This week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met King Charles III at Windsor Castle after a deal was sealed on a long-awaited solution to the post-Brexit trade row over Northern Ireland. Host Suzanne Lynch in Brussels is joined by Ailbhe Rea, co-host of our sister podcast Westminster Insider, and a special guest — the EU's final British Commissioner, Julian King — to discuss this latest chapter in the Brexit saga and where the EU-U.K. relationship goes from here. We also hear from Barry Andrews, an Irish member of the European Parliament. Then, POLITICO's Jacopo Barigazzi kicks off a brand new feature of EU Confidential — decoding "Brussels-speak." We're helping our listeners better understand the jargon and acronyms that dominate EU policy-making. This week's phrase is "Perm Rep." If you'd like to suggest an example of Brussels jargon you'd like us to decode, you can always get in touch by emailing podcast@politico.eu. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New EU-UK chapter — VDL meets the king — Decoding Brussels-speak

EU Confidential is a weekly European news and politics podcast published every Friday by POLITICO Europe. Each 30-minute episode features POLITICO’s analysis of the top stories driving EU politics, as well as notable guests shaping European policy and deep-dive stories from around the Continent. It’s hosted by Sarah Wheaton, POLITICO’s chief policy correspondent, who is joined by reporters from around Europe. Discover our show notes for EU Confidential here: https://www.politico.eu/eu-confidential-podcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News

Politics

Government

News Commentary

With just a week to go until the European election and the campaign in full gear, we're focusing on how the vote will impact key EU policies such as health, energy, climate, technology and defense. Will they be affected by the shake-up of the bloc's political landscape and the arrival of new MEPs and commissioners — or will continuity with the policy priorities of the last five years prevail? And what about the money to finance new and super costly defense ambitions and the green transition? Will the predicted surge of the far right affect these dynamics? To answer these questions, we bring you a special episode. It's a conversation that took place recently at an exclusive, invitation-only POLITICO event organized for our Pro Connect subscribers — usually under Chatham House rules. It's moderated by POLITICO's policy editor Joanna Roberts, and her guests were: POLITICO's technology and competition editor Aoife White, energy and climate editor Cory Bennett, health editor Helen Collis and Jan Cienski, our senior policy editor and an expert on mobility and defense. The event was part of our POLITICO Pro Connect "In Conversation with" series, which you can learn more about here. Finally, we'll be recording a special livestream edition of EU Confidential on Sunday, June 9 starting at 8:30 p.m. as the EU election results roll in. Register here to watch live! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Key EU policies — how will they change after the vote?

This is your essential (and entertaining!) guide to the upcoming European election — everything you've wanted to know but been too afraid to ask. With the crucial vote just two weeks away, we reached out to you, our European and American listeners, on social media and collected the most pressing election-related questions. Both veterans of the Brussels bubble and political novices seem to be wondering about everything from: can you vote online to does it even matter? Host Sarah Wheaton and her panel of POLITICO's election experts delve into the nitty-gritty of voting and what happens next. Sarah's joined by politics reporter Eddy Wax, chief EU correspondent Barbara Moens and cybersecurity editor Laurens Cerulus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EU election 101 — your questions answered

Ursula von der Leyen made a promise this week: if she secures another term as president of the European Commission, she will prioritize beefing up the EU's defenses against malicious disinformation from Moscow. It's a top-of-agenda issue for many in Brussels and across the bloc, with less than a month until the European election and hostile actors using sophisticated tools such as generative AI. In this episode, host Sarah Wheaton and her guests unpack some of the latest examples of interference from the Kremlin, such as sharing AI-generated deepfake videos of politicians or cloning the voices of public figures to impersonate them. Sarah is joined by Mark Scott, POLITICO's chief technology correspondent, and Jakub Kalensky, deputy director of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats in Helsinki. They also discuss what's behind Europe's modest successes in countering Russian disinformation campaigns. Further reading: Moldova fights to free itself from Russia’s AI-powered disinformation machine by Mark Scott Deepfakes, distrust and disinformation: Welcome to the AI election by Mark Scott Spot the deepfake: The AI tools undermining our own eyes and ears by Mark Scott Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Russian disinformation could skew EU election — and whether Europe can fight it

As recent national elections in several European countries have shown, far-right voters no longer fit the stereotype of the angry, old white man, but now often include women, young people and even migrants. In this episode we unpack what drives voters to abandon the mainstream and more traditional party loyalties for the far right, and how poverty, or fear of it, motivates typical supporters of the AfD in Germany, Geert Wilder's PVV in the Netherlands, or Chega in Portugal. Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by POLITICO reporters Hanne Cokelaere, James Angelos and Aitor Hernandez-Morales, who were recently dispatched to countries where far-right parties are gaining ground ahead of June's European election. Later on we have a fascinating conversation with Catherine de Vries, professor of political science and dean of international affairs at Bocconi University in Milan. Her research focuses on how economic hardship and problems with public services such as schools, health care or transport can fuel the far right. Further reading: Germany’s far-right believers blame spy claims on ‘witch hunt’ by James Angelos Portugal’s far-right vaccine stops working in the Algarve by Victor Jack Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who votes for the European far right? And why?

It was a rare chance to see all the leading candidates from Europe's main political parties go head-to-head in a presidential-style debate to become the next head of the European Commission. With just over a month to go until the European Parliament election, eight politicians met in the Dutch city of Maastricht and spent an hour and a half answering questions on key issues such as climate change, defense and European democracy. If you missed it, don't worry — we've picked out the key moments and some of the more heated exchanges. Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by colleagues POLITICO's editor at large Nicholas Vinocur and Barbara Moens, chief EU correspondent and co-moderator of the debate. They give us their take on who won, who lost, and how it all went down. Did anyone manage to impress a room full of university students and over a quarter of a million people watching the debate online? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New EU-UK chapter — VDL meets the king — Decoding Brussels-speak

Download our free app to listen on your phone