICO’s senior defense correspondent, introduces Andrius Kubilius, the EU’s first-ever defense commissioner, in our latest installment of Berlaymont Who’s Who.

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