Today in the EU

This week, the Yellow Room takes us to Budapest, where the government passed a new bill introducing tougher penalties for paedophilia, in the wake of several cases of child abuse.

However, the new amendments associate the LGBTQI+ minority with pedophiles and bans the portrayal of the homosexual and trans identity to underaged. To shed some light on these new amendments we spoke with EURACTIV’s Vlad Maksimov.

And remaining outside Brussels, we are talking about the Euro football championship and why North Macedonia asked UEFA to intervene after the inappropriate comments of an Austrian player towards the Albanian minority of the country. To hear more on the story, we were joined by Niko Kurmayer from EURACTIV Germany.

Next week, all the lights will be shining over Brussels, where a double summit is taking place. World leaders are hoping to set a key milestone in renewing the transatlantic partnership and maintaining economic ties between the EU and the US. To find out more about what we can expect from the NATO and the EU-US summits, I spoke with EURACTIV’s Alexandra Brzozowski.

We are also going to Sofia to shed some light on the controversy that still follows the former government of Boyko Borissov and the shady findings on the organ transplant scandal. To hear more on this story I spoke with Krassen Niklov, editor in chief of EURACTIV Bulgaria. 

This week our podcast takes us to Berlin, where a spying deal between Denmark and the US is shaking German politics ahead of elections in September. To find out more we spoke with Oliver Noyan and Niko Krumayer from EURACTIV Germany.

Back in Brussels we are talking about what the EU ban on airlines entering Belarusian airspace means in practice, from pilot safety concerns, to the isolated Belarusians and unintended environmental and economic impacts. To hear more on this story, I spoke with Sean Golding Carrol, EURACTIV's transport editor.

This week, our podcast takes us to Belarus, where a Ryanair plane was forced to land so the Belarusian authorities could detain one of the passengers, the dissident journalist Roman Protasevich.

The event provoked furious reactions from the EU, which described it as an act of state terrorism and slapped fresh sanctions on the rogue state. To shed some light on the story, I’m joined today by EURACTIV senior editor Georgi Gotev.

And back in Brussels, we’re talking about the European Council summit and the outcome of the talks on climate - more specifically, on the greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

One of the main topics was the dispute around the Turów coal mine in Poland and the impact it has on the environment, economy and society. To hear more on that, I spoke with EURACTIV’s energy and environment reporter Kira Taylor.

This week our podcast focuses on the Israeli- Palestinian violent clashes, the EU’s position in the peace-making process and the political obstacles and differences among the bloc’s members. To shed some light on the latest developments I’m joined today by Euractiv’s Senior Editor Georgi Gotev.

And going to Paris, we’re talking about how the fake EU jobs controversy and the misappropriation of EU funds brings Marie Le Pen back in the spotlight, her reaction to it and how this case could affect the upcoming French elections. To hear more on this story I spoke with Mathieu Pollet from Euractiv France.

This week our podcast takes us to Athens, where things are getting quite shady when it comes to press freedom. Last month we had the mafia-style execution of an investigative reporter, Giorgos Karaivaz, and shortly after that another reporter Kostas Vaxevanis reported to the police that he is receiving death threats. To shed some light on what is happening in Greece I’m joined by Luca Bertuzzi, EURACTIV's digital and media editor.

And back in Brussels, we’re talking about the roll-out of the COVID-19 travel certificates. The Commission aims to put the digital green certificates by the end of June in an attempt to return to free movement within the EU. To hear more about the plan I spoke with EURACTIV’s health reporter, Gierde Peseckyte.

This week on EURACTIV’s Yellow Room, we are talking about the ratification of the EU’s post-Brexit trade agreement with the UK. At last, we may be seeing the turning of the page on economic and diplomatic relations between the two parties. To break down the components of the deal, we spoke with EURACTIV’s Benjamin Fox.

We are also off to the Czech Republic, where a storm was sparked by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who referred to the European Commission’s auditors as “mafia.” His comment came after a report linked him with one of the largest agricultural companies in the country and the distribution of EU funds.

To break down the story behind these allegations, I spoke with Aneta Zachova, editor-in-chief of EURACTIV Czech Republic.

This week on EURACTIV’s Yellow Room, we are talking about the outcomes of the climate law negotiations that took place on Wednesday - the EU and US goals, the reactions, and what the future has in store. To find out more on what happened during the negotiations we spoke with EURACTIV’s energy and environment reporter, Kira Taylor. 

We are also touching upon a sensitive topic from last week's news that caused a wave of reactions within the EU and the Western Balkans. The phantom non-paper that proposed the “peaceful dissolution” of Bosnia Herzegovina. To break down the components of this new proposal we were joined by EURACTIV’s Alexandra Brzozowski and Vlad Maksimov. 

This week on EURACTIV’s Yellow Room, we are talking about how some EURACTIV digging led to discussions and examinations over the Commission’s 462 million-euro contracts with several consultancy firms. We are focusing on the Parliament’s next steps and the MEPs' actions. To break down the main components of this story we spoke with EURACTIV’s economy and jobs editor, Jorge Valero.

We are also travelling to Northern Ireland to gain a better understanding on what is happening with the new crisis in the country and what actions the EU and the UK are planning to take to maintain peace. To find out more on this issue we are joined by EURACTIV’s Paula Kenny.

This week on EURACTIV’s Yellow Room, we are talking about the EverGiven cargo ship blocking Egypt’s Suez Canal for nearly one week. The impact it had on transport and the economy, before it was freed on Monday.

To dive into the background story, we’re joined by EURACTIV’s transport editor Sean Goulding Carroll.

We are also talking about the very important elections in Bulgaria, where the citizens will head to the polls for a parliamentary election amid a surge of Covid 19 virus cases and after months of anti-government protests.

To break down all the components of the Bulgarian elections we spoke with, Krassen Nikolov the editor in chief of Euractiv Bulgaria.