Today in the EU

This week on the Beyond the Byline podcast, we discuss the wiretapping scandal in Greece. Investigative and financial journalist Thanasis Koukakis explains why the Greek government monitored him while shedding light on how the "Greek Watergate" was revealed.

And MEP Stelios Kouloglou tells us why exposing the wiretapping scandal is essential, what the role of the European Commission is, and what does it mean for the country’s press freedom.

EURACTIV’s Beyond the Byline podcast is back, with a fresh structure and a fresh perspective on what’s beyond the news.

For our first episode of the new season, we are taking an in-depth look at current events between Serbia and Kosovo. We ask: How did we get here? What is the impact of the ongoing conflict on the population of Kosovo, regardless of their ethnicity? What is to come, and how is the EU's diplomatic strategy panning out?

In EURACTIV’s last episode of Beyond the Byline before the summer holidays, we are addressing the turmoil in French politics. With Emmanuel Macron struggling to set up a functioning government, we look at whether a coalition is a possibility and address the impacts of the Uber files scandal.

But before that - the euro and the dollar reached parity this week for the first time in 20 years. With the possibility of the European economy heading towards a deep recession, we ask: what might this mean for the EU and how will it affect the citizens?

In this week’s episode of EURACTIV’s Beyond the Byline, we are talking about the worst inflation of the past decades and low-income countries like Albania being pushed into poverty. We also ask if accession to the EU remains citizens' biggest hope and why the country’s prime minister is lashing out at the EU.
But first, we start our journey in Bulgaria, where the outgoing government decided to expel 70 Russian diplomats for espionage amidst pro and anti-government protests.

This week we discussed negotiations between the bloc's 27 environment ministers. In particular, their joint positions on five laws which are part of a broader package of measures to slash planet-warming emissions by the end of the decade. We also touched on what the EU needs to do more of and better, to achieve energy efficiency.

To hear more on this spoke with Norwegian scientist Nils Rokke and EURACTIV’s Kira Taylor.

This week the European Council will decide on Ukraine and Moldova’s application to accede to the EU. The decision will determine whether Ukraine and Moldova will be able to embark on the path toward full EU membership, after getting the status of EU candidates, and will draw trajectories for the region’s political development for years to come.

To explain better what this means politically for the EU and the rest of the candidates, I’m joined by Alexandra Brzozowski and Cristina Papusoi, who is shedding some light on the Moldovan reality and its hope to join the EU. 

We also spoke with Sean Goulding Carroll, EURACTIV’s transport editor, to find out why airport strikes are happening all over Europe, and what travellers should be aware of.

This week we are talking about a new entry into the black market: Hungarian license plates. EURACTIV's Network Editor Vlad Makszimov is here to help us understand why they are in high demand, the current gas prices in Hungary, and what is happening with the single market.

We also spoke with Krassen Nikolov and Spiros Sideris about how Bulgaria and other Balkan countries are threatened by a strong anti-Western wave amid Russian propaganda. We ask: what is at stake? And - what is NATO’s role in this?

This week we are talking about the EU’s minimum wage directive, what it means for workers and will it have an impact on inflation, as well as the Open Balkan Initiative, why it was touted as a mini Schengen for the Balkans and what the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has to do with it.

This week on our Beyond the Byline podcast, we're focusing on the extraordinary meeting of EU leaders in Brussels to discuss energy, Ukraine and food security. We'll ask: What sanctions were discussed as part of the meeting? What's happening with the ban on Russian oil? Who was opposed to it and how did the leaders find common ground? To discuss all these questions, I’m joined by EURACTIV’s Kira Taylor.

And - while the leaders were negotiating indoors, environmentalist groups were protesting just outside. We also spoke to Fridays for Future's Dominika Lasota about the significance of the oil ban on the environment.

We also addressed the other story on everyone's lips this week: the monkeypox virus, cases of which have been reported in a number of European countries. Listen to Daniel Bausch, infectious disease expert and president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene and EURACTIV’s health reporter Giedre Peseckyte explain why monkeypox won't be the end of the world.