Today in the EU

This is Today in the EU!

The first daily podcast exclusively dedicated to politics and policy in the EU, brought to you by Euractiv’s newsroom.

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The European Parliament wants to use TikTok to engage voters ahead of the EU elections in June. However, some are calling the move contradictory - as in March 2023, both the European Commission and Parliament banned TikTok from official devices. Despite their positions having since ameliorated, cybersecurity concerns persist.

We spoke with Julia Tar, Euractiv’s Technology reporter to find out about the transparency regarding its use and how can TikTok be safely used during the electoral campaigns.

Farmers’ protests making the headlines these days brought back agriculture in the EU political agenda. But what is the state of EU agriculture and how it is performing in economic, social and environmental terms? 
We had a conversation with two experts: Yves Madre, president of the agricultural think thank Farm-Europe and David Baldock of the sustainability think tank Institute for European Environmental Policy, to discuss two different points of view on the current situation of the food systems in Europe and what is needed to improve them.

This week, the Beyond the Byline podcast looks at Ursula von der Leyen’s decision to run for a second term as President of the European Commission.

Ending months of speculation, von der Leyen told members of her conservative CDU party in Germany on Monday (19 February) that she was seeking a second term.

In a speech where she vowed to defend the bloc from forces determined to divide it, von der Leyen by default becomes the frontrunner. Her centre-right party is forecast to win the most seats in June’s EU elections, after which the biggest party gets the right to nominate the next Commission president.

To break down what this bid for a second five-year term means for von der Leyen, the upcoming parliamentary elections and the future of the Green deal, we’re joined by Nick Alipour, Euractiv’s Berlin-based politics correspondent.

With NATO defence ministers gathering in Brussels on Thursday (15 February), the meeting is being overshadowed by former US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks Washington might not protect European allies who are not spending enough on defence from a potential Russian attack.

They also come ahead of the Munich Security Conference (16-18 February), the 'Davos of defence', where some of the world’s top security leaders meet to discuss crises and future threats.

We ask Alexandra Brzozowski, Euractiv’s Global Europe and Defence Editor: How seriously should we take Trump’s statements? And to what extent does his approach threaten the long-term stability of the alliance?

This week, the Beyond the Byline podcast looks at the Greens congress, their pro-electoral pledge and the candidates representing the coalition in the elections.

In anticipation of the European Elections this coming June, parties are gathering in congresses to finalise their candidate selections and strategies for their electoral campaigns.

Earlier this month, The Greens convened their congress to finalise their manifesto and to select their lead candidates for the EU elections. We asked network journalist Max Griera, who followed the congress, what stance the party is endorsing for the forthcoming elections and what has stirred controversy among the various groups within the coalition.

This week, the Beyond the Byline podcast delves into the chain of events that led to the sinking of a boat carrying around 200 people off the coast of Cutro, southern Italy, on 26 February 2023 - in which at least 94 people lost their lives.

Italian officials at the Frontex monitoring room in Warsaw deemed the sighting of the migrant boat as 'not of particular interest' hours before it hit a shallow point in the water and sank, according to the Frontex incident report obtained by Euractiv.

We ask our politics reporter Eleonora Vasques what was written in the report and why a search and rescue mission was not successfully launched earlier.

In this episode, the Beyond the Byline podcast looks into the EU’s new push towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

EU foreign ministers held a flurry of separate meetings in Brussels this week - with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki as well as other Arab ministers - to discuss how to achieve peace in the Middle East. 

The EU's peace plan ambitions hit a big wall in the face of Israel's flat-out rejection.

Euractiv’s Global Europe and Defence editor, Alexandra Brzozowski, explains the main takeaways from the talks. 

In this episode, the Beyond the Byline podcast looks into the EU’s plan to grant €87 million, alongside new equipment, to Egypt to manage migration in 2024, under a project initiated in 2022.

The focus is on enhancing Egypt's naval and border capabilities for surveillance and sea search and rescue. Previous funding supported border management, anti-smuggling efforts, and voluntary returns. Negotiations are also continuing to tie funding to the country for various sectors to International Monetary Fund reform requests.

We ask Sergio Carrera, a senior research fellow focusing on EU migration policy at the Centre for European Policy Studies, and Andrew Geddes, the director of the migration policy centre at the European University Institute: How is the EU planning to implement this project and how can it ensure that the funds will be allocated where is necessary?

In this episode, Euractiv's Beyond the Byline podcast takes a deep dive into the agreement reached by EU member states to initiate talks with the European Parliament concerning a €50 billion aid package for Ukraine.

Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orbán has so far vetoed the EU's proposed €50 billion for the Ukraine Facility fund. The fund aims to provide financial assistance to Kyiv between 2024 and 2027 for its public deficit, essential services, and reconstruction efforts. However, Orbán has indicated he is willing to lift the veto - under certain conditions.

We ask Andriy Korniychuk, policy analyst and expert on Ukraine matters at the Foundation for European Progressive Studies: what are these conditions, and why is Hungary considering changing its position?