Brussels Playbook Podcast

The podcast welcomes the New Year with a spirited discussion about Europe's response to the U.S. assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. Will the EU, France or the U.K. emerge as the power broker between Washington and Tehran or are Europe and its leaders mere bystanders?The podcast crew members — Andrew Gray in Brussels, Rym Momtaz in Paris, Matthew Karnitschnig in Berlin and Annabelle Dickson in London — also reveal the issues they expect to dominate the political agenda in 2020, and offer a few New Year's resolutions.POLITICO health reporters Sarah Wheaton and Carmen Paun bring us a special deep-dive investigation into the modern face of a disease that transformed the world and changed the most intimate aspects of our lives. The New AIDS Epidemic is a POLITICO series looking at how the challenges for people living with HIV and AIDS and for medical professionals have mutated since the disease emerged.In this episode, we hear the story of Luís Mendão, 61, who was diagnosed 23 years ago with full-blown AIDS. He now faces a challenge that once would have seemed an unthinkable luxury: growing old with HIV. You can read about his story here: https://politi.co/2t5v6inThe full series, under the banner Telescope, is available here: https://www.politico.eu/telescope-hub/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the last episode of 2019, the EU Confidential podcast crew selects their top political moments of the year — from the launch of the Brexit party in the U.K., to the Ibiza affair that toppled the Austrian government, and finally to the sidelines of an EU summit and a rare, livestreamed look at the art of the backroom chat.Our Artificial Intelligence Correspondent Janosch Delcker takes us on a deep dive into deepfakes — as manipulated videos start to cause political turbulence around the world.And POLITICO's Emma Anderson sat down with Catalan Foreign Minister Alfred Bosch on his recent trip to Washington. Our episode airs just as the EU's highest court has ruled that Spain was wrong to keep pro-independence leader Oriol Junqueras behind bars and stop him taking up a seat in the European Parliament. Emma and the minister discussed that case ahead of the verdict. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's podcast comes from the EU summit in Brussels, where new European Council President Charles Michel claimed agreement on the Continent going climate-neutral by 2050 ⁠— but Poland has other ideas. POLITICO's climate reporter Paola Tamma, budget reporter Lili Bayer, chief Brussels correspondent David Herszenhorn and EU editor Andrew Gray break down the big issues behind the summit. They also look at the implications for the EU's ambitions to be the world's climate leader and for another pressing agenda item: the EU's budget.We hear from EU leaders including Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. We also speak with EU Ministers Helen McEntee of Ireland and Tytti Tuppurainen of Finland.Away from the summit, POLITICO's Matthew Karnitschnig talks to new European Commissioner for the Economy Paolo Gentiloni about the importance of the Mediterranean region in a geopolitical Commission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.K. general election is the focus for a special edition of POLITICO'S EU Confidential podcast. Our team of journalists looks at the possible outcomes from both U.K. and EU perspectives. What are the most likely scenarios and what would they mean for the U.K., the EU and future relations between the two? Kate Day and Annabelle Dickson of POLITICO's U.K. team are joined by Chief Europe Correspondent Matthew Karnitschnig and EU Editor Andrew Gray.We also have an on-the-ground report from a key marginal constituency, Stirling in central Scotland, where MEP Alyn Smith of the Scottish National Party is locked in a tight battle with Stephen Kerr of the Conservatives. The outcome of that contest will give a good indication of which way both the U.K. and Scotland are heading on election night.And POLITICO's Chief Technology Correspondent Mark Scott talks Cristina Gonzalez, our podcast producer, about the digital campaign. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It wouldn't be a meeting of world leaders these days without a spat or two, and NATO's 70th anniversary celebration near London was no exception. POLITICO's Andrew Gray, Rym Momtaz, David Herszenhorn and Emilio Casalicchio were on the spot to give us the inside scoop on the hot mic moments, the Trump-Macron slugfest and the future of the alliance.To understand more about the Macron mindset, our own Rym spoke on the phone with Gérard Araud, the outspoken former French ambassador to the United States. Araud retired this summer, giving him license to speak even more freely — about Macron, French "romanticism" over Russia, the Franco-German relationship and why it's easier for French diplomats to work with Brits than Germans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the new episode of EU Confidential, we talk migration and security with the EU’s outgoing commissioner for home affairs, Dimitris Avramopoulos. The Greek politician doesn’t mince words on migration, saying European leaders are quick to blame everyone else even though the issue is a “shared responsibility.” As a senior figure in the European People’s Party, Avramopoulos also discusses Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s place in the EU’s center-right alliance: “Mr. Orbán is doing whatever he can in order to be kicked out from the EPP family.”The podcast panel picks out key figures in Ursula von der Leyen’s incoming European Commission. POLITICO’s Annabelle Dickson demystifies the U.K. general election campaign. And we analyse the state of Franco-German relations as Paris and Berlin attempt to put a rough patch behind them by presenting common ideas on the future of the EU. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The podcast crew debates the EU’s response — or lack thereof — to the wave of protests rocking Iran and Tehran's latest violation of the Iran nuclear deal.POLITICO's chief Brussels correspondent David Herszenhorn joins the panel to report that French President Emmanuel Macron's comments on NATO suffering from "brain death" are still ringing in leaders' ears. The big question, after a meeting of foreign ministers at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels this week, is: Can European countries agree on where they want the alliance to go from here?Our feature interview this week is with European Parliament Vice President Katarina Barley. The MEP opens up to POLITICO’s EU editor Andrew Gray about her unusual career move from a top job in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet to an MEP and vice president in the European Parliament. Barley, a Social Democrat and former justice minister, also explains why she voted with her Social Democrats against Ursula von der Leyen as the next president of the European Commission and why the EU needs to rethink how it protects the rule of law.We also take a deep dive into the Extinction Rebellion movement, which is using acts of civil disobedience to raise awareness and demand political action on climate change. POLITICO's Paola Tamma reports from a protest outside the royal palace in Brussels and discusses the group's tactics with protesters and climate experts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright talks about the divisions that emerged in Europe after the Cold War — and what the EU can do about them.We also debate a controversial plan to break the EU's deadlock on new members with the man behind the proposal, Gerald Knaus of the European Stability Initiative think tank.The podcast crew takes a closer look at Emmanuel Macron's worldview and the reaction to his big foreign policy interview, in which he declared NATO to be brain dead.And we round up the latest on the incoming European Commission after another batch of confirmation hearings. Is it full steam ahead for President-elect Ursula von der Leyen's team on December 1? Or has she hit the buffers again? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the new EU Confidential podcast, the EU's outgoing budget chief Günther Oettinger opens up on his decade in Brussels. POLITICO's Carmen Paun has the scoop on Romania's new nominee for the European Commission. From London, Annabelle Dickson has a primer on electronic election interference in the U.K. ahead of its December vote. And Matt Karnitschnig sums up the mood in Germany amid celebrations to mark 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, which include a visit from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo amid some transatlantic tension.In our feature interview, Oettinger talks to POLITICO's Hans von der Burchard about his stewardship of the EU budget, his take on how the bloc needs to change and the political dynamics back in his home country of Germany. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the brand new episode of EU Confidential, we talk China, populism and British politics.With Emmanuel Macron heading for China and top German officials in open disagreement over Huawei’s 5G technology, POLITICO's Andrew Gray, Rym Momtaz and Matthew Karnitschnig discuss whether Europe has a credible strategy for dealing with Beijing. Following the success of populist parties in German and Italian regional elections, we ask if Europe's political mainstream was too quick to write off the far right. And POLITICO's chief U.K. correspondent, Charlie Cooper, previews the key messages and likely Brexit outcomes from Britain's snap general election campaign.We stay in stay in the U.K. for this week's feature interview ⁠— POLITICO's Annabelle Dickson speaks with Jeffrey Donaldson, one of the Democratic Unionist Party’s key figures in Westminster. As chief whip of the Northern Irish party, he has helped prop up Britain’s Conservative government since Theresa May lost the party’s majority in 2017. But the party is bitterly opposed to Boris Johnson's Brexit deal. Donaldson explains why his party's voters feel "betrayed" by Johnson and predicts the DUP will once again be in a "pivotal position" in the House of Commons after next month's snap election. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices