Brussels Playbook Podcast

We go inside the special summit on the EU budget as leaders battle over plans likely to be worth more than €1 trillion over seven years. Among those sharing their thoughts with us: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas and the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.Herman Van Rompuy, who negotiated the last long-term EU budget as president of the European Council seven years ago, tells us how these talks play out and shares his recollections of how he managed to strike a deal.The EU wants a chunk of the next budget to be spent on digital policy and the European Commission set out its digital vision for the Continent this week. POLITICO's technology editor, Nicholas Vinocur, joins us to break down those plans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We go inside one of the world's top gatherings of political leaders, military commanders, ambassadors and policy experts — the Munich Security Conference. POLITICO's team of reporters analyzes the big topics to emerge from the conference, including the state of transatlantic relations, deep divisions in the West over China, Emmanuel Macron's worldview and the future of the European Union.The show features interviews with senior German Green party MP Cem Özdemir, former U.S. ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns, North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and European Commissioner Thierry Breton. POLITICO's EU Editor Andrew Gray guides you through the corridors and conference rooms of the Hotel Bayerischer Hof, with contributions from colleagues Stephen Brown, Laurens Cerulus, David Herszenhorn, Matthew Karnitschnig and Rym Momtaz. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the latest EU Confidential, ex-NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen weighs in on the future of European defense and the global artificial intelligence race. We also catch up with the new president of the European Committee of the Regions, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, on the biggest battle in town — over the EU's long-term budget.Our podcast panel discusses the political demise of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, leader of the ruling Christian Democrats and Angela Merkel's presumed successor as chancellor. Why did it happen and who will now take pole position in the race to replace Merkel? We also debate EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's critical comments on youth climate activists, and look ahead to this week's Munich Security Conference. Look out for a special edition of the podcast on Sunday as the conference of world leaders, military chiefs and policy wonks wraps up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission’s executive vice president for digital, is the main interview guest in this week's EU Confidential podcast. She made a name for herself by taking on tech giants in her last job and her new role gives her even more clout. She tells POLITICO's Chief Technology Correspondent Mark Scott how she plans to use her new powers over the next five years.The podcast panel dives into the new proposal to revamp the way the EU deals with would-be members. POLITICO’s Rym Momtaz takes us behind the scenes of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Poland. And in our first post-Brexit episode, we debate how the political plates will shift inside the EU — and who are Britain's best buddies inside the camp? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode of EU Confidential bids adieu (or is it au revoir?) to the U.K. as an EU member. You'll hear a lively debate with outgoing British MEPs Jude Kirton-Darling (Labour Party), Alex Phillips (Green Party) and Ann Widdecombe (Brexit Party) during their last days as members of the European Parliament.POLITICO's tech editor Nick Vinocur and U.K. correspondent Annabelle Dickson unpack big moves from Britain and the EU on Chinese company Huawei's role in 5G telecoms networks in the face of U.S. pressure. And Brussels politics reporter Lili Bayer gets us up to speed on one of the biggest battles in the EU — over the next seven-year budget — ahead of a special summit on February 20. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This EU Confidential episode comes to you from Davos, Switzerland where the POLITICO team has been covering the 50th edition of the World Economic Forum.You'll hear an exclusive interview with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel on the EU's Green Deal. We also talked Trump and Twitter with Mary Beard, professor of classics at the University of Cambridge, and heard from David Miliband about Europe's migration policy challenges. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On episode 3 of POLITICO's Davos Confidential podcast series, our Editor-in-Chief Stephen Brown breaks down Donald Trump's address on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum, and Florian Eder and Rym Momtaz discuss Trump's meeting with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.POLITICO's Ryan Heath caught up with Ilham Kadri, the CEO of Solvay, a leading Belgian chemical company, about her company's new purpose. We also checked in with Achim Steiner, the head of the United Nations Development Programme. And we discuss quantum computing and its impact on our future with Arvind Krishna, senior vice president of cloud and cognitive software at IBM. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Day 2 of Davos Confidential, we preview Donald Trump's much-anticipated speech at the World Economic Forum. Who's considered the most "controversial" among this high-powered crowd? POLITICO's Rym Momtaz, Stephen Brown and Florian Eder debate this question, as well as the impact of the climate movement on businesses.POLITICO's Ryan Heath also discusses changes in the workforce and how companies are investing in up-skilling workers with Tim Ryan, senior partner and chairman of PwC U.S. And our producer Cristina Gonzalez checks in with Stu Eizenstat, a former U.S. ambassador to the EU, about U.S.-EU trade challenges, the impact of China on transatlantic relations, and the cloud of impeachment hanging over Trump's WEF appearance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

POLITICO heads to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum this week — bringing you a special daily podcast series from the snowy mountains where some of the world's top political, business and civil society leaders gather annually to discuss pressing global challenges.In this episode, POLITICO's Rym Momtaz, Ryan Heath and Cristina Gonzalez give us a taste of what to expect at the forum, where climate change seems to be the issue dominating the agenda. Ryan speaks with Ibrahim AlHusseini, an early Tesla and Uber investor who now heads investment firm FullCycle, who explains why businesses can no longer operate in a vacuum when it comes to the climate: “Even financial winners have to breathe the air. They’ll have to drink water,” AlHusseini said. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of EU Confidential, Europe is on the foreign policy defensive again after Russia and Turkey seized the initiative in Libya. But did Putin and Erdoğan overreach and could the EU step in to seal a deal? Meanwhile, Brussels presented a new fund this week to help Europe go carbon-neutral by 2050. Are the capitals counting on the EU to help them go green?For our feature interview, New Zealand's outgoing ambassador to the EU and NATO, David Taylor, talks to POLITICO's EU Editor Andrew Gray. Taylor has spent years trying to do what Britain will soon try to do too — influence the EU from the outside. He gives us some diplomatic insight into how to advance your own country’s interests on trade, agriculture and other big issues without a seat at the top table.We also look ahead to the World Economic Forum in Davos. POLITICO will be out in force to bring you daily podcasts from the gathering of global power-brokers — look out for the first Davos Confidential on Monday morning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices