Herman Goossens, a professor of microbiology and coordinator of an EU group studying how to combat the coronavirus, is our special guest. What would he have done differently if he could turn back the clock? And when can we realistically expect a return to normal? Goossens answers those questions and more in conversation with POLITICO's senior health reporter Sarah Wheaton and EU editor Andrew Gray. We also look at coronavirus testing with health reporter Carmen Paun. What are the different types...
Mar 30, 2020•30 min•Ep. 166
POLITICO's Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome shares her thoughts on what the rest of Europe can learn from Italy's response to the coronavirus. Our pan-European panel debates the challenges for democracy in the age of social distancing and examines the risks for the European project if countries hit hard by COVID-19 don't feel solidarity from their neighbors. Gayle Smith, CEO of development NGO the ONE Campaign, was in Brussels a few weeks ago and shared her prescient views on the coronavirus, b...
Mar 27, 2020•31 min•Ep. 165
We hear from someone directly involved in the EU's response to the coronavirus crisis: Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson. The Swedish commissioner talks about the challenges of trying to keep the EU's internal borders open during the crisis — and sets out how her view of why that matters. Johansson, a member of the Commission's coronavirus task force, also voices her concerns about the impact COVID-19 could have on asylum seekers and migrants in camps on the Greek islands. We also check i...
Mar 23, 2020•29 min•Ep. 164
As COVID-19 paralyzes Europe, our podcast panel describes daily life right now in Paris, Berlin, London and Brussels. We also look at how Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen are leading in this time of crisis. Have they added to the confusion with mixed messages? And we share some ideas on how to survive the suspension of normal life. The coronavirus eclipses everything these days but other big issues haven't gone away forever. Among them is Europe's energy fut...
Mar 19, 2020•37 min•Ep. 163
POLITICO brings you a special edition of the EU Confidential podcast focusing on the coronavirus crisis. This is the first in a series of extra episodes looking at the people, politics and policies shaping Europe's response to COVID-19. After we recap a dramatic day of shutdowns and lockdowns, POLITICO health reporters Sarah Wheaton and Jillian Deutsch talk with EU Editor Andrew Gray about how the EU and different European countries are handling the pandemic. They also turn the spotlight on the ...
Mar 16, 2020•26 min•Ep. 162
Life under lockdown in Italy: This episode of EU Confidential leads off with a conversation with Silvia Sciorilli-Borrelli in Rome about how Italy's attempt to quell the spread of the coronavirus is impacting people's daily lives. European Council President Charles Michel chaired a videoconference of EU leaders on Tuesday to try to get a grip on the coronavirus crisis. But was it too little, too late? POLITICO's Rym Momtaz (in Paris), Andrew Gray (in Brussels), Matt Kartnischnig (in Berlin) and ...
Mar 12, 2020•33 min•Ep. 161
From Brussels, Berlin, Paris and London, we break down responses to the coronavirus across Europe. How are politicians and the general population in each capital reacting? Is there a coherent European response or is everyone doing their own thing? We also analyse how European leaders are responding to the war in Syria and its repercussions at the Continent's borders. Does Europe have a serious plan to ease the suffering and prevent another big migration crisis? And Super Tuesday election results...
Mar 05, 2020•32 min•Ep. 160
This episode of EU Confidential explores how Europe is responding to the coronavirus, with POLITICO's senior health reporter, Sarah Wheaton. We also take you to the Belgian city of Aalst, whose carnival celebrations have been widely condemned for anti-Semitism. POLITICO's Eddy Wax gets local reaction. And if you've ever wondered what superpower the European Commission's Valdis Dombrovskis would like to help him bolster "an economy that works for people," POLITICO's Bjarke Smith-Meyer asked him a...
Feb 27, 2020•37 min•Ep. 159
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 negotia...
Feb 21, 2020•34 min•Ep. 158
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 N...
Feb 16, 2020•45 min•Ep. 157
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....
Feb 13, 2020•31 min•Ep. 156
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...
Feb 06, 2020•31 min•Ep. 155
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...
Jan 30, 2020•32 min•Ep. 154
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. Lea...
Jan 23, 2020•37 min•Ep. 153
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 Pr...
Jan 22, 2020•33 min•Ep. 152
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...
Jan 20, 2020•34 min•Ep. 151
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...
Jan 20, 2020•19 min•Ep. 150
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...
Jan 16, 2020•30 min•Ep. 149
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, a...
Jan 09, 2020•37 min•Ep. 148
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...
Dec 19, 2019•37 min•Ep. 147
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 ...
Dec 13, 2019•35 min•Ep. 146
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 ke...
Dec 09, 2019•32 min•Ep. 145
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 St...
Dec 05, 2019•28 min•Ep. 144
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 ...
Nov 28, 2019•33 min•Ep. 143
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 ag...
Nov 21, 2019•37 min•Ep. 142
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 w...
Nov 14, 2019•35 min•Ep. 141
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 Sta...
Nov 07, 2019•31 min•Ep. 140
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 rig...
Oct 31, 2019•38 min•Ep. 139
In the latest episode of EU Confidential, we talk EU enlargement, Jean-Claude Juncker's legacy, Brexit and Syria. And we have an interview with Spain's point man for the EU. The podcast panel tackles the repercussions of the European Council’s controversial decision not to start EU membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania. As Juncker gets ready to bow out as European Commission chief, we ask how he'll be remembered in Brussels and across the Continent. We also discuss the geopolitical i...
Oct 24, 2019•35 min•Ep. 138
This special episode of EU Confidential takes you inside the European Council summit in Brussels which signed off on the brand new Brexit deal. POLITICO’s Annabelle Dickson, Rym Momtaz and Andrew Gray break down the deal and map out what happens next. We also give you a flavor of what it’s like to be inside the summit bubble covering an event like this. We speak to European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen and Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Šarec on the red carpet as they make th...
Oct 18, 2019•34 min•Ep. 137
