Brussels Playbook Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Why are Commission staffers so miserable? Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

Working at the European Commission is one of the most coveted civil service jobs in Brussels. Yet, officials employed there describe high pressure, bureaucracy and burnout.

Our colleague Seb Starcevic has interviewed dozen officials from different commissioners’ cabinets and directorates-general, varying in age, nationality and seniority. On the podcast, Zoya Sheftalovich and Sarah Wheaton parse through what these insiders had to say about their working conditions.

Next, last week’s Ceuta crisis — when a surge of migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish exclave — has revived a basic question: Why does Spain still hold territory in North Africa? With Madrid increasingly isolated from both U.S. and European allies, doubts are also growing over who would support Spain if Morocco moved against Ceuta or its other North African city, Melilla.

Plus: Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharma company of Ozempic fame, is launching a pill version of its weight-loss drug Wegovy in Europe ... and transatlantic tensions are already brewing.

Questions? Comments? Get in touch! You can message us or send a voice message to our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.

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Europe's Palantir problem Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

Europe wants to kick its U.S. tech habit, but it’s struggling to detangle itself from American data analytics firm Palantir.

The problem is, the company's tools are already deeply embedded in critical sectors across the bloc like policing, national defense and health systems. A report released today also shows that the tech firm has found ways to pay minimal taxes in Europe. On the show, hosts Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart discuss European alternatives and why detaching is easier said than done.

Next, our colleague Seb Starcevic has interviewed Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica. The role that was originally thought to be low profile has instead thrust the Croatian official into the limelight as various crises hit the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

Plus: Three new foods are being added to the EU’s list of products with geographic indicators. These are the labels given to products that can only be made in a specific region, like Champagne or ... yes, you guessed it, halloumi.

Questions? Comments? Get in touch! You can message us or send a voice message to our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.

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Can Europe contain the Ceuta fallout? Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

Home affairs ministers are meeting this morning as the fallout of the Ceuta crisis continues to roil Europe.

Last week’s sudden influx of migrants into the Spanish exclave — most of whom have since returned — sparked heated exchanges between European leaders. On the show, hosts Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart preview whether today’s emergency meeting can cool tensions, and what measures the Commission may propose to address concerns across the bloc.

Next, a drought in Hungary and Romania could grind nuclear power plants to a halt since the River Danube has fallen too low to cool their reactors. Budapest and Bucharest are on high alert over the risk of an energy crisis in the coming days.

Plus: The Belgium push to encourage young people to sign up for voluntary military service appears to have worked, as the program starting Sept. 1 is already fully booked.

Are you taking part in voluntary military service, in Belgium or elsewhere? We’re intrigued. Get in touch on our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.

This episode was produced by Saga Ringmar.

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Ceuta triggers two days of EU emergency talks Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

The crisis in the Spanish territory of Ceuta is adding fuel to Europe’s bitter debate over migration.

Following the arrival of more than 50,000 migrants in Ceuta in northern Africa last week, EU leaders ganged up on Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez over his migration policies. Although 48,300 migrants had returned to Morocco by late Friday, the backlash is ongoing. On Tuesday the EU is set to hold an urgent meeting of interior ministers to figure out next steps. Hosts Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart discuss the incident.

Next, European Ombudsman Teresa Anjinho warns that growing global crises can’t become an excuse for secrecy in the EU’s institutions. She says that more than a third of the complaints she receives are about transparency.

Plus: French President Emmanuel Macron’s team is looking for Saudi funding for a manga theme park near Paris.

Get in touch with us! Send us a message or voice note to our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.

This episode was produced by Saga Ringmar.

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Week Ender — Searing Contradiction: Wildfires and climate politics Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

Wildfires may sound remote — something that happens deep in a forest or on an empty mountainside. But in Europe, there’s often very little distance between nature and major population centers. That’s why the fires near Bordeaux and Madrid have been so frightening: they’re not burning somewhere far away, but threatening homes, businesses and entire urban regions.

European countries are responding by sending planes, helicopters and hundreds of firefighters to help one another. But while Europe has built an effective system for reacting once the flames are raging, it’s still struggling with the less dramatic work of prevention.

POLITICO senior climate reporter Zia Weise joins host Sarah Wheaton, sustainability reporter Marianne Gros and Agnes Rønberg from the agriculture team to examine how abandoned land, poorly managed forests and disappearing livestock are making fires harder to control.

They also unpack the growing bill for homes, farms and businesses — and how the costs eventually spread to insurers and cash-strapped governments — while asking whether Brussels can prepare Europe for worsening climate disasters as it rolls back parts of the Green Deal.

To contact us, send us a voice note or a message on WhatsApp here, or at +32 491 05 06 29. You can also email us at podcast@politico.eu.

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The race to save von der Leyen’s big speech Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

Brussels may have entered summer mode, but one of the first big political moments everyone will be watching when they return to work is Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address in September. And officials still at their desks are scrambling to make sure the she has something to say.

Hosts Zoya Sheftalovich and Sarah Wheaton discuss some of the policy areas von der Leyen might want to emphasize ... and others she may want to avoid.

Next, as the EU’s AI Office gains sweeping new powers to scrutinize the companies behind systems like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, we explain why this move is bigger than just than another piece of tech regulation.

Plus: Industrial chicken farms might be accelerating the spread of a diarrhea-causing bacteria. But what does that mean if you’re an avid consumer of poultry?

Get in touch with us! Send us a message or voice note to our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.

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The spectacular split in Poland’s right Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

Poland’s once-dominant Law and Justice party has split, with former PM Mateusz Morawiecki breaking with longtime leader Jarosław Kaczyński and preparing to build a rival force on the right. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart examine whether the rupture offers current PM Donald Tusk a lifeline ahead of the 2027 election — and what it means in Brussels, where Morawiecki leads the European Conservatives and Reformists party.

They also look at plans to close Belgium’s Charleroi Airport for several months in 2028, leaving more than 10 million annual passengers, thousands of workers and Ryanair up in the air.

Plus: As Montenegro moves closer to EU membership, Brussels prepares to add Montenegrin as the bloc’s 25th official language.

Want to get in touch? Send us a message or voice note to our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.

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Can Europe fight fires this big? Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

Wildfires raging across France and Spain have forced more than 300,000 people from their homes and stretched national firefighting services to their limits. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart look at how the EU is helping through its Civil Protection Mechanism and rescEU emergency reserve — and why Brussels says that even dozens more firefighting planes would not be enough without much greater investment in prevention.

Then, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy heads to Washington amid signs that U.S. President Donald Trump and parts of the MAGA movement may be warming towards Kyiv. But will the apparent change of heart translate into sanctions against Russia and concrete military support?

Plus: Could antibodies produced by llamas provide farmers with a safer alternative to chemical pesticides?
Want to get in touch? Send us a message or voice note to our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.

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Trump reopens the tariff fight Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

Icelanders begin voting on whether to restart accession talks with the European Union, reopening a debate shaped by security fears, economic uncertainty and the question of who controls the country’s fishing waters.

Zoya Sheftalovich and Kathryn Carlson also examine Donald Trump’s threat of new tariffs after the EU fined Google €890 million, and what that could mean for the fragile Turnberry trade deal.

Plus: Beethoven, Marie Skłodowska-Curie or a kingfisher? Europeans get a say on the next generation of euro banknotes. Which would you choose? Send us a message or voice note to our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.

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Will Europe warm to Britain's new Prime Minister? Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

He’s the seventh British prime minister to walk through the famous black door of Number 10 Downing Street since the Brexit vote 10 years ago. Can Andy Burnham refresh relations with Europe and rescue a reset with Brussels that feels like it has been kicked into the long grass?

Host Anne McElvoy talks to two guests who know the knotty relationship between Britain and the European Union. Sylvie Boulard was France’s defense minister in 2017. She was previously an MEP who joined Emmanuel Macron’s En Marche party and advised him on the fallout from Brexit.

Sir Simon Fraser led Britain’s Foreign Office between 2010 and 2015. He knows his way around Brussels, having served as Peter Mandelson’s chef du Cabinet when he was EU trade commissioner  and held a senior position at the British Embassy in Paris. Now he leads the business consultancy Flint Global, where he worked with James Purnell — who’s just become Andy Burnham’s chief of staff.  

Send us a voice note or message us on WhatsApp here, or at +32 491 05 06 29. You can also email us at podcast@politico.eu.

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