​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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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 with Josh 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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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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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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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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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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This week’s episode of EU Confidential comes to you from Thursday’s emergency meeting of EU leaders — the political equivalent of sobbing into your pillow on a sleepless night. The reason for those tears: America and Europe just broke up. 

POLITICO’s Clea Caulcutt gives us a quick update on European Council talks on how to bolster defense spending and further support Ukraine. We then step back for a more nuanced discussion: What does “peace” even mean, really, and how might Ukraine and Russia actually achieve it? Host Sarah Wheaton sat down with Mikko Patokallio, a Ukraine specialist at the Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, which helps mediate global conflicts. 

Finally, Elisa Braun, author of the EU Influence newsletter, walks us through the growing ideological faultline over public funding for NGOs.

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Germany has voted, and Friedrich Merz is now the chancellor-in-waiting. But can he rise to the occasion? With Donald Trump signaling a retreat from Europe and cozying up to Vladimir Putin, the continent faces its biggest security challenge in decades. Will Merz shake off Germany’s long-standing hesitation and step up?

Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by James Angelos, POLITICO’s news editor in Berlin; Jana Puglierin, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations; and Nick Vinocur, POLITICO’s editor-at-large, to break down what the election results mean for Berlin, Brussels and beyond.

We explore Merz’s complicated relationship with Ursula von der Leyen, his challenge in forming a coalition, and whether his hardline stance on migration will help or hurt him as he faces the surging far-right AfD, which came second in the election — a historic result that cements them as Germany’s biggest opposition party.

Plus, we take you to Antwerp, where the European Commission unveiled its Clean Industrial Deal — a plan to keep Europe’s industries green and competitive. Sarah traveled there to speak with Wopke Hoekstra, the EU’s Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, and caught up with Belgium’s new Prime Minister Bart De Wever ahead of the upcoming emergency EU summit.

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Europe suddenly has to do it all — all alone, all at once.

Still in shock after U.S. President Donald Trump’s unequivocal pivot toward Moscow, European leaders are grappling with the real possibility that they won’t be able to count on NATO — and the reality that the EU might not offer much of an alternative format.

That said, companies and capitals are looking to Brussels for a way to prop up struggling industries while not abandoning climate goals. And German voters will decide on Sunday whether to side with Trump and Elon Musk to support the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

POLITICO’s Chris Lunday joins EU Confidential host Sarah Wheaton to explain how migration is testing Germany’s firewall against the far right. Then, Defense Editor Jan Cienski and Policy Editor Joanna Roberts break down Europe’s existential choices on both defense and economics. 

And don’t miss the latest episode of our sister podcast, Power Play. Host Anne McElvoy sits down with John Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security adviser during his first presidency. Listen here.

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You’ve gotta hand it to Donald Trump — even when you’re expecting him to surprise you, he still surprises you. 

The Unites States president once again caught Europe off guard with his plan to start Ukraine peace talks — after a call with Vladimir Putin. As the post-World War II order veers toward collapse, how many more surprises will it take before European leaders actually do something?

POLITICO’s Veronika Melkozerova, Clea Caulcutt and Koen Verhelst join EU Confidential host Sarah Wheaton to analyze how the EU is managing tensions on trade, tech and security.

But it’s not all breakups: In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’re talking to one of the duos on POLITICO’s list of Brussels Power Couples 2025: Members of the European Parliament Robert Biedroń and Krzysztof Śmiszek, who mix the personal and political in their fight for LGBTQ rights. 

And don’t miss the latest episode of our sister podcast, Power Play. Host Anne McElvoy sits down with Federico Sturzenegger, the right-hand man of Argentina’s president, Javier Milei. They discuss, among other topics, the Mercosur deal. It’s worth a listen, here.

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