Brussels Playbook Podcast

Latest Episodes:

'Rent is too damn high!' Europe’s growing housing crisis Jan 26, 2024

Show notes

In this episode we look at a crisis that is affecting many Europeans in most EU countries: skyrocketing rents and house prices, a shortage of flats, long waiting lists for social or affordable housing — commonplace problems from Greece to Luxembourg to Portugal.

Host Sarah Wheaton talks to POLITICO's Aitor Hernández-Morales and Sorcha Edwards, secretary general of Housing Europe, about the causes of the crisis, its impact across the bloc (including far-right parties using it as an election platform), and solutions at the EU level. Are there any, given that housing is not an EU competence?

Then we hear from Dutch Green MEP Kim Van Sparrentak about housing challenges in her native Netherlands and her efforts to get the European Parliament and the Commission to get more involved in tackling the crisis. And Sarah speaks to Ans Persoons, secretary of state for the Brussels-Capital Region, who explains how the EU's defacto capital is struggling to keep up with affordable housing demands.

And as mentioned in the show, here's where you can read the article written by our guest Aitor Hernández-Morales, together with colleagues Jacopo Barigazzi, Barbara Moens and Giovanna Coi: How do you stop the rise of the far right? Build houses.

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Can the EU manage migration? Jan 19, 2024

Show notes

After seven years of bitter wrangling, the EU has finally reached an agreement on how to handle migration — one of its most challenging and divisive issues.

In this episode of EU Confidential we look at what's in the deal, which has been hailed as a success by Brussels but criticized by NGOs and human rights groups.

Host Sarah Wheaton and Jacopo Barigazzi, POLITICO's senior diplomatic correspondent, talk to Catherine Woolard — director of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles — about the details of the new agreement and how effective it might be.

Later our guest is Professor Florian Trauner, an expert on migration at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He explains how migration has become the central issue ahead of the European election in June, and how far-right parties are co-opting it for political gain.

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EU top jobs kickoff — finding compromise with Viktor Orbán Jan 12, 2024

Show notes

In this episode we look at the ongoing tug-of-war between Budapest and Brussels in the context of a rather shocking development that could pave the way for Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán — who has won a reputation as the bloc's biggest troublemaker — to chair meetings of EU leaders and set the EU agenda.

It follows a surprising decision by European Council President Charles Michel to step down and run for a seat in the European Parliament.

Host Sarah Wheaton and colleagues Barbara Moens and Hans von der Burchard delve into the quibbles and clashes Viktor Orbán has had with Brussels over the years, and how the EU has tried to play ball with the Hungarian leader. And yes — they also report on the infamous "toilet break" Viktor Orbán took at the last EU summit in December, which paved the way for accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova.

Then Sarah and Nick Vinocur, POLITICO's editor-at-large, talk to Professor Alberto Alemanno, an expert on EU law who has taken a hard line on Hungary, and who has even suggested Budapest be stripped of the EU's rotating presidency.

Finally, we bring you a Hungarian perspective from our guest Frank Füredi, executive director of the Brussels office of Hungary's government-backed MCC think tank.

We also recommend you listen to the latest episode of our sister podcast, Power Play. Host Anne McElvoy talks to Latvian Foreign Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (a contender for the job of NATO's next secretary-general) and gets his reaction to Michel's shocking decision.

Here is the link: Taking on Russia: Krišjānis Kariņš’ pitch to lead NATO and defend Ukraine – POLITICO.

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What's in store for Europe in 2024? Jan 05, 2024

Show notes

This isn't just any new year — 2024 in the political calendar means mega elections in Europe, the U.S., the U.K. and beyond. Our EU Confidential crew predicts how these elections could impact pressing issues around the European Union.

Bringing together the collective knowledge of some of POLITICO's best and brightest reporters — Barbara Moens, Clea Caulcutt and Hans von der Burchard — we discuss the June vote that could see 400 million Europeans take part, the top EU jobs up for grabs, the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU which started on January 1 and the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.

Later, host Sarah Wheaton is joined by POLITICO's senior policy editor and defense expert Jan Cienski to talk about the future of the war in Ukraine, Kyiv's fears over the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, the ongoing conflict in Gaza, as well as Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Herculean tasks after Poland's recent elections.

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Top EU stories of 2023 — POLITICO's guide Dec 15, 2023

Show notes

Our last episode of 2023 is a bumper edition, reviewing some of the key stories that drove the conversations in Brussels and throughout Europe this year.

Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by a roundtable of POLITICO's policy editors including Joanna Roberts, Aoife White and Jan Cienski to discuss everything from the AI Act to pharmaceutical rules and the EU's bolstered defense capabilities. Also, Opinion Editor Jamie Dettmer brings us up to speed on Europe's response to the Israel-Hamas war and the war in Ukraine — the EU's unity in the face of fatigue, as well as the debate over Ukraine's future in the bloc.

Finally, we're joined by Senior France Correspondent Clea Caulcutt who reveals POLITICO's most-read story of 2023.

And as mentioned in the show, do be sure to check out our POLITICO Tech podcast, which takes listeners inside the EU’s tense AI negotiations with MEP Dragos Tudorache.

That's it from us for this year — the EU Confidential team will be back in your podcast feed on January 5. See you then!

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Qatargate: Where do we stand a year after the corruption scandal erupted? Dec 08, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, we revisit the huge corruption scandal which shook the European Parliament and the EU bubble exactly one year ago.

Host Sarah Wheaton talks to POLITICO colleagues Elisa Braun and Eddy Wax, who sifted through a massive trove of leaked police documents and, along with Gian Volpicelli, co-wrote an investigative series called The Qatargate Files. They bring us up to date on the key players, including former European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili who is out of jail and back in the chamber awaiting trial, talk about new and fascinating angles to this hugely intricate scandal and explain why the investigation is dragging its feet.

Later, we break down a rare political event: the EU-China summit in Beijing. It was the first face-to-face meeting between EU and Chinese leaders in years. We asked Abigaël Vasselier of the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin and POLITICO's Editor-in-Chief Jamil Anderlini to help us understand the purpose and impact of the talks.

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The most powerful people in Europe (for better or worse) Dec 01, 2023

Show notes

This week, we take you inside our POLITICO 28 unveiling of Europe's most powerful people and unpack Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's comments on the Israel-Hamas war and her plans to run for the top job again. Also, we reveal new tactics used by successful far-right leaders in Europe and explain why Germany's recent budget woes have sent shockwaves through the political system.

Our new host Sarah Wheaton is joined by POLITICO's Clea Caulcutt and Nick Vinocur to break down the POLITICO 28 ranking and von der Leyen's interview at the event this week. Von der Leyen — "the queen" herself — came in second on the "doers" list. Be sure to check out the full 2024 ranking here.

The crew also discuss new and clever tactics being used by European far-right leaders, including Geert Wilders and Marine Le Pen, to capitalize on their hard-line rhetoric, move toward the political center and attract new voters.

And later, our colleague Matt Karnitschnig tries to prove that Germany's budget crisis is a sexy story we should all be interested in. You can read Matt's article here: Germany chokes on its own austerity medicine.

Also: Make sure you subscribe to the new newsletter authored by our outgoing EU Confidential host Suzanne Lynch: POLITICO’s Global Playbook. And while you're at it, you can also sign up for our Sarah Wheaton's weekly newsletter, EU Influence.

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Geert Wilders stuns with far-right election victory in the Netherlands Nov 24, 2023

Show notes

Far-right leader Geert Wilders came out on top in the Dutch election this week, sending shock waves through Brussels and beyond.

In this episode of EU Confidential, host Suzanne Lynch is joined by Eline Schaart and Nicholas Vinocur to break down the results of the vote, and what it potentially means for the EU moving forward.

Later, we have a fascinating discussion with David O'Sullivan, the EU's sanctions envoy. His main job is to make it harder for Russia to evade sanctions imposed by the EU over the war in Ukraine.

We end the episode with an important announcement about the podcast, so do be sure to stick around for that and to sign up for Suzanne's new newsletter she'll be authoring: POLITICO's Global Playbook, your VIP pass to the world’s most influential gatherings.

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SPONSORED CONTENT: Carbon capture and storage to reach net zero Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

Oil, gas and coal still made up 81.5 percent of the global energy mix in 2022 — down just 3 percent from 2015, when the Paris climate agreement was signed.

Given the slow pace of the energy transition, carbon capture and storage, or CCS, has the potential to become an important technology for achieving net zero. Advocates believe that without CCS — which gathers emissions, processes them and stores them safely underground — we simply won’t meet our climate targets.

But the technology faces a range of obstacles. Campaign groups believe CCS offers oil and gas companies a free pass to keep extracting and burning fossil fuels. Others worry about the safety of stored carbon dioxide. There are also practical constraints. CCS technology, while proven, is expensive to install, and needs subsidies and financial incentives to encourage the industry to make the short-term capital investment needed.

In this podcast episode produced by POLITICO Studio, science and technology writer Adam Green interviews leading European experts from industry and policy about the need for CCS, what’s holding it back and where it fits into Europe’s energy transition.

Ruth Herbert, CEO of Carbon Capture and Storage Association, breaks down the fundamentals of CCS. Chris Davies, a former member of the European Parliament and nowdirector of CCS Europe, talks about the need to educate the public on the safety of onshore CCS. Jan Theulen, of building material producer Heidelberg Materials, explains why industries such as cement, where production itself results in large CO2 emissions, will need CCS most. And Torbjørg Klara Heskestad, vice president for global CCS solutions at Equinor, speaks about shared infrastructure that will help reduce the costs of CCS for carbon emitters.

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Spain's Pedro Sánchez to form new government as prime minister Nov 17, 2023

Show notes

Ending months of political paralysis, we bring you up to speed on the turmoil in Spain that has left Pedro Sánchez clinging to power. The Socialist leader secured another term as Spain's prime minister thanks to a controversial amnesty deal with Catalan separatists, which saw thousands of people take to the streets in protest.

EU Confidential host Suzanne Lynch talks to POLITICO's Aitor Hernández-Morales and Nick Vinocur about the stability of the new coalition in Madrid and its wider impact on EU politics, as well as the implications of Sanchez's victory for next year's European Parliament elections.

Later in the episode, we discuss the EU-Mercosur trade negotiations in an exclusive interview with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and POLITICO's trade expert Camille Gijs.

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