November 28, 2024

Has Donald Tusk fixed Poland?

57 minutes

It's been a year since Donald Tusk took power, filling liberals and progressives in Poland with hope as eight years of rightwing populist rule came to an end. But how much has Tusk's coalition really improved things? This week Dominika Lasota of Wschód, an increasingly influential force that has been holding Tusk's government to account, joins us to discuss what still needs to change. We're also talking about Ursula von der Leyen's new squad, and why you might no longer need your passport for trips to Romania or Bulgaria.

It's seven years today since we published the first episode of The Europeans! If you'd like to send us a little birthday present, we'd love it if you'd consider funding our work. We're crowdfunding a new mini-series at https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast, and you can also support the weekly running of The Europeans via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/europeanspodcast. Thank you so much to everyone who makes our independent European journalism possible.

This week's Inspiration Station offerings: The World In Maps and My Voice, My Choice.

Other resources for this episode:

David Gilmour - Rattle That Lock (Official Music Video)

'Schengen in Sights, EU and Frontex Overlook Violent Bulgarian Pushbacks' - Balkan Insight, February 26, 2024

00:22 Dominic's SNCF jingle trauma

04:02 Bad Week: The European left

15:09 Good Week: Romania and Bulgaria's Schengen bid

28:07 Interview: Dominika Lasota on one year of Donald Tusk's government in Poland

49:29 The Inspiration Station: The World In Maps and My Voice, My Choice

53:46 Happy Ending: Dominic's Barcelona metro challenge

Producers: Katz Laszlo and Wojciech Oleksiak

Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak