The Europeans

The Europeans episodes:

• 05.31.2024

  The Big-Agri Bully Boys

  Protests by angry farmers have swept across Europe this year. But from country to country, powerful groups have taken these protests over and changed their agenda. Who are these people, and what are they up to?   This is a special episode...

  
• 05.16.2024

  What's more endangered: wolves or Eurovision?

  This week, the high drama of both European wolf policy and the Eurovision Song Contest. Wolves have made a huge comeback in Europe in recent years. How can we coexist peacefully with these hungry carnivores? We speak to the social...

  
• 05.09.2024

  Can food labels make us healthier?

  Across a fair chunk of Europe, we've grown used to seeing little traffic light symbols on our food packets that supposedly rate the healthiness of our food. But why might Dominic's chamomile tea get a Nutri-Score rating of C, when a diet...

  
• 04.25.2024

  The regime that ended with a song

  It’s the only revolution in world history (that we know of) that began with a Eurovision song. This week, Portugal marks 50 years since the Carnation Revolution ended decades of dictatorship. We speak to Alex Fernandes, author of a new...

  
• 04.18.2024

  Why the Swiss women’s climate victory is such a big deal

  A group of Swiss women, all aged 64 and over, made history last week by winning the first ever climate case heard by the European Court of Human Rights. But what does their victory mean for climate policy across Europe? We...

  
• 04.14.2024

  The biggest climate case that ever was

  We are re-airing one of our all time favourite episodes following this week's landmark verdict on the biggest climate case that ever was: KlimaSeniorinnen vs. Switzerland. We reported on the case in depth last year, shortly after the hearing. And...

  
• 04.11.2024

  Nepo great-great-great-grand-babies

  We all know this continent has major issues with social mobility. But having a rich ancestor from *six centuries ago* shouldn't make it more likely that you're rich today... should it? This week we speak to Guglielmo Barone, one of...

  
• 04.04.2024

  Less Beyoncé, more bouzouki

  This week, music and politics collide. We're talking about Greece's plan to enforce quotas for Greek-language lyrics on the radio, and the racist backlash against Aya Nakamura's rumoured booking for the Paris Olympics. Plus, a great interview with Politico's senior...

  
• 03.28.2024

  Small Ex-Soviet Satellite State My Ass

  This week, we're heading to a small country with a big bold foreign policy. Czechia, aka the Czech Republic, has won international praise by negotiating a desperately-needed ammunition deal for Ukraine. Why did it succeed where others have failed? And...

  
• 03.14.2024

  The Portuguese Constitution Is Delicious

  Scandal-hit Socialists, a surging far-right, and winners that no one can get excited about —  Portugal has just delivered some of this year's trickiest European election results. This week, we ring Politico reporter Aitor Hernández-Morales to untangle the situation. We're also talking...

  
• 03.07.2024

  YOLO, Swiss pensioners

  This week: two referendums and some dodgy criminal reforms. We're talking about Swiss voters' decision to treat themselves to bigger pensions, and Slovakia's battle to stop cronyism under populist prime minister Robert Fico. And ahead of Ireland's vote on International...

  
• 02.29.2024

  Army Boots

  In February 2022, as Russian tanks rolled across the border, the writer and historian Olesya Khromeychuk told us the story of the boots she had bought for her brother, serving at the front in eastern Ukraine. This week, we're sharing...

  
• 02.22.2024

  Orbán’s biggest crisis?

  Hungary has seen its biggest anti-government protests in years over the past couple of weeks. But just how dangerous is this moment for Viktor Orbán? This week our favourite Hungarysplainer Viktória Serdült joins us to decipher the scandal that has shaken...

  
• 02.15.2024

  Two Parallel Polands

  Poland's rightwing populists are finally out of power. But what happens now? This week, our producer Wojciech Oleksiak and Warsaw-based journalist Claudia Ciobanu join us to explain why restoring Polish democracy is easier said than done. We're also talking about Finland's...

  
• 02.08.2024

  Toxic air and toxic politicians

  Last weekend, Parisians voted to triple parking fees for SUVs in a bid to remove some of the city's more polluting vehicles. It's just one of many policy ideas that are being tested out in European cities to clean up...

  
• 02.01.2024

  Why are Europe’s farmers so angry?

  From France to Romania, Germany to Bulgaria, angry farmers have been blocking the roads. What's behind this wave of agricultural protests across the continent? This week we're getting to grips with the policies behind the food on Europe's plates with agriculture...

  
• 01.26.2024

  What actually happens to Europe’s recycling?

  A lot of us are pretty diligent when it comes to throwing our plastic into the dedicated bin. But how much of that stuff actually gets recycled? This week we're digging into the truth behind Europe's trash with Nico Schmidt,...

  
• 01.18.2024

  Influencer fraud, liveable cities and the Israel taboo

  We’re kicking off the new year with a heady mix of urban policy, cake-based scandal and political controversy. Find out which European city ranks as the most ‘liveable’ in Good Week, and dive into the fraud case embroiling Italian mega-influencer...

  
• 12.24.2023

  ’Twas Christmas Eve In Dublin

  In the winter of 2020, deep into the misery of the global pandemic, Richy Craven lit up the internet with a tale about working at Christmas in a fancy department store in Dublin. His story went viral and we loved...

  
• 12.14.2023

  The Christmas Book Flood

  In Iceland, the night of December 24 is traditionally spent curled up with a book. Why? Because you're very likely to have been gifted one, given the huge array of literary offerings that get published in Iceland in the run-up...

  
• 12.11.2023

  An Autocrat’s Guide to Destroying Local Media, Part 2

  In Part 1, you learned how illiberal regimes have used the political tools at their disposal – and their rich friends – to turn the media outlets of democratic European countries into propaganda machines. In Part 2 we’re exploring the...

  
• 12.07.2023

  An Autocrat’s Guide to Destroying Local Media, Part 1

  It’s a playbook that’s been used by illiberal governments across Central and Eastern Europe: muzzling the media until it resembles little more than propaganda. But how exactly does one go about dismantling the free press, in a democratic country within...

  
• 11.30.2023

  The Dutch Turn Right, Spain Stays Left

  In Spain, an unlikely left-leaning coalition has managed to block the right from taking power; in the Netherlands, the far-right has come out on top. This week we’re talking about two very different political situations with the help of Politico...

  
• 11.16.2023

  This Ukrainian Will Not Compete For Your Attention

  Ukraine has seen an exodus of foreign journalists in the wake of the terrible conflict in the Middle East. But coverage of the war on this continent remains more crucial than ever. This week we talk to the writer Sasha...

  
• 11.08.2023

  The Oatly Chronicles Part 3: Can Green Capitalism Save Us All?

  The Swedish oat milk brand Oatly has taken on some eyebrow-raising investments over the past few years. It insists those investments haven’t changed its proud identity as a climate-saving company – but is that really true? In the third and...

  
• 10.27.2023

  The Oatly Chronicles Part 2: What’s The Housing Crisis Got To Do With It?

  Swedish oat milk company Oatly says it's on a mission to defeat the almighty dairy industry and save the planet. To do that, it claims it needs to grow into a massive corporate success — and it’s willing to take...

  
• 10.18.2023

  The Oatly Chronicles Part 1: The Big Dairy Problem

  In 1994, the world’s first oat milk company was born in Sweden. Three decades later, Oatly is on a high-stakes mission to defeat the dairy industry – by growing into the biggest plant-based brand the world has ever seen.  Can a...

  
• 10.11.2023

  Train bistros and an oily climate commissioner

  This week, we hear about the controversies surrounding the selection of the EU's climate commissioners, we look into the past, present, and future of the Nagorno Karabakh situation, and enjoy a delightful interview with David Ecker, the person behind the...

  
• 10.04.2023

  Anyone for fried jellyfish?

  Have you ever been stung by a jellyfish or found yourself unable to take a dip in the ocean because of them? In this week's episode, our guest, Professor Stefano Piraino, will answer the big question: What should we do...

  
• 09.27.2023

  Politically Charged Post

  Our producer Wojciech has a theory that Central and Eastern Europe, in their broadest sense, share a common trait - they do not tolerate emptiness. Any deficit or shortage is promptly filled by individuals who have come to realize that...

  
• 07.27.2023

  Mohamed

  We're on a summer break right now, but here's something to put in your ears while we're away. To celebrate the beautiful visual animation of 'Mohamed' winning Germany's prestigious CIVIS Prize, we're re-releasing the original audio podcast, one of our all-time favourite...

  
• 07.20.2023

  What is Europe up to on Africa’s borders?

  Once upon a time, European powers drew up borders in Africa as part of their colonisation of the continent. These days the EU is increasingly interested in those borders again — including the idea of placing its own agents there...

  
• 07.13.2023

  Threads, solar and giant farming lobbies

  How much sway do giant interest groups have over the way our food gets grown? This week we're delving into the murky world of farm lobbying with Thin Lei Win, one of the reporters behind a fascinating investigation into the...

  
• 07.06.2023

  Fighting Putin, one meme at a time

  How can cartoon dogs help fight Russian disinformation? This week, hybrid warfare expert Robert van der Noordaa gives us a crash course on the #NAFOfellas movement and why Ukraine has been so good at using internet humour since last year's...

  
• 06.29.2023

  Greece’s elections, whales, and disability rights

  Being able to move freely around 27 countries is one of the biggest benefits of living in the EU. In reality, this is pretty hard if you’ve got a disability. This week we speak to Alejandro Moledo, deputy director of the...

  
• 06.22.2023

  Beyoncé, inflation and the case for climate optimism

  It's easy to feel doomed when it comes to climate change. In her latest book, the Italian political scientist Nathalie Tocci makes the case for cautious optimism about Europe's climate and energy policies. We chat to her this week about...

  
• 06.08.2023

  Why is it so hard to fix Kosovo’s problems?

  Last week, dozens of NATO peacekeepers were injured after violent protests broke out in northern Kosovo. What is going on, and why do Kosovo's problems seem so hard to fix? This week we dig into the deeper context behind the...

  
• 06.01.2023

  Europe’s place in outer space

  The last time we interviewed the physicist Meganne Christian, she was working on the French-Italian research base on Antarctica. Now she has her eye on outer space. We ring her up to find out more about her new life as...

  
• 05.26.2023

  The biggest climate case that ever was

  We usually see young people as the face of climate activism. This week, we find out how 2,000 Swiss women, all over the age of 65, took their government to court in a case that could change climate laws across...

  
• 05.18.2023

  The naughty child of NATO?

  We've been glued to the Turkish elections over the past week. But what does Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's victory in the first round mean for the country, and for Europe as a whole? This week we ring up political scientist Ahmet Erdi...

  
• 05.11.2023

  Eurovision vs. The Champions League

  This week is a bonanza for fans of Europe's two favourite competitions: the Champions League football tournament and the Eurovision Song Contest. Both are held up as events that bring Europeans together, but which one does the job better? This week...

  
• 05.04.2023

  Brussels, that well-known comedy goldmine

  The EU is a lot of things. But is it funny? And would Europe be a better place if we *could* find it funny? This week we're talking to Lise Witteman, one of the co-founders of live comedy show The...

  
• 04.20.2023

  How racial bias is messing with DNA research

  Mapping our genes has already allowed humanity to make huge strides in medicine. But the vast majority of the genomes we’ve decoded are those of people of white European heritage. Why is that a problem, and how do we fix...

  
• 04.13.2023

  Libraries: the safest spaces we have?

  What comes to mind when you imagine a library? Rows of books, probably. But across the continent, libraries are transforming into places that serve communities in all sorts of other ways. This week we hear from two very different libraries...

  
• 04.06.2023

  The great investment greenwash

  Trillions of euros — trillions! — are currently invested in 'sustainable' investment funds across Europe. But how green really are these funds? This week we ring up El País journalist Daniele Grasso, part of the international team of reporters behind the Great Green Investment Investigation, to...

  
• 03.30.2023

  Suspicion machines and combustion engines

  If you've claimed welfare benefits in Europe lately, there's a decent chance that authorities have used an algorithm to assess whether you might be trying to scam the system. The problem? All kinds of discrimination are baked into these calculations....

  
• 03.23.2023

  Why would you flood a forest?

  Last year, conservationists deliberately flooded a Slovakian forest. Why would you do such a thing? This week we ring up the co-founder of one of the organisations behind the project, Duarte de Zoeten of Mossy Earth, to find out. We're...

  
• 03.09.2023

  What is Putin up to in Moldova?

  There've been a bunch of worrying reports from Moldova in recent weeks, from claims that Russia is fuelling street protests to fears of a coup d'etat. What exactly is going on, and what does Moscow have to do with it?...

  
• 03.02.2023

  So Nearly A Eurovision Hit

  We're deep into the selection process for the world's most ridiculous music competition, with artists across the continent vying to be chosen as their nation's Eurovision entry. But what happens to the songs that don't actually make it to the...

  
• 02.23.2023

  Valeria

  An overnight career change. Switching the language you love in. This week, how war transforms your life in ways you’d never expect. This is the final instalment of our award-winning mini-series This Is What A Generation Sounds Like, a co-production by...