Today marks the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In a strong show of support, thirteen European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, traveled to Kyiv, with another 24 participating in discussions online. These meetings reaffirm the EU’s commitment to Ukraine amid ongoing war and Donald Trump turning his back to president Zelensky while causing chaos during the past few weeks..

But what is the EU’s future plan and can leaders change the course of events? 

Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.

Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.

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On our journey through the roads of central Europe, we often encountered trucks with Polish or Lithuanian licence plates. An accident? Certainly not. In this episode we travel to Sandomierz, Poland, to see how the competition between East and West works and to learn more about the problems of truck drivers in this part of Europe.

Truck Drivers is a podcast co-produced by Europod and Ser Podcast. This podcast is part of WePod, a collaborative project funded by the Creative Europe program of the European Commission.

• Hosting and Narration: Alexander Damiano Ricci
• Field reporting and research: Manu Tomillo and Futura D'Aprile
• Editor-in-chief of the French and English version: Alexander Damiano Ricci
• Sound design and editing: Jeremy Boquet
• Original visual design by: Agencia Player
• Visual adaptation for the French version by: Watermelon Collective
• Producer: Futura D’Aprile
• Executive producer: Ana Ribera
• Production coordinator: Alexander Damiano Ricci

This co-production is funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the authority that funded this work can be held responsible for these views and opinions.

Subscribe to Europod • English for more podcasts, and find us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Germans are heading to the polls, and it looks like Friedrich Merz is on track to become Germany’s next chancellor. That should mean a match made in heaven with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as they are both from the same party, the European People’s Party. But politics isn’t a fairy tale, and this isn’t your typical love story. If anything, it’s more like a long-running sibling rivalry.

But how can this duo shape Europe’s politics and what else can we expect from the German elections?

Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.

Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.

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U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia with Keith Kellogg, landed in Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In other conditions this would be a nice diplomatic moment, right now things are way too complicated. 

Zelenskyy has clarified that he wants this meeting to be “constructive,” but that’s harder than it sounds when the leader of Kellogg’s own country has been busy calling him a dictator and asking for elections to replace him. So what can we expect from these talks and what are European leaders doing in response?

Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.

Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.

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So, Brussels is experiencing a surge in drug-related violence. In the past few weeks, multiple shootings have taken place, leaving two people dead and several others injured. Authorities say this wave of violence is linked to organized crime and the drug trade. 

And the new Belgian government is discussing whether merging the city's six fragmented police zones into one could be a solution to the growing crime problem. But would that actually work?

Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.

Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.

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So, European leaders met in Paris for an emergency summit, called by French President Emmanuel Macron. And as we discussed in yesterday's episode the goal was to come up with a common response to the U.S. decision to start negotiations with Russia over ending the war in Ukraine, without inviting Europe or Ukraine. 

And to figure out what the continent most affected by this war can do to protect itself and support Ukraine. So today, we’re talking about how European leaders failed to agree on Ukraine or, really, on anything substantial. So what can we expect now that there was no consensus?

Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.

Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.

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So, EU leaders are in full-on crisis mode. Again. This time, they’re scrambling to respond to a rather blunt questionnaire from Washington, yes, an actual questionnaire, that they have to think about during their meeting in Paris and that is asking what kind of security guarantees Europe is willing to provide Ukraine. But what worries Europe, and will these talks find any point of consensus?

Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.

Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Truck drivers are expected to obey precise rules when driving, but this is not always the case. Many of them are forced to break these rules in order to make as many deliveries in as little time as possible, skipping mandatory rest breaks and exceeding speed limits. This is a problem for their safety, but also for their own. In this episode, we will talk about safety on the roads, but also about our responsibilities as consumers and the impact we can have in protecting the rights of truck drivers.

ruck Drivers is a podcast co-produced by Europod and Ser Podcast. This podcast is part of WePod, a collaborative project funded by the Creative Europe program of the European Commission.

• Hosting and Narration: Alexander Damiano Ricci
• Field reporting and research: Manu Tomillo and Futura D'Aprile
• Editor-in-chief of the French and English version: Alexander Damiano Ricci
• Sound design and editing: Jeremy Boquet
• Original visual design by: Agencia Player
• Visual adaptation for the French version by: Watermelon Collective
• Producer: Futura D’Aprile
• Executive producer: Ana Ribera
• Production coordinator: Alexander Damiano Ricci

This co-production is funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the authority that funded this work can be held responsible for these views and opinions.

Subscribe to Europod • English for more podcasts, and find us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Germany’s upcoming election is now dominated by a single issue: migration. After a violent attack on a trade union demonstration by an Afghan asylum seeker, conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz is doubling down on his calls for tougher law and order. Meanwhile, the far-right AfD is surging in the polls, blaming lax migration policies. With security fears shaping the debate, how will this attack influence the final days of the election campaign? And can it push Germany closer to the far right?

Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.

Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.

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Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are reportedly pushing for peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, but with one major catch: Europe is being completely left out of the conversation. While the US and Russia make plans, European leaders are scrambling to figure out what’s next. Ursula von der Leyen insists Europe must remain at the center of negotiations, while António Costa bluntly states that the EU “cannot be treated as an ATM.” Are the EU- US relations at their worst?

Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.

Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.

Follow us on:

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.