It has been a year since the concrete canopy at Novi Sad train station collapsed, killing 16 people and sparking one of Serbia’s largest youth-led protest movements in recent memory. What began as mourning has transformed into a sustained political awakening that is reshaping Serbia today. 

Now, tensions between citizens demanding accountability and a government determined to hold its grip on power have reached a new, boiling point. But what does this movement show about the future of democracy in Serbia?

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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In the fourth episode of The Right to Decide, our host Sophie in ’t Veld speaks with Belgian Senator Celia Groothedde to explore how anti-rights actors are using money and media to influence politics, public opinion, and access to healthcare. From anti-choice clinics spreading disinformation to campaigns targeting schools and sex education, we uncover how a well-funded network is reshaping Europe’s cultural and political landscape…one narrative at a time.

A podcast by the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights

Produced by Europod, in collaboration with Ambiorix Centre

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Sudan’s government has publicly criticised the European Union, accusing Brussels of responding too softly to atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces, the RSF, in the city of El Fasher. 

The United Nations describes the situation in Sudan as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. So, what is happening on the ground and what is the international community, including the EU, actually doing to stop this crisis?

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

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A political plot twist happened after yesterday’s election in the Netherlands. A leader once dismissed as “Robot Jetten” is suddenly the smiling face of Dutch centrist optimism, challenging the far-right, and potentially becoming the country’s first openly gay prime minister.

Who is Rob Jetten, and why is Europe watching him so closely?

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

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Across Europe, Millennials and Gen Z are working, studying and saving, yet home ownership is increasingly out of reach. Though housing is officially recognised as a human right under Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Pillar of Social Rights, skyrocketing house prices and stagnant wages have created what Eurofound calls a “generation-wide affordability divide.” In this episode, I speak with Ina Delić youth engagement officer at Caritas Europe and part of the very generation she’s advocating for, about the lived reality of Europe’s housing crisis, and what it means for young lives and futures.

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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This Wednesday, voters in the Netherlands head to the polls for yet another snap parliamentary election. The vote was called after the collapse of a four-party coalition government led by Geert Wilders’ far-right Party for Freedom (PVV). The coalition, which included the liberal-conservative VVD, the agrarian BBB, and the centrist New Social Contract (NSC), lasted less than a year. Wilders withdrew his support in June, claiming the government’s migration policies were not strict enough, despite his own party holding the migration portfolio.

In one of Europe’s most fragmented and polarised democracies, governments fall faster than they form. So, can this vote finally change that?

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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The world’s latest climate plans are in and they fall drastically short. More than sixty countries have submitted their updated commitments to the United Nations, outlining how they’ll reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. But according to the UN’s own analysis published today, these plans would only cut global carbon emissions by around 10% compared with 2019 levels.

That’s just one sixth of what’s needed to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the supposed goal of the Paris Agreement. So, are governments genuinely trying, or are these plans just for show?

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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This week, the European Union and China will hold talks in Brussels aimed at easing trade tensions, focusing on Beijing’s restrictions on exports of rare earths and magnets, materials vital for Europe’s automotive, defence, green tech and digital industries. 

All this, as Donald Trump meets Xi Jinping to discuss trade and critical minerals on the other side of the world. But why is everyone so eager to meet Chinese officials?

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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Who’s funding the rollback of women’s rights in Europe?

In the third episode of The Right to Decide, host Sophie in ’t Veld speaks with Lucia Yar, Member of the European Parliament from Slovakia, to uncover how money fuels the anti-gender movement. From religious donors and oligarchs to EU funds being redirected toward conservative networks, we reveal how a well-organised financial strategy is reshaping Europe’s political and cultural landscape.

Sources:

• “The Next Wave: How Religious Extremism Is Regaining Power”, Neil Datta, EPF (2025)
• “MEPs demand answers over EU funding of anti-abortion charity”, Sian Norris, Open Democracy (2024)
• “EU gives anti-abortion group €400k to educate girls on reproductive health”, Sian Norris, Open Democracy (2024)

A podcast by the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights

Produced by Europod, in collaboration with Ambiorix Center

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Winter is approaching, and while energy bills have fallen since the shock of 2022, when the EU moved to cut its dependence on Russian energy following the invasion of Ukraine, millions of Europeans are still struggling to keep their homes warm. The EU has now gone a step further, sanctioning Russian liquefied natural gas, and while Europe’s push for energy independence is essential, it hasn’t solved the problem for those who can’t afford to heat their homes.

According to the European Commission Joint Research Centre, around 48 million people in Europe, roughly one in ten, cannot afford to heat their homes adequately. And the trend is worsening, the share of households unable to keep adequately warm rose from about 9 % in 2022, to over 10.6 % in 2023, and the percentage is getting higher by the year. But what can the EU do to ease the needs of the vulnerable ones who cannot warm their homes?

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This episode was produced by Europod in cooperation with ESPON, an EU-funded programme that bridges research with policies.

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“This episode is co-funded by ESPON. However, the opinions and views expressed are solely those of the authors. ESPON can't be held responsible for them.”

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