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The Europeans | European news, politics and culture
The Europeans is a fresh and entertaining weekly podcast about European politics and culture, recorded each week between Paris and Amsterdam with fascinating guests joining from across Europe. This multiple award-winning podcast fills you in on the major European politics stories and other European news of the week, as well as fun and quirky nuggets that have been missed by most media outlets. Hosted by Katy Lee, a journalist based in Paris, and Dominic Kraemer, an opera singer in Amsterdam, The Europeans covers everything from elections and climate policy to the best new European films and TV shows. We also produce investigative podcasts about everything from the European farming lobby to oat milk. Yes, oat milk. Katy and Dominic are old friends, and the warmth and intimacy of their conversations will soon make you feel like you’ve known them a long time too. They approach topics with a light and humorous tone that makes The Europeans stand out from other European news podcasts, while remaining journalistically rigorous and meticulously fact-checked. The Europeans has been recommended by The New York Times, The Guardian, Buzzfeed, The Financial Times, and many other outlets. Katy Lee, a British-French reporter, has written for major outlets including The Guardian, Politico Europe, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Foreign Policy and The New Statesman for more than a decade, covering French and European politics and more recently, climate change. Dominic Kraemer, a British-German opera singer, performs across Europe when he is not co-hosting The Europeans, with roles recently at the Staatsoper in Berlin, the Dutch National Opera and the Münchener Biennale. The Europeans’ team is completed by producers Katz Laszlo in Amsterdam and Wojciech Oleksiak in Warsaw. You’ll hear them joining Katy and Dominic from time to time, particularly during investigative episodes like ‘The Oatly Chronicles’ and ‘The Big-Agri Bully Boys’. The Europeans’ breezy, informal approach to covering European news has won awards such as a Covering Climate Now award for an episode about the Swiss women who sued their government at the European Court of Human Rights demanding more climate action; Germany’s prestigious CIVIS Media Prize for ‘Mohamed’, an episode that explores the everyday life of a young undocumented man in Amsterdam; and best LGBTQIA+ short at the MiraBan UK Film Awards for ‘Josh and Franco’, the coming-of-age story of a father and son, both gay. Our guests have included everyone from major figures in European politics such as Alexander Stubb, now the President of Finland, and Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, to star chefs Asma Khan and Christian Puglisi, celebrated illustrator Christoph Niemann, and environmentalist George Monbiot. Since launching in 2017, we’ve talked about everything from elections in France, Italy and many more countries besides, to the politics of halloumi cheese in Cyprus, to why Donald Trump is so hard for TV interpreters to translate. We pride ourselves on covering European politics, European news and European culture from a pan-European perspective. You’ll often hear stories on The Europeans from parts of the continent that don’t usually receive enough attention from major international media outlets, especially Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. You might enjoy The Europeans if you also enjoy one of these other podcasts: The News Agents, On the Media, Today in Focus, Inside Europe, The Journal, EU Confidential, The Daily, The Globalist, Reasons to be Cheerful, The Media Show, Power Play, and The New Statesman. Whether you’re already a European news nerd, or simply someone who’d like to be better informed about what’s happening across Europe, The Europeans is the podcast for you.
- 293 - The perils of standing up to Iran from Europe
From Turkey to France and the UK, Iranians who've challenged the regime at home have often sought safety in Europe. But how safe are these dissidents, really? This week we speak to Fariba Nawa, host of 'Lethal Dissent', a fascinating new podcast series that investigates Iran's efforts to silence those in exile on European soil and beyond. We're also talking about Denmark's remarkable mass rewilding plan, and Slovakia's nationalist crackdown on the use of Hungarian and other minority languages. You can find 'Lethal Dissent' wherever you're listening to this. It was produced by the team at slow journalism podcast On Spec. We're crowdfunding a new series! You can find out all about it in the special announcement on our feed, as well as on the crowdfunding page itself: https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast. You can also support the weekly running of The Europeans via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/europeanspodcast. Thank you so much to everyone who makes our independent European journalism possible. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: Bluesky (here's the Sky Follower Bridge) and 'Metrokosmos' on Arte. 00:23 Hot and fresh in your ear canals04:52 Good Week: Denmark's huge rewilding plan11:28 Bad Week: Slovakia's Hungarian minority24:15 Interview: Fariba Nawa on Iran's hunting of its citizens abroad40:09 The Inspiration Station: Bluesky and 'Metrokosmos'45:32 Happy Ending: Granny's revenge on the phone scammers Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 21 Nov 2024 - 48min - 292 - A special announcement from The Europeans
Producers Katz and Wojciech join Katy and Dominic for a very special announcement from The Europeans. We’re incredibly excited to make this series for you. Please help us turn it into a reality! Sign up to support this project here: https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast Got ideas for places we need to go or people we need to interview for this series? Email us at hello@europeanspodcast.com. Thank you, as always, for listening. Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 14 Nov 2024 - 15min - 291 - Spain's floods, Moldova's election, and what the kids of Europe are watching
The world may be transfixed by the US election results, but this was a huge week for news on this side of the Atlantic too. This week we're trying to make sense of the cataclysmic floods in Spain, and talking about another presidential election with major consequences — the one in Moldova. Plus, a much-needed palate-cleanser: we're delving into a fascinating report into what European children are watching, and what grown-up film producers can do to make better stuff for kids. Anne Schultka is the project manager of KIDS Regio, which campaigns for the children's film industry in Europe. Rikke Flodin is a partner at PUBLIKUM. You can download the report, 'European Children's Film in Focus', here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Kapsalon Romy' ('Romy’s Salon') and 'Leto kada sam naucila da letim' ('How I Learned To Fly'). Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Other resources for this episode: 'Valencian president downplayed floods while Spain’s rivers rose' - Politico Europe, November 1, 2024 https://www.politico.eu/article/spain-valencia-floods-death-toll-carlos-mazon/ 'Pumpkin paddling season: Kasterlee's giant pumpkin regatta' - DW News, October 28, 2024 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2701632486675304 00:22 A non-US election podcast04:48 Bad Week: Spain's floods24:39 Good Week: Maia Sandu37:26 Interview: Anna Schultka and Rikke Flodin on what the kids of Europe are watching55:00 The Inspiration Station: 'Romy's Salon' and 'How I Learned To Fly'58:19 Happy Ending: Belgium's pumpkin kayak race Producers: Morgan Childs and Katz Laszlo Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 07 Nov 2024 - 1h 03min - 290 - Is this the end of Georgia's European dream?
Georgia's pro-Russian ruling party claims to have won last weekend's election — a fraudulent election, according to a mounting pile of evidence. A country that was once on the path to EU membership is now veering much closer to the Kremlin. Is there any hope left? We ring Anna Gvarishvili, Tbilisi-based journalist and head of the Investigative Media Lab, to unpack what just happened and what might happen next. We're also discussing two suitably scary topics in this Halloween episode: France's money problems, and the noxious substances spewing out of your gas cooker. This episode was recorded before Wednesday's devastating floods in Spain. You can donate to the Cruz Roja (Spanish Red Cross) relief efforts here. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). If you're short on cash but still want to support us, it would be amazing if you could leave us five juicy stars, as Dominic put it, on Pocket Casts: https://pocketcasts.com/ratings. This week's Inspiration Station picks: fave dei morti (recipe here) and the Swiss video game Mundaun. Other resources for this episode Search Engine: 'Why is it so hard to tax billionaires? (Part 1)', October 18, 2024 https://www.searchengine.show/listen/search-engine-1/why-is-it-so-hard-to-tax-billionaires-part-1 'They will protest ketchup': Hugh Vuillier's Europe Letter newsletter, October 3, 2024 https://hughvuillier.substack.com/p/french-budget-not-good Universitat Jaume I's study on the health impact of gas stoves, October 28, 2024 https://repositori.uji.es/items/156fbd65-070d-4ca4-9856-9415513d505f 00:23 It's Halloween, but we won't be talking about He Who Must Not Be Named02:15 Good Week: French efforts to tax the super-rich16:42 Bad Week: Gas stove fans24:55 Please rate us on Pocket Casts!26:06 Interview: Anna Gvarishvili on Georgia's elections43:26 The Inspiration Station: Fave dei morti and 'Mundaun'46:08 Happy Ending (?): Norway's teen social media ban Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 31 Oct 2024 - 50min - 289 - Naughty, naughty Switzerland
Wine fraud, migration policy and climate litigation: there's something for everyone this week. Back in April, Switzerland's government lost a groundbreaking European court case and was ordered to rewrite its climate policy. Has it actually done that? No, no it has not. We speak to Geneva-based climate lawyer Seb Duyck about whether Switzerland can be forced to change its tune. We're also talking about offshore migrant detention centres, a full-bodied fraud case and the latest sign that AI is coming for podcasters' jobs. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Seb is a senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law. You can follow him on Twitter here. You can listen to our award-winning 2023 episode about the KlimaSeniorinnen case, 'The Biggest Climate Case That Ever Was', here and find the follow-up interview with Molly Quell here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Swimming in the Dark' by Tomasz Jędrowski, translated by Robert Sudół; 'World Without End' by Christophe Blain and Jean-Marc Jancovici, translated by Edward Gauvin. Other resources for this episode: Ursula von der Leyen's letter to EU leaders on migration, October 14, 2024 https://www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/15/October-2024-EUCO-Migration-letter.pdf 'What is refugee rentierism? An explainer'. The New Humanitarian, August 14, 2024 https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2024/08/14/what-refugee-rentierism-explainer 00:22 Katy's parents made a podcast06:18 Good Week: Pedro Sánchez19:48 Bad Week: Rich wine-drinkers29:14 Interview: Seb Duyck on Switzerland's failed response to the KlimaSeniorinnen ruling46:26 Inspiration Station: 'Swimming In The Dark' and 'World Without End'51:02 Happy Ending: Luka Modrić, an inspiration for all people in their late thirties Producers: Katz Laszlo and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 24 Oct 2024 - 53min - 288 - Russia's mysterious sabotage campaign
Arson, vandalism, attacks on NATO vehicles: around Europe, mysterious acts of sabotage have been multiplying. And there's a pattern: the perpetrators were recruited on Telegram via accounts linked to Russian agencies. This week, we hear from Marta Vunš about how she and other journalists went undercover to figure out how this recruitment actually works. We're also asking whether Germany's nausea-inducing opera deserves its scandalised headlines, and why France has been low-key obsessed with a treasure hunt for the past three decades. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. "‘Make a Molotov Cocktail’: How Europeans Are Recruited Through Telegram to Commit Sabotage, Arson, and Murder". You can read the investigation by Delfi, Der Standard, Paper Trail Media and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project here. This week's Inspiration Station offering, sponsored by the European Cultural Foundation: Liquid Becomings. Other resources for this episode: Trailer: SANCTA | Staatsoper Stuttgart Talk Eastern Europe: Spies, sabotage and Russia-West relations 00:22 The week EU politics got spicy03:22 Bad Week: Unwell opera-goers13:54 Good Week: France's mystery treasure-hunt winner24:38 Interview: Marta Vunš on Russia's shady Telegram recruitment38:46 The Inspiration Station - The European Cultural Foundation presents: Liquid Becomings42:45 Happy Ending: Phew! Art saved from the garbage can Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech OleksiakMusic: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 17 Oct 2024 - 45min - 287 - Using grandma to make people cry about climate change
Why is it so hard to talk about climate change in a way that actually makes us... feel something? This week, our producer Katz Laszlo talks to an Icelandic writer who manages against the odds to do just that: Andri Snær Magnason, author of — among many other things — the hit memoir 'On Time And Water'. We're also talking about the German politician alleged to have hired Belarusian political prisoners, and the extraordinary bounceback of Mediterranean turtles. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. You can find out more about Andri's work here and watch Emergence Magazine's documentary, 'The Last Ice Age', here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'When I Lived In Modern Times' by Linda Grant and 'Kneecap'. Other resources for this episode 'Finance minister responds to book VAT backlash, cuts the rate on books' - The Slovak Spectator, 26/09/2024 '«Onion is tasty». Political prisoners work on an onion plantation owned by AfD MP Jörg Dornau' - Reform News, 24/09/2024 'Hanna' - The Europeans, 02/06/2022 'Germany’s far right loves one migrant group: Russian Germans' - Politico Europe, 29/09/24 'Cruinniú na nÓg 2024 - The Spark' - Creative Ireland 'How Germany outfitted half a million balconies with solar panels' - Canary Media, 27/09/2024 00:22 Good job, Slovakia!02:42 Good Week: Mediterranean turtles12:38 Bad Week: Jörg Dornau24:03 Interview: Andri Snær Magnason on how to talk about climate change in a way that makes people Actually Feel Something 44:12 The Inspiration Station: 'When I Lived In Modern Times' and 'Kneecap'48:30 Happy Ending: Germany's mini solar panel bonanzaProducers: Morgan Childs and Katz LaszloMixing and mastering: Wojciech OleksiakMusic: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 03 Oct 2024 - 51min - 286 - What do the European Union and Barbie have in common?
Are European leaders living in a Barbie-like dreamworld? This week, the idealised fantasy of the EU versus its awkward reality. Far from being a continent of grateful europhiles, a lot of people feel apathetic about the European project at best. Paweł Zerka joins us to discuss why non-white, young and Eastern Europeans feel especially left out of the EU, and what we can do to fix this. We're also joined by Deutsche Welle's Kate Laycock for a special guest edition of Good Week, Bad Week! We discuss how victory was snatched from the AfD in last weekend's state elections in Brandenburg, as well as the backlash against tax hikes on books in both Slovakia and the Netherlands. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. You can read Paweł's report here. The European Sentiment Compass is a joint initiative of the European Council on Foreign Relations and the European Cultural Foundation. Kate is the presenter of DW's Inside Europe. You'll be able to catch Katy and Dominic on the show next week! Inspiration Station offerings: 'What language does your inner child speak?' - The First 1,000 Days 'How Libraries Thrive' - you can read the whole book online here Other resources for this episode: 'German far-right AfD song calls for deporting millions - DW News 'Elderly Romanian woman used amber nugget worth over $1 million as a doorstop for decades' - El País 00:22 Insure yourselves, people!04:07 Good Week: Dietmar Woidke (Special edition with Kate Laycock from Deutsche Welle)12:24 Bad Week: Book-lovers in Slovakia and the Netherlands22:00 Interview: Paweł Zerka on the Barbie-like European Union39:13 The Inspiration Station: 'The First 1,000 Days' and 'How Libraries Thrive'43:45 Happy Ending: The world's fanciest door-stop? Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech OleksiakMusic: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 26 Sep 2024 - 47min - 285 - Mussolini, testicles, and the Schengen zone
Last week we brought you geopolitics, this week we're bringing you testicles. Why has male contraception remained such an underground idea, despite decades of research? We speak to Paul Labourie, one of a growing number of men (in the francophone world at least) who are turning to DIY contraception devices to take on more of the responsibility in their relationships. We're also talking about the crackdown on Germany's borders and a surprise move by Mussolini's granddaughter. Paul is a journalist and photographer based in Brussels. You can find his website here and follow him on Instagram here. You can read Paul's article about heat-based contraception for VICE Belgium here and find out more about Samuel Flambard's workshops here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Another Round' and 'The Gullspång Miracle' (available here via the BBC and here via DR). Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:23 Not sponsored by any kind of nasal irrigation device03:02 Good Week: Standing up to the far-right in Italy09:50 Bad Week: The Schengen Zone21:19 Interview: Paul Labourie's primer on thermal contraception35:19 The Inspiration Station: 'Another Round' and 'The Gullspång Miracle'38:38 Happy ending: Fewer screens, more desserts Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech OleksiakMusic: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 19 Sep 2024 - 41min - 284 - Swedish authorities say it's fine if you listen to this podcast
We're back from our summer break! Rym Momtaz, the new editor-in-chief of the Strategic Europe blog, is here to catch us up on the main political developments we missed over the summer, from Ukraine to France. We're also talking about Sweden's suggestions for cutting kids' screen time, and a possible crackdown on outrageous concert ticket prices. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Strategic Europe is a blog from the Carnegie Europe think-tank. You can find it here, and follow Rym on Twitter here. This week's Inspiration Station picks: 'Evenings and Weekends' by Oisín McKenna and 'Berlin' by Andris Kuprišs, translated by Ian Gwin. Other resources for this episode: 'A Different Way to Look at Screen Time' - ParentData, April 2024 If you're feeling brave, you can download Mario Draghi's competitiveness report here. If you're short on time because you're contributing to European productivity, you can read his summary here. Waldrapteam, the conservationists working with the northern bald ibis, can be found on Instagram here. You can follow their progress here. 03:10 Bad Week: Ticketmaster14:23 Good Week: Swedish kids26:40 Interview: Rym Momtaz catches us up on the main European political developments of the summer47:44 The Inspiration Station: 'Evenings and Weekends' by Oisín McKenna; 'Berlin' by Andris Kuprišs50:24 Happy Ending: The return of the northern bald ibis Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 12 Sep 2024 - 56min - 283 - This Is What A Generation Sounds Like: Kinga
This week, we're re-releasing another of our all-time favourite episodes to entertain your ears during our summer break. First aired in 2022, it's a story from our long-running series, 'This Is What A Generation Sounds Like', and it takes us to Georgia. Thanks for listening! We'll be back in September. If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Producers: Wojciech Oleksiak and Kinga Goc Mixing, mastering and sound design: Wojciech Oleksiak Editorial support: Katz Laszlo, Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer Music by Casletila. Theme music by Jim Barne You can find a beautiful visual version of this podcast, produced by our friends at Are We Europe, here.This series was co-produced with Are We Europe and made in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation. Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 15 Aug 2024 - 32min - 282 - This Is What A Generation Sounds Like: Sara
We're away on our summer break until September, but this week and next week we're re-releasing two of our favourite episodes from The Europeans' award-winning series, 'This Is What A Generation Sounds Like. This week, a story that spans three generations of women: Sara, her mother, and her grandmother. In their collective lifetimes, Albania entered a communist dictatorship; the regime fell; and then there was a transition. And through it all, there was a dish: trahana. This episode first aired in 2021. You can find a beautiful visual version of this podcast, produced by our friends at Are We Europe, here.This series was co-produced with Are We Europe and made in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation.Producers: Katz Laszlo and Sara Assistant producer: Priyanka Shankar Editor: Katy Lee Sound design: Katz Laszlo Editorial support: Dominic Kraemer, Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Era e Feminise, by Elina Duni; Song of Emigration, by Women’s Choir from Permet; Tana, by Saziso; Ka Nje mot e gjysem viti, by Elina Duni Quartet; Jonuzi Me Shoket by Vaome Kaba; Ballerina by Yehezkel Raz; Mëmëdheu by the Peter Pan Quartet; Jim Barne. SFX from Freesound.org. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 08 Aug 2024 - 27min - 281 - A Q&A with The Europeans
It’s our first ever Q&A episode! Katy, Dominic, Katz and Wojciech answer listeners’ questions – from how we make the show, to the episodes we’d make if we were gazillionaires. We’ve saved a couple of our answers for supporters of the podcast. If you’d like to hear them, we’d love it if you could send a few bucks our way at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). Thanks so much to everyone who makes our show possible by helping us cover our production costs! You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Producer: Katz Laszlo Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 01 Aug 2024 - 43min - 280 - 'Luca'
One Hungarian family. One piece of land. Two very different visions. This is the final episode in our long-running series This Is What A Generation Sounds Like, made in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation. You can find the other episodes in the series here. Thanks, as ever, to the listeners who support this podcast so that we can keep making it. You can chip in at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Producers: Katz Laszlo and Luca Borsos Sound design: Katz Laszlo Editors: Dominic Kraemer and Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Odú, 777, Fa Lenni and O, by Deva; Palinka, by Mónika Lakatos and Hangok Cigány; Zenebuddhizmus by Akkezdat Phiai; Marsh Warbler by Cosmo Sheldrake; Arcade Ride by Vens Adams; BlueDot Sessions and of course our theme music by Jim Barne. SFX from Freesound.org Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 18 Jul 2024 - 39min - 279 - What happens after France's surprise swing to the left?
A surprise left-wing election win? In Europe? In 2024? This week, we turn to our resident Parisian journalist to try to get our heads around what just happened in France, as well as what might happen next. We’re also looking at the other big left-wing winners of the week: the UK Labour Party. What might their new government mean for Britain’s relationship with Europe? Plus, Barcelona’s anti-tourist revolt and what may be the world’s toughest crackdown on Airbnb. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. This week's Inspiration Station picks: BBC Assignment: 'Germany's AI detectives' and The Europeans on YouTube. Other resources: 'El malestar por el turismo masivo se traslada a las calles de Barcelona' - La Vanguardia, July 6, 2024'Quelle coalition ? Composez votre majorité absolue avec notre simulateur de coalitions exclusif' - Le Grand Continent, July 7, 202400:22 The return of human co-host Dominic Kraemer03:51 Good Week: Britain's relationship with the EU15:02 Bad Week: Tourists in Barcelona28:16 Interview: Katy on France's surprise election results and what might happen next48:33 Isolation Inspiration: 'Germany's AI detectives' and The Europeans on YouTube51:24 Happy Ending: Climate-resilient cacaoProducers: Wojciech Oleksiak and Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 11 Jul 2024 - 54min - 278 - Why is European cinema so different from Hollywood?
Fewer expensive car chases, more moody shots and ambiguous endings: movies made in Europe are often very different from those made in the US. But Europe's more arty film output isn't just a product of our culture — it has a lot to do with how the industry is financed. This week, we're asking: why is European cinema the way it is, and should we be trying to change it? Plus, producer Wojciech Oleksiak joins Katy to discuss Europe's latest far-right alliance and why Kaja Kallas may be glad to be stepping down as Estonia's prime minister. This episode was supported by KIDS Regio. Thanks so much to project manager Anne Schultka for joining us, along with Tamara Kolarić, assistant professor in social sciences at SALIS, Dublin City University. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. This week's Inspiration Station picks: Euro 2024 and Search Engine: 'Why didn't Chris and Dan get into Berghain?' Parts 1 and 2 Other resources: 'The Hungarian presidency: Let the games begin' - Politico Europe, June 25, 2024 00:22 Hot in Warsaw, even hotter in Paris02:45 Good Week: Kaja Kallas (and her replacement)12:40 Bad Week: The Mainstream26:05 Interview: Anne Schultka and Tamara Kolarić on how money shapes Europe's film industry43:56 The Inspiration Station: Something called 'football', and Search Engine: 'Why didn't Chris and Dan get into Berghain?' Parts 1 and 248:58 Happy Ending: Dominic's holiday voice note Producers: Morgan Childs and Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Thu, 04 Jul 2024 - 52min - 277 - Pigeon murders, the nature restoration law, and Scandinavian family therapy
Enough politics: we’ve got a nature-themed episode for you this week. Producer Katz Laszlo joins Katy to explain how Austria’s environment minister went rogue to save the EU’s hugely important nature restoration law; we’re also talking about the German town that just voted to kill all its pigeons. And in the human world: the podcast that brings Scandinavians together in their own languages. Hilde Sandvik takes us behind the scenes of ‘Norsken, svensken og dansken’, a show described as family therapy for neighbouring nations. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Hilde is one of the board members of NORD 55, an initiative seeking to build public debate in the Nordic region. You can listen to ‘Norsken, svensken og dansken’ here via NRK. This week’s Inspiration Station picks: Garden to Grill and ‘Midsummer Night’. Other resources: ‘Pigeon problems: German town votes to have birds killed, outraging animal rights’ activists’ - Euronews, July 12, 2024 ‘How do we survive the media apocalypse?’ - Search Engine, March 15, 2024 00:22 Summer plunges and untranslatable words 04:19 Good Week: Europe's plants and animals 16:17 Bad Week: The pigeons of Limburg 28:43 Interview: Hilde Sandvik on creating Scandinavia's cross-border, multilingual podcast 41:03 The Inspiration Station: 'Garden to Grill' and 'Midsummer Night' 44:52 Happy Ending: Wild times for Windy Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 27 Jun 2024 - 47min - 276 - The most confusing elections of all time?
The far-right surged but the centre held; somehow the two are true at once. Nearly 100 members of the new European Parliament have yet to tell us which political family they’ll be joining. And as for who’s actually going to be running the EU’s institutions for the next five years – right now, it’s anyone’s guess. How can we make sense of these European elections? Alberto Alemmano joins us to help decipher a momentous, and very confusing, moment in Europe’s democracy. Alberto is a professor of EU law at HEC in Paris and the College of Europe. You can follow him on Twitter here. We’ve got a new look! Check out our beautiful new website, designed by the wonderful RTiiiKA, at europeanspodcast.com. This week’s Inspiration Station offerings: ‘Untold: Power for Sale’ and ‘Under Paris’. You can check out ‘Mixed Signals’, the new podcast from Semafor, here. This special episode was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Culture of Solidarity Fund, powered by the European Cultural Foundation in collaboration with Allianz Foundation and the Evens Foundation. You can check out the #CulturalDealEU campaign here. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Katy Lee Producer: Katy Lee Sound design, mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Editorial support: Katz Laszlo Music: Jim Barne and Blue Dot Sessions Sound effects: Freesound.org Artwork: RTiiiKA Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 20 Jun 2024 - 45min - 275 - Why give a damn about the European elections?
They’re the second biggest elections on Earth. For the next four days, 373 million people are eligible to take part in the vote for the European Parliament. And yet in most EU countries, the prevailing mood is… ‘meh’. This week, we take on the challenge of convincing you that these elections are anything but meh, with the help of one of our favourite explainers of all things EU, Beatriz Ríos. You can follow Beatriz on Twitter here and find Politico Europe’s guide on how to vote here. This special episode was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Culture of Solidarity Fund, powered by the European Cultural Foundation in collaboration with Allianz Foundation and the Evens Foundation. You can check out the #CulturalDealEU campaign here. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Katy Lee Producer: Katy Lee Sound design, mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Editorial support: Katz Laszlo Music: Jim Barne and Blue Dot Sessions Sound effects: Freesound.org (JoeDeshon) Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 06 Jun 2024 - 36min - 274 - The Big-Agri Bully Boys
Protests by angry farmers have swept across Europe this year. But from country to country, powerful groups have taken these protests over and changed their agenda. Who are these people, and what are they up to? This is a special episode produced in collaboration with investigative journalists from Lighthouse Reports and media partners across Europe. This podcast was made possible by our generous Patreon supporters. If you enjoy our work, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Read the articles published as part of this investigation: ‘Farmers protest, who gains?’ - Lighthouse Reports https://www.lighthousereports.com/investigation/farmers-protest-who-gains/ ‘Bauernschlaue Lobbyisten’ - Taz https://taz.de/Doppeltes-Spiel-des-Agrarverbandes/!6009938/ ‘Le lobbying agricole de la FNSEA à la loupe’ - Splann! https://splann.org/lobby-agricole-fnsea/ Reporters: Wojciech Oleksiak, Thin Lei Win, Marianne Kerfriden, Silvia Lazzaris, Elena DeBre and Emmanuel Freudenthal Producer: Wojciech Oleksiak Editor: Katz Laszlo Editorial support: Dominic Kraemer and Katy Lee Sound design, scoring, mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne, BlueDot Sessions Sound effects: Freesound.org (miastodzwiekow, Cosmopolight, Quistard) Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Fri, 31 May 2024 - 46min - 273 - What's more endangered: wolves or Eurovision?
This week, the high drama of both European wolf policy and the Eurovision Song Contest. Wolves have made a huge comeback in Europe in recent years. How can we coexist peacefully with these hungry carnivores? We speak to the social scientist Hanna Pettersson about how humans are living alongside predators in Spain and Sweden. Plus, all the controversy from the most chaotic Eurovision in history, and why Catalans just voted to boot out their separatist government after a decade in power. Hanna is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of York. You can listen to her interview with The Conversation here. This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'The Regime' and this accompanying episode of 'Cautionary Tales'; 'There's Still Tomorrow'. 'Lost On Me' was translated into English by Leah Janeczko. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Other resources for this episode: 'Why did Ireland give Israel 10 points at the Eurovision?' - RTE Aitor Hernández-Morales on the Catalan elections 00:22 Europe needs a new continent-wide public holiday02:38 Bad Week: The European Broadcasting Union20:35 Good Week: Catalonia's Socialists30:03 Interview: Hanna Pettersson on living with Europe's wolves44:45 The Inspiration Station: The Regime and There's Still Tomorrow49:28 Happy Ending: A pioneering law in Belgium Producers: Morgan Childs and Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 16 May 2024 - 51min - 272 - Can food labels make us healthier?
Across a fair chunk of Europe, we've grown used to seeing little traffic light symbols on our food packets that supposedly rate the healthiness of our food. But why might Dominic's chamomile tea get a Nutri-Score rating of C, when a diet cola gets an A? And does Giorgia Meloni have a point in claiming that the ratings are biased against Italians? This week we ring up Alie de Boer, an expert on all things food labelling, to demystify the Nutri-Score system once and for all. We're also talking about why Georgia's at a crossroads between Russia and the EU, and why it's such a scary moment in German politics. Alie is an assistant professor of nutrition and food law at Maastricht University's Venlo campus. You can watch her excellent video about Nutri-Score here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: Marina Abramović's new exhibition and Desert Island Discs interview; Gugelhupf. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Other resources for this episode: 'Is Georgian Dream Digging Its Own Grave?' - Transitions, May 2024 https://tol.org/client/article/is-georgian-dream-digging-its-own-grave.html 'Are right-wing populists more likely to justify political violence?' - European Consortium for Political Research, March 2024 https://ejpr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1475-6765.12668?af=R 'How Italian "food nationalism" has blocked Nutri-Score nutrition labelling system in Europe' - Mediapart, January 2024 https://www.mediapart.fr/en/journal/international/060124/how-italian-food-nationalism-has-blocked-nutri-score-nutrition-labelling-system-europe 00:23 A delicious, digestible bowl of European news 02:52 Good week: Georgia's brave protesters 09:43 Bad week: German democracy 21:10 Interview: Alie de Boer on how those Nutri-Score labels on your food actually work 37:51 The Inspiration Station: Marina Abramović and gugelhupf 42:52 Happy Ending: The European Seagull Screeching Championship Producers: Morgan Childs and Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 09 May 2024 - 45min - 271 - The regime that ended with a song
It’s the only revolution in world history (that we know of) that began with a Eurovision song. This week, Portugal marks 50 years since the Carnation Revolution ended decades of dictatorship. We speak to Alex Fernandes, author of a new accessible history of the revolution, about the day that changed everything. We’re also talking about the UK’s missed opportunity to give an entire generation fun memories (and skills, but mostly fun memories) and Milan's ice cream uproar. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/the-regime-that-ended-with-a-song Alex’s book, ‘The Carnation Revolution: The Day Portugal’s Dictatorship Fell’ is out now. You can find him on Twitter here and read his article on the music of the revolution here. Inspiration Station offerings: ‘E Depois Do Adeus’ by Paulo de Carvalho; Grândola, Vila Morena by José Afonso and MARO on tour. Bonus entry: the ‘Feat. NATURE’ playlist. Other resources for this episode: ‘What is behind the UK’s labour shortage?’ - UK in a Changing Europe, February 2024 ‘Percentage of businesses experiencing a shortage of workers in the United Kingdom in 2023, by industry sector’ - Statista, November 2023 ‘Nature is an artist! Inside AKQA’s design for mammoth Spotify and UN project, Sounds Right’ - It’s Nice That, April 2024 Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 25 Apr 2024 - 45min - 270 - Why the Swiss women’s climate victory is such a big deal
A group of Swiss women, all aged 64 and over, made history last week by winning the first ever climate case heard by the European Court of Human Rights. But what does their victory mean for climate policy across Europe? We ring up international courts reporter Molly Quell to find out. We're also talking about an artistic sense-of-humour failure, a Swedish app controversy, and why Polish kids are particularly big fans of the new government. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/why-the-swiss-womens-climate-victory-is-such-a-big-deal You can find Molly on Twitter here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York)' - tickets for London's Criterion Theatre; 'Two Strangers' cast recording; the 'Goulash' newsletter. Producer: Katz Laszlo Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 18 Apr 2024 - 44min - 269 - The biggest climate case that ever was
We are re-airing one of our all time favourite episodes following this week's landmark verdict on the biggest climate case that ever was: KlimaSeniorinnen vs. Switzerland. We reported on the case in depth last year, shortly after the hearing. And now, the court rules: KlimaSeniorinnen win! We usually see young people as the face of climate activism. In this episode, we find out how 2,000 Swiss women, all over the age of 65, took their government to court in a case that could change climate laws across Europe. And along the way, we figure out once and for all how the European Court of Human Rights actually works. This is a special episode made in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation, one of several podcasts we're making about sustainability with their support. Stay tuned to hear more. You can find out more about the KlimaSeniorinnen here. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/the-biggest-climate-case-that-ever-was Reporter and producer: Katz Laszlo Editor: Katy Lee Editorial support: Dominic Kraemer and Wojciech Oleksiak Sound design, mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music by Jim Barne, Epidemic Sound and Blue Dot Sessions Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Sun, 14 Apr 2024 - 49min - 268 - Nepo great-great-great-grand-babies
We all know this continent has major issues with social mobility. But having a rich ancestor from *six centuries ago* shouldn't make it more likely that you're rich today... should it? This week we speak to Guglielmo Barone, one of the economists behind some fascinating research into this question in Florence. We're also talking about Ursula von der Leyen's 'jobs for the boys' scandal and the road to a shared European cycling policy. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/nepo-great-great-great-grand-babies Guglielmo is a professor of economics at the University of Bologna. You can find his study on intergenerational mobility in Florence here, and an article he co-wrote about the research here. This week's recommendations: 'Today in Focus - Should the UK stop arming Israel?' and 'Have You Heard George's Podcast - Francophone Pt. 1'. Other resources for this episode: Social mobility in Europe across generations - EU Science Hub Intergenerational mobility in the UK - Institute for Fiscal Studies' What is the point of inheritance tax?' - The New Statesman' Von der Leyen accused of playing favourite over EU SMEs envoy nomination' - EURACTIVThe European Declaration on Cycling 'How safe is walking and cycling in Europe' - European Transport Safety Council Eurobarometer - Mobility and transport, 2019 The Copenhagenize Index'Paris’s Picasso Museum Will Show Work by Françoise Gilot in Permanent Collection Galleries for the First Time' - ARTnews Producers: Katz Laszlo and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 11 Apr 2024 - 45min - 267 - Less Beyoncé, more bouzouki
This week, music and politics collide. We're talking about Greece's plan to enforce quotas for Greek-language lyrics on the radio, and the racist backlash against Aya Nakamura's rumoured booking for the Paris Olympics. Plus, a great interview with Politico's senior climate reporter Zia Weise about the EU's once-trumpeted nature restoration law. Can the EU still claim to be a world leader when it comes to going green? FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/less-beyonce-more-bouzouki You can find Zia on Twitter here and read her reporting here. The soundtrack to this week's episode: 'Doggy' by Aya Nakamura; 'Zari' by Marina Satti; 'White Foxes' by Susanne Sundfør. Also recommended this week: 'Smoke Sauna Sisterhood' and Utrecht's fish doorbell. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 Velkommen til The Europeans podcast!02:23 Good Week: Aya Nakamura10:35 Bad Week: The plan for Greek-language radio quotas22:38 Interview: Zia Weise on the EU's nature restoration law35:15 The Inspiration Station: Susanne Sundfør and 'Smoke Sauna Sisterhood'38:43 Happy Ending: Utrecht's fish doorbell Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech OleksiakMixing and mastering: Wojciech OleksiakMusic: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 04 Apr 2024 - 43min - 266 - Small Ex-Soviet Satellite State My Ass
This week, we're heading to a small country with a big bold foreign policy. Czechia, aka the Czech Republic, has won international praise by negotiating a desperately-needed ammunition deal for Ukraine. Why did it succeed where others have failed? And why is its government so much less scared of China than most others in Europe? We ring up Jakub Janda, Czech security expert and author of a certain viral tweet, to find out. We're also talking about a glimmer of hope for some of Italy's rainbow families, and the scandal rocking Finnish journalism. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Jakub is the director of the European Values Center for Security Policy. You can find him on Twitter here. Resources for this episode: European Tree of the Year https://www.treeoftheyear.org/ Aamulehti's apology for Matti Kuusela's dabblings in fiction https://www.aamulehti.fi/uutiset/art-2000010312503.html Jakub's viral tweet https://twitter.com/_jakubjanda/status/1769350483695522197?s=46&t=yPKV1bu1u0kKSIiRrTkIXg 00:22 Once more with feeling03:19 Good Week: Padua's rainbow families09:35 Bad Week: When fact meets fiction in Finland19:52 Interview: Jakub Janda on 'small ex-Soviet satellite states' and Czechia's bold foreign policy36:51 Inspiration Station: A tree scandal special edition41:14 Happy Ending: Germany's extra-relaxed Easter Monday Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 28 Mar 2024 - 43min - 265 - The Portuguese Constitution Is Delicious
Scandal-hit Socialists, a surging far-right, and winners that no one can get excited about — Portugal has just delivered some of this year's trickiest European election results. This week, we ring Politico reporter Aitor Hernández-Morales to untangle the situation. We're also talking about how ChatGPT could speed up Albania's EU membership bid, and Denmark's attempt to fix its horrible gender inequality (when it comes to statues at least). FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/the-portuguese-constitution-is-delicious Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. You can follow Aitor on Twitter here. This week's Inspiration Station picks: 'Europapa' by Joost Klein; 'Don't Drink the Milk' Other resources for this episode: 'People in Albania are tired of Brussels' lip service' https://respublica.edu.mk/blog-en/politics/people-in-albania-are-tired-of-brussels-lip-service/?lang=en 'Albania to speed up EU accession using ChatGPT' https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/albania-to-speed-up-eu-accession-using-chatgpt/ 'Irish voters reject bid to rewrite constitution’s view of women and family' https://www.politico.eu/article/irish-voters-reject-bid-to-rewrite-constitutions-view-women-family/ 'Five reasons why the Yes side failed and the No campaign won the day' https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2024/03/09/how-the-government-lost-and-the-no-side-won-the-care-and-family-referendums/ 00:22 Fresh and fruity 01:56 Bad Week: Human translators 11:00 Good Week: Denmark steps up on statues 35:28 The Inspiration Station: 'Europapa' and 'Don't Drink The Milk' 40:24 Happy Ending: A blast from the seedy past Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 14 Mar 2024 - 44min - 264 - YOLO, Swiss pensioners
This week: two referendums and some dodgy criminal reforms. We're talking about Swiss voters' decision to treat themselves to bigger pensions, and Slovakia's battle to stop cronyism under populist prime minister Robert Fico. And ahead of Ireland's vote on International Women's Day, the historian Caitríona Beaumont joins us to ask: why, according to the Irish constitution, is a woman's place still in the home? You can follow Cait on Twitter here and read her article for The Conversation about the 'woman in the home' clause here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: this Swiss study on the power of live music; Dominic on tour, and the studio cast recording of 'Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York)'. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Other resources for this episode: Cultural Deal for Europe: An Open Letter Ahead of the EP Elections https://culturalfoundation.eu/stories/cultural-deal-for-europe-open-letter-ep-elections/ 'Nederland Europees kampioen zitten': TNO https://www.tno.nl/nl/newsroom/2024/02/nederland-europees-kampioen-zitten/ Eurobarometer's 2022 report on physical activity across Europe: https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2668IMPACT newsletter https://lesglorieuses.fr/les-newsletters/impact-eng/ Abortion in Europe - Deutsche Welle documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSB6oCza2k8 00:22 Are you sitting comfortably? 03:33 Bad Week: Robert Fico 12:38 Good Week: Swiss pensioners 21:40 Interview: Caitríona Beaumont on Ireland's sexist constitution 38:35 The Inspiration Station: live music and the 'Two Strangers' cast recording 42:19 Happy Ending: Tiny but very very loud Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 07 Mar 2024 - 45min - 263 - Army Boots
In February 2022, as Russian tanks rolled across the border, the writer and historian Olesya Khromeychuk told us the story of the boots she had bought for her brother, serving at the front in eastern Ukraine. This week, we're sharing her story again. Olesya's book, ' The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister', is available in print and as an audiobook. You can find her on Twitter here. Sound design, mixing and mastering by Wojciech Oleksiak. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/army-boots-feb-2024 Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 29 Feb 2024 - 14min - 262 - Orbán’s biggest crisis?
Hungary has seen its biggest anti-government protests in years over the past couple of weeks. But just how dangerous is this moment for Viktor Orbán? This week our favourite Hungarysplainer Viktória Serdült joins us to decipher the scandal that has shaken his government. We're also talking about the legalisation of gay marriage in Greece (finally!) and a Dutch court case that could have far-reaching consequences for the war in Gaza. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/orbans-biggest-crisis Viktória is a journalist at hvg.hu. You can find her on Twitter here and her article about Hungary's EU elections can be found here in EUObserver. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Navalny' and 'Lost on Me' (Niente di vero) by Veronica Raimo. The Dutch court ruling can be found here and Euronews' piece on European military supplies to Israel can be found here. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 Spending *most* of the week reading about Europe 02:29 Good Week: Gay marriage is now legal in Greece 07:47 Bad Week: European defence companies? 17:01 Interview: Viktória Serdült on Hungary's pardoning scandal 32:33 The Inspiration Station: 'Lost on Me' by Veronica Raimo and 'Navalny' 36:33 Happy Ending: Why kids monkey around Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 22 Feb 2024 - 39min - 261 - Two Parallel Polands
Poland's rightwing populists are finally out of power. But what happens now? This week, our producer Wojciech Oleksiak and Warsaw-based journalist Claudia Ciobanu join us to explain why restoring Polish democracy is easier said than done. We're also talking about Finland's elections and the EU's much-criticised migration plan. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/two-parallel-polands Claudia is the Poland correspondent for the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. You can find her reporting here and she's on Twitter here. Investigate Europe's reporting on how France and the Netherlands lobbied for child border detentions can be found here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Bitch' by Lucy Cooke and Sanremo 2024. Bonus entry for Amsterdammers, via Producer Katz: Felipe Romero Beltrán's photography exhibition 'Dialect' at Foam, documenting the experiences of young Moroccan migrants in Spain. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Producers: Katz Laszlo and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 15 Feb 2024 - 51min - 260 - Toxic air and toxic politicians
Last weekend, Parisians voted to triple parking fees for SUVs in a bid to remove some of the city's more polluting vehicles. It's just one of many policy ideas that are being tested out in European cities to clean up the air we breathe — but how bad is the problem really, and can we really fix it? This week we ring up Oliver Lord from the Clean Cities Campaign to find out. We're also talking about the exhausting antics of Viktor Orbán and some juicy Italian art theft allegations. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/toxic-air-and-toxic-politicians This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Mrs Mohr Goes Missing' by Maryla Szymiczkowa, and The European Tree of the Year 2024. You can find a video of Vittorio Sgarbi's eyebrow-raising interview on the best account on Twitter, Crazy Ass Moments in Italian Politics. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Many thanks to our friends at Outside/In for featuring our Oatly mini-series recently. You can find their show here. 00:22 Coming soon, a podcast entirely about disturbing European children's songs 03:32 Good Week: Ukraine's €50 billion aid deal 12:01 Bad Week: From culture minister to art thief? 37:44 The Inspiration Station: Mrs Mohr Goes Missing and The European Tree of The Year 2024 40:49 Happy Ending: Hooray for the HPV vaccine Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 08 Feb 2024 - 43min - 259 - Why are Europe’s farmers so angry?
From France to Romania, Germany to Bulgaria, angry farmers have been blocking the roads. What's behind this wave of agricultural protests across the continent? This week we're getting to grips with the policies behind the food on Europe's plates with agriculture correspondent Sofía Sánchez Manzanaro. We're also dishing up some Polish recommendations and a slice of good climate news. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/why-are-europes-farmers-so-angry Sofía writes about food, agriculture and sustainability for S&P Global and is about to start a new role at Euractiv. You can find her on Twitter here. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: Chopin's Nocturnes. played by Idil Beret, and Olga Tokarczuk's interview on the Paris Review podcast. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Many thanks to our friends at Outside/In for featuring our Oatly mini-series recently. You can find their show here. Producers: Katz Laszlo and Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 01 Feb 2024 - 34min - 258 - What actually happens to Europe’s recycling?
A lot of us are pretty diligent when it comes to throwing our plastic into the dedicated bin. But how much of that stuff actually gets recycled? This week we're digging into the truth behind Europe's trash with Nico Schmidt, reporter for Investigate Europe. We're also talking about Germany's massive anti-AfD protests, and Saudi sell-out Rafael Nadal. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/what-actually-happens-to-europes-recycling Resources for this episode: 'Secret plan against Germany' - Correctiv ‘Everyone, together, against fascism’: protests sweep Germany after exposé of AfD party’s deportation ‘masterplan’ - The Guardian Wasteland - Europe's plastic disaster - Investigate Europe ‘Queen of trash’ and employees arrested over Sweden’s ‘largest environmental crime’ - The Guardian On the French border, drowning in a sea of trash - PoliticoHitster'Black Butterflies' by Priscilla Morris Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Many thanks to our friends at Outside/In for featuring our Oatly mini-series recently. You can find their show here. 00:22 The Europeans: coming to you soon in 200 languages?02:35 Good Week: Standing up against the German far-right14:35 Bad Week: Saudi sellout Rafael Nadal38:58 The Inspiration Station: Hitster and Black Butterflies41:50 Happy Ending: A 3,000-year-old map of the stars? Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Fri, 26 Jan 2024 - 45min - 257 - Influencer fraud, liveable cities and the Israel taboo
We’re kicking off the new year with a heady mix of urban policy, cake-based scandal and political controversy. Find out which European city ranks as the most ‘liveable’ in Good Week, and dive into the fraud case embroiling Italian mega-influencer Chiara Ferragni in Bad Week. And in this week’s interview, hear from historian Quinn Slobodian about the parallel he sees between the current discourse around Israel-Palestine in Germany, and events 50 years ago. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/influencer-fraud-liveable-cities-and-the-israel-taboo Quinn is Professor of History at Boston University. You can follow him on Twitter here and read his New Statesman article, ‘Germany’s new years of lead’, here. Resources for this episode: Report on the quality of life in European cities, 2023 ‘How to define genocide’: an interview with historian Omer Bartov in The New Yorker German police statistics on politically-motivated crimes ‘Oral’ by Björk and Rosalía Continental Riffs The Guardian: ‘New “riskier” wave of British musicals to challenge West End’s established order’ Tickets for Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York) Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 Happy 2024, listeners! 02:57 Good Week: Europe's most liveable city? 08:17 Bad Week: Italian mega-influencer Chiara Ferragni 20:49 Interview: Quinn Slobodian on Germany's history of 'militant democracy' 40:31 The Inspiration Station: 'Oral' by Björk and Rosalía; Continental Riffs; Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) 44:12 Happy Ending: Rodney's helping hand Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Threads | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 18 Jan 2024 - 47min - 256 - ’Twas Christmas Eve In Dublin
In the winter of 2020, deep into the misery of the global pandemic, Richy Craven lit up the internet with a tale about working at Christmas in a fancy department store in Dublin. His story went viral and we loved it so much that we asked our friend, the writer and podcaster Darach Ó Séaghdha, to read it for us. Producer Katz Laszlo added some audio magic, and a classic episode of The Europeans was born. As a little early Christmas present, here it is again. A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from The Europeans! If you enjoyed this story, please consider donating to Barnados. Music by Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin and Ultan O'Brien, as well as Lena Orsa and Timbre on Freesound. Instagram | Bluesky | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Sun, 24 Dec 2023 - 10min - 255 - The Christmas Book Flood
In Iceland, the night of December 24 is traditionally spent curled up with a book. Why? Because you're very likely to have been gifted one, given the huge array of literary offerings that get published in Iceland in the run-up for Christmas. In this festive last episode of the year, we're speaking to the writer Hildur Knútsdóttir about the Christmas Book Flood and why Iceland is such a nation of bookworms. We're also talking about Christmas tree diplomacy, a new twist on an old tradition, and an Italian tyre-slashing mystery. You can find Hildur here on Instagram and here on Twitter. You can find details of her new book, 'The Night Guest', here on her website. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Small Things Like These' by Claire Keegan, 'My Father's House' by Joseph O'Connor, and 'La Ride' by Simon Boileau and Florent Pierre. Hildur's recommendations are 'Shadows of the Short Days' and 'The Shadows of a Midnight Sun' by Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson. Thanks so much to everyone who's supported us this year. If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it in 2024, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Producer: Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Bluesky | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 14 Dec 2023 - 42min - 254 - An Autocrat’s Guide to Destroying Local Media, Part 2
In Part 1, you learned how illiberal regimes have used the political tools at their disposal – and their rich friends – to turn the media outlets of democratic European countries into propaganda machines. In Part 2 we’re exploring the legal tools needed to complete the job and talking to local journalists who found themselves on the receiving end of these takeovers. Finally, we’re asking: how can you stop a wannabe autocrat doing this in *your* country? This series was funded by Journalism Fund Europe, the Allianz Foundation, and supporters of The Europeans. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Credits Reporters: Viktória Serdült, Dimitar Ganev and Wojciech Oleksiak Writers: Wojciech Oleksiak and Dimitar Ganev Production, scoring, sound design and mixing: Wojciech Oleksiak Editors: Adam Zulawski and Katy Lee Editorial support: Katz Laszlo and Dominic Kraemer Director of recording sessions: Dominic Kraemer Artwork: RTiiiKA Thanks for talking to us: Vesislava Antonova, Ervin Gűth, Antal Józing, Zuzanna Nowicka, Venelina Popova, Anna Wójcik, Spas Spassov, Marek Twaróg, Ágnes Urbán, and Cezary Węgliński.Instagram | Bluesky | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Mon, 11 Dec 2023 - 26min - 253 - An Autocrat’s Guide to Destroying Local Media, Part 1
It’s a playbook that’s been used by illiberal governments across Central and Eastern Europe: muzzling the media until it resembles little more than propaganda. But how exactly does one go about dismantling the free press, in a democratic country within the European Union? In Part 1 of this two-part special, Viktória Serdült, Dimitar Ganev and our producer Wojciech Oleksiak ask: how the hell did we get here? And how did the local press become such a powerful political weapon? This series was funded by Journalism Fund Europe, the Allianz Foundation, and supporters of The Europeans. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Credits Reporters: Viktória Serdült, Dimitar Ganev and Wojciech Oleksiak Writers: Wojciech Oleksiak and Dimitar Ganev Production, scoring, sound design and mixing: Wojciech Oleksiak Editors: Adam Zulawski and Katy Lee Editorial support: Katz Laszlo and Dominic Kraemer Director of recording sessions: Dominic Kraemer Artwork: RTiiiKA Thanks for talking to us: Vesislava Antonova, Ervin Gűth, Antal Józing, Zuzanna Nowicka, Venelina Popova, Anna Wójcik, Spas Spassov, Marek Twaróg, Ágnes Urbán, and Cezary Węgliński. Instagram | Bluesky | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 07 Dec 2023 - 31min - 252 - The Dutch Turn Right, Spain Stays Left
In Spain, an unlikely left-leaning coalition has managed to block the right from taking power; in the Netherlands, the far-right has come out on top. This week we’re talking about two very different political situations with the help of Politico reporter Aitor Hernández-Morales and producer Katz Laszlo in Amsterdam. You can follow Aitor on Twitter here and read his reporting here. Our episode about life as an undocumented person in the Netherlands, ‘Mohamed’, is here. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, ‘Ordinary People’, and ‘Treasure Islands’ by Nicholas Shaxson. Producers: Katz Laszlo and Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Bluesky | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 30 Nov 2023 - 38min - 251 - This Ukrainian Will Not Compete For Your Attention
Ukraine has seen an exodus of foreign journalists in the wake of the terrible conflict in the Middle East. But coverage of the war on this continent remains more crucial than ever. This week we talk to the writer Sasha Dovzhyk about what is happening in Ukraine right now, as well as Ukrainians' complicated feelings around the struggle for international attention. We're also talking about the corruption scandal rocking Portugal's government, and Greta Thunberg's fraught appearance at Amsterdam's huge climate protest. Sasha is the editor of the London Ukrainian Review. You can read her piece in the New York Times here and subscribe to her newsletter, Ukrainian Killjoy Dispatch, here. The NRC piece on the climate movement's soul-searching over Palestine can be found here (in Dutch). And Aitor Hernández Morales’ excellent tweeting on the dramatic events in Portuguese politics can be found here. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. This week's Inspiration Station offerings: The Deepest Breath' on Netflix and the Spotify playlist of 'Le Guess Who?' festival in Utrecht (Katz’ top pick: Swedish Ethiopian band BITOI, combining vocals and bass heavily inspired by birdsong). Producers: Katz Laszlo and Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Instagram | Bluesky | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 16 Nov 2023 - 47min - 250 - The Oatly Chronicles Part 3: Can Green Capitalism Save Us All?
The Swedish oat milk brand Oatly has taken on some eyebrow-raising investments over the past few years. It insists those investments haven’t changed its proud identity as a climate-saving company – but is that really true? In the third and final episode of ‘The Oatly Chronicles’, we investigate a piggy controversy, why oat milk is so damn expensive, and whether Oatly is acting like a big, bad oat milk monopoly. And we ask: what *should* we be eating, to save the planet? This series is funded by Journalismfund Europe and the Allianz Foundation. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Credits: This episode was produced by Katz Laszlo, and reported by Katz Laszlo and Katy Lee. Editing came from Katy Lee, as well as Justine Paradis, visiting from NPR’s excellent podcast, Outside/In. Editorial support came from Margot Gibbs, Dominic Kraemer and Wojciech Oleksiak, and mastering, scoring and sound design also came from Wojciech. Artwork came from favourite illustrator RTiiiKA. Thank you for talking to us: George Monbiot, Fredrik Gertten, Laura Young, Ashley Allen, Lisa van der Velden, Thin Lei Win, Sonalie Figueiras, Sara Berger, and Boris de Lorn. Special thanks to lovely neighbours Joris Klingen and Thomas van Dijk, for letting us use their very nice studio. You can find their music under Bovenburen. Interesting links: Oatly’s ‘Fuck Oatly’ website: https://fckoatly.com ‘The Awkward Truth about Oatly and Alpro’: Lisa van der Velden’s reporting in the Financiele Dagblad, December 2022 https://fd.nl/bedrijfsleven/1458366/ongemakkelijke-waarheid-oatly-en-alpro-voeden-intensieve-veehouderij ‘Big Dairy is trying to get Gen Z’ - New York Times, 2023 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/04/dining/milk-dairy-industry-gen-z.html Instagram | Bluesky | Twitter hello@europeanspodcast.com
Wed, 08 Nov 2023 - 45min - 249 - The Oatly Chronicles Part 2: What’s The Housing Crisis Got To Do With It?
Swedish oat milk company Oatly says it's on a mission to defeat the almighty dairy industry and save the planet. To do that, it claims it needs to grow into a massive corporate success — and it’s willing to take on controversial investments to get there. In episode two of ‘The Oatly Chronicles’, we investigate what makes those investors so controversial. It takes us on a journey from green capitalism being battled out in the coffee shops of Malmö; to enormous housing protests in a post-financial crisis Spain; to… China? This series is funded by Journalismfund Europe and the Allianz Foundation Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Credits: This episode was produced by Katz Laszlo, and reported by Katz Laszlo and Katy Lee. Editing came from Katy Lee, as well as Justine Paradis, visiting from NPR’s excellent podcast, Outside/In. Editorial support came from Margot Gibbs, Dominic Kraemer and Wojciech Oleksiak, and mastering, scoring and sound design also came from Wojciech. Artwork came from favourite illustrator RTiiiKA. Thank for talking to us: Fredrik Gertten, Lucía Gonzalez Martín, Laura Young, George Monbiot, Max Carbonell, Ben Axler, Brett Christophers, and Gregor Sebastian. Special thanks to lovely neighbours Joris Klingen and Thomas van Dijk, for letting us use their very nice studio. You can find their music under Bovenburen. Interesting links: ‘Change Isn’t Easy’ - Oatly’s statement on the Blackstone investment (August 2022 update) https://community.oatly.com/conversations/news-and-views/change-isnt-easy/62f2f4c91b4bf47dd15fb249 ‘Private Equity Propels the Climate Crisis’ - a report by the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, 2021 https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PESP_SpecialReport_ClimateCrisis_Oct2021_Final.pdf ‘These Photos Show the Reality of Spain's Housing Crisis’ - Time, August 2015 https://time.com/4007349/spain-evictions-housing-crisis/ ‘#RavalVsBlackstone. The right to the city versus the finance-real estate-tourism complex’ - European Network of Corporate Observatories, June 2020 https://corpwatchers.eu/en/investigations/cities-versus-multinationals/ravalvsblackstone-the-right-to-the-city-versus-the-finance-real-estate-tourism ‘Activists sour on Oatly vegan milk after stake sold to Trump-linked Blackstone’ - The Guardian, September 2020 https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/sep/01/oatly-vegan-milk-sale-blackstone Instagram | Bluesky | Twitter hello@europeanspodcast.com
Fri, 27 Oct 2023 - 38min - 248 - The Oatly Chronicles Part 1: The Big Dairy Problem
In 1994, the world’s first oat milk company was born in Sweden. Three decades later, Oatly is on a high-stakes mission to defeat the dairy industry – by growing into the biggest plant-based brand the world has ever seen. Can a start-up from Malmö save us all through capitalism? This is the first episode in a three-part series, ‘The Oatly Chronicles’. This week we’re asking: just how much damage is our dairy addiction doing to the planet? This series is funded by Journalismfund Europe and the Allianz Foundation. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Credits This episode was reported, written and produced by Katz Laszlo. Editing came from Katy Lee, as well as Justine Paradis, visiting from NPR’s excellent podcast, Outside/In. Editorial support came from Margot Gibbs, Dominic Kraemer and Wojciech Oleksiak, and mastering, scoring and sound design also came from Wojciech. Artwork came from favourite illustrator RTiiiKA. Thanks for talking to us: George Monbiot, Thin Lei Win, Elsa Guadarrama, Sonalie Figueiras, Ashley Allen, and Sofia Ehlde. Special thanks to lovely neighbours Joris Klingen and Thomas van Dijk, for letting us use their very nice studio. You can find their music under Bovenburen. Interesting resources: https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/what-is-the-climate-impact-of-eating-meat-and-dairy/ https://drawdown.org/news/insights/the-powerful-role-of-household-actions-in-solving-climate-change https://theoutline.com/post/8384/sweden-milk-war-oatly Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 19 Oct 2023 - 32min - 247 - Train bistros and an oily climate commissioner
This week, we hear about the controversies surrounding the selection of the EU's climate commissioners, we look into the past, present, and future of the Nagorno Karabakh situation, and enjoy a delightful interview with David Ecker, the person behind the @_DiningCar Twitter/X account, dedicated entirely to the experience of dining while traveling on trains. If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com 00:22 A Little Polish Election Update 06:39 Bad Week: Azerbaijan Ducks Peace Talks with Armenia 15:14 Good Week: Hoekstra, the Unexpected New EU Climate Chief 29:16 Interview: David Ecker - Dining on Rail Cars 40:10 Inspiration Station: Mae Martin’s stand-up - ‘SAP’ - on Netflix, Laura Mvula’s song ‘Pink Noise’ (but anything from Laura Mvula really) 42:04 Happy Ending: Barcelona’s BiciBús!
Thu, 12 Oct 2023 - 46min - 246 - Anyone for fried jellyfish?
Have you ever been stung by a jellyfish or found yourself unable to take a dip in the ocean because of them? In this week's episode, our guest, Professor Stefano Piraino, will answer the big question: What should we do about the overabundance of jellyfish in European waters? Professor Piraino and Katy Lee take a deep dive into the world of these ancient creatures, uncovering some unexpectedly fascinating quirks about jellyfish, as well as proposing a striking solution to address their burgeoning population. We're also discussing the shady manoeuvres of the Alicante city council regarding trees and Poland's pivotal election, which is less than two weeks away. And finally, stay tuned until the very end of this episode for a special surprise – a baby beaver awaits! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com 00:22 AI-powered podcast translations 04:06 Bad Week: Alicante’s tree falling 12:11 Good Week: Poland’s opposition march 22:52 Interview: Stefano Piraino on why jellyfish is your next favorite snack 36:29 Inspiration Station: A documentary about Sinéad O'Connor - ‘Nothing Compares’ and a new season of “Have You Heard George's Podcast’ 40:52 Happy Ending: Baby beaver born in London!
Thu, 05 Oct 2023 - 43min - 245 - Politically Charged Post
Our producer Wojciech has a theory that Central and Eastern Europe, in their broadest sense, share a common trait - they do not tolerate emptiness. Any deficit or shortage is promptly filled by individuals who have come to realize that they cannot always depend on their states to provide essential services. This is precisely the theme of our interview this week, with Ilir Gashi, who shares his story of getting involved in an unofficial courier system between Kosovo and Serbia when the state postal office ceased its deliveries. Against the backdrop of recent tensions between these countries flaring up once again, it provides a poignant glimpse into the daily life on the border of these nations. We're also talking about Greece’s new left-ish leader Stefanos Kasselakis (and his good-looking dog) and Spain's dealings with its gruesome past under the infamous General Franco. This is our first episode of the autumn season and we’ll stay with you until the end of the year! There’s lots to come with some very exciting special episodes coming up! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. You can read Ilir’s piece here in In The Guardian, we heartily recommend you do! Hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Katz Laszlo Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 28 Sep 2023 - 42min - 244 - Mohamed
We're on a summer break right now, but here's something to put in your ears while we're away. To celebrate the beautiful visual animation of 'Mohamed' winning Germany's prestigious CIVIS Prize, we're re-releasing the original audio podcast, one of our all-time favourite episodes. 'Mohamed' is a story about a young man living in limbo while trapped in a labyrinth of bureaucracy. You can watch the animated version here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAg-fJcU0iw&t=2s This was the fourth episode in our series This Is What A Generation Sounds Like: intimate stories from young Europeans across the continent. Producers: Katz Laszlo and Mohamed Bah Art Direction & Motion Design: Studio Mélody Da Fonseca Motion Design & Illustration Assistants: Andréa Reille & Rafaelle Fillastre Mixing and Mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Sound design: Katz Laszlo Editor: Katy Lee Editorial support: Dominic Kraemer and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel To Be Free, covered by Bahghi; Ancore une Staggione by Bottega Baltazar; Blurry by Curtis Cole; Kongo by Trio Particular; Coco Bread by Wearethegood; Mas Feliz Del Mundo by Ofir Atar; Fandanguillo also by Ofir Atar; No One Is Out Here by Yehezkel Raz. Theme music by Jim Barne. SFX from Freesound.org. This series is co-produced with Are We Europe and made in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation.
Thu, 27 Jul 2023 - 30min - 243 - What is Europe up to on Africa’s borders?
Once upon a time, European powers drew up borders in Africa as part of their colonisation of the continent. These days the EU is increasingly interested in those borders again — including the idea of placing its own agents there to stop migrants heading towards Europe. This week we hear from investigative journalist Andrei Popoviciu about how EU funds are being used to police West African borders, often with a disturbing lack of scrutiny. We're also talking about Italy's #10secondi outrage, France's plan to subsidise clothing repairs, and artistic revenge in the 16th century. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/what-is-europe-up-to-on-africas-borders This is our last episode of the summer but we'll be hard at work until our return in September, preparing episodes for the autumn. If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. You can read Andrei's investigation here in In These Times, and we'll post a link to the French version in Le Monde as soon as it's out. You can follow Andrei on Twitter here. The episode we made with Andrei last year about EU border agency Frontex can be found here. The graphics Katy mentioned on how Europeans dispose of unwanted clothes can be found here, and the Guardian's exclusive report about Dürer's sassy revenge on his boss is here. And if you have a few minutes to spare, we'd be really grateful if you could fill in a quick survey to help us improve the podcast. You can find it here: https://iter.ly/fcmgq 00:22 Go away, Heatwave Charon 03:41 Bad Week: Italy's 10-second assault case 08:11 Good Week: France's discounts for clothes repairs 18:43 Interview: Andrei Popoviciu on the EU's migration policy in Africa 32:37 Isolation Inspiration: Maro's Tiny Desk Concert and Afropop 36:32 Happy Ending: Revenge on bad bosses, 16th century-style Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 20 Jul 2023 - 42min - 242 - Threads, solar and giant farming lobbies
How much sway do giant interest groups have over the way our food gets grown? This week we're delving into the murky world of farm lobbying with Thin Lei Win, one of the reporters behind a fascinating investigation into the highly influential Copa-Cogeca group. We're also talking about the mass FOMO outbreak resulting from Threads' absence from the EU and what the hell is going on with Europe's electricity prices right now. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/threads-solar-and-giant-farming-lobbies We're running a survey to help us improve the podcast! If you've got five minutes to spare, we'd be really grateful if you could answer a few questions here: https://iter.ly/fcmgq You can find Lighthouse Reports' investigation into Copa-Cogeca here, with links to their partners' coverage in six languages. You can sign up to Thin's excellent newsletter on food and the climate here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: Songs from Spain and microfiber make-up remover cloths. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 Sunny days watching the Dutch government collapse 04:25 Bad Week: Threads FOMO in Europe 16:42 Good Week: Bountiful solar power 27:45 Interview: Thin Lei Win on the outsized influence of Europe's giant farm lobby 42:08 Isolation Inspiration: Songs from Spain and microfiber make-up cloths 45:38 Happy Ending: Underwhelming but very very old Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 13 Jul 2023 - 48min - 241 - Fighting Putin, one meme at a time
How can cartoon dogs help fight Russian disinformation? This week, hybrid warfare expert Robert van der Noordaa gives us a crash course on the #NAFOfellas movement and why Ukraine has been so good at using internet humour since last year's invasion. We're also talking about France's riots and the Dutch king's apology for the Netherlands' role in slavery. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/fighting-putin-one-meme-at-a-time Robert is an analyst at Trollrensics and tweets here. You can watch the heartwarming video of Jolien Boumkwo running the 100m hurdles here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: R.M.N., rugelach and sfogliatelle. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 A big announcement! 04:07 Bad Week: France's riots 17:32 Good Week: The Dutch king's slavery apology 27:13 Interview: Robert van der Noordaa on Ukraine's meme-armed internet warriors 37:41 Isolation Inspiration: RMN, rugelach and sfogliatelle 41:40 Happy Ending: Jolien Boumkwo, champion of our hearts Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 06 Jul 2023 - 46min - 240 - Greece’s elections, whales, and disability rights
Being able to move freely around 27 countries is one of the biggest benefits of living in the EU. In reality, this is pretty hard if you’ve got a disability. This week we speak to Alejandro Moledo, deputy director of the European Disability Forum, about plans to start addressing that. We’re also diving into Greece’s elections and, with the help of producer Katz Laszlo, the decision to halt Iceland’s summer whale-hunting season. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/greeces-elections-whales-and-disability-rights You can follow Alejandro on Twitter here and find the EDF's podcast mini-series here. The reports Alejandro mentioned can be found here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: 'The Employees' by Olga Ravn and 'Fanfic' on Netflix. Bonus: best-selling whale song album 'Songs of the Humpback Whale'. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 Busy busy busy, hot hot hot 02:52 Good Week: Iceland's whales 12:19 Bad Week: Greek leftwingers 22:42 Interview: Alejandro Moledo on the EU's (lack of a) disability policy 34:03 Isolation Inspiration: 'The Employees' and 'Fanfic' 37:57 Happy Ending: A bunch of things to celebrate this Pride Month Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 29 Jun 2023 - 41min - 239 - Beyoncé, inflation and the case for climate optimism
It's easy to feel doomed when it comes to climate change. In her latest book, the Italian political scientist Nathalie Tocci makes the case for cautious optimism about Europe's climate and energy policies. We chat to her this week about the opportunities and challenges of the European Green Deal, as well as how to interpret the death last week of Silvio Berlusconi. We're also talking about a push to ban unpaid internships across the EU, and whether or not we should be blaming Beyoncé for stubbornly high inflation in Sweden. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/beyonc-inflation-and-the-case-for-climate-optimism Nathalie is the director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome. You can follow her on Twitter here and find more information about her latest book, 'A Green and Global Europe', here. We are over the moon that the animated version of our episode 'Mohamed', made with our friends at Are We Europe, has won a CIVIS prize! You can watch the beautiful animation here on YouTube. This week's Isolation Inspiration: roasted fennel and 'The Council of Egypt' by Leonardo Sciascia. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 Amsterdam heat and breakfast tears03:44 Good Week: Interns10:49 Bad Week: Beyoncé21:31 Interview: Nathalie Tocci on the case for climate optimism in Europe36:32 Isolation Inspiration: Roasted fennel and The Council of Egypt40:02 Happy Ending: (Everyone's) Free-To-Wear Sunscreen Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 22 Jun 2023 - 42min - 238 - Why is it so hard to fix Kosovo’s problems?
Last week, dozens of NATO peacekeepers were injured after violent protests broke out in northern Kosovo. What is going on, and why do Kosovo's problems seem so hard to fix? This week we dig into the deeper context behind the unrest with political analyst Agon Maliqi. We're also talking about why much of Europe is antsy about who's going to be steering the EU next year, and a bizarre dispute in the art world. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/why-is-it-so-hard-to-fix-kosovos-problems You can follow Agon on Twitter at @AgonMaliqi. This week's Isolation Inspiration: Turn of the Tide and Fatma Aydemir: The State of European Literature at the Forum on European Culture, De Balie. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 The sunny side of the continent02:14 Bad Week: Looming EU presidencies12:37 Good Week for Dutch art trolls?23:20 Interview: Agon Maliqi on why it's so hard to fix the Kosovo-Serbia relationship35:46 Isolation Inspiration: Turn of the Tide and the Forum on European Culture40:36 Happy Ending: The magic of Enhanced Rock Weathering Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 08 Jun 2023 - 44min - 237 - Europe’s place in outer space
The last time we interviewed the physicist Meganne Christian, she was working on the French-Italian research base on Antarctica. Now she has her eye on outer space. We ring her up to find out more about her new life as a reserve astronaut for the European Space Agency, and Europe's role in the new commercial space era. We're also talking about Pedro Sánchez's Spanish election gamble and a hopeful court verdict for same-sex Romanian couples. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/europes-place-in-outer-space Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. You can follow Meganne here on Twitter and Instagram, and the ESA here and here. The report on Europe's future role in space exploration can be found here, and you can find out more about the ESA astronaut selection process here. Some other links you might want to check out: ESA Space Ambition book ESA Terrae Novae 2030+ Strategy Roadmap International Space Station Benefits for Humanity 2022 ESA Human Spaceflight on Twitter This week's Isolation Inspiration: 'The [Queer] Politics of Eurovision' from verilybitchie, and This Is Love: The Museum of Broken Relationships. 00:22 Welcome to the western-most peninsulas of Eurasia03:28 Bad Week: Spain's Socialists11:36 Good Week: LGBT couples in Romania20:53 Interview: Meganne Christian on life as a reserve astronaut and what Europe is up to in space32:53 Isolation Inspiration: The Queer Politics of Eurovision and The Museum of Broken Relationships35:09 Happy Ending: Cheers to you, Gert-Jan Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 01 Jun 2023 - 38min - 236 - The biggest climate case that ever was
We usually see young people as the face of climate activism. This week, we find out how 2,000 Swiss women, all over the age of 65, took their government to court in a case that could change climate laws across Europe. And along the way, we figure out once and for all how the European Court of Human Rights actually works. This is a special episode made in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation, one of several podcasts we're making this year about sustainability with their support. Stay tuned later in the year to hear more. You can find out more about the KlimaSeniorinnen here. Listening from Amsterdam? The Forum on European Culture runs at De Balie from May 31-June 4, with a ton of great speakers on the line-up. Find the full programme here: https://cultureforum.eu/programme-2023 Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/the-biggest-climate-case-that-ever-was Reporter and producer: Katz Laszlo Editor: Katy Lee Editorial support: Dominic Kraemer and Wojciech Oleksiak Sound design, mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music by Jim Barne, Epidemic Sound and Blue Dot Sessions Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Fri, 26 May 2023 - 49min - 235 - The naughty child of NATO?
We've been glued to the Turkish elections over the past week. But what does Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's victory in the first round mean for the country, and for Europe as a whole? This week we ring up political scientist Ahmet Erdi Öztürk to find out. We're also talking about a big boost in Germany's support for Ukraine, a fake tan controversy, and the teeny tiny bridge behind the Mona Lisa. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/the-naughty-child-of-nato You can follow Erdi on Twitter @ahmeterdiozturk. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. This week's Isolation Inspiration: Cautionary Tales: 'The Man Who Bet His House on a Pop Song - A Eurovision Tale' and 'The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared' by Jonas Jonasson 00:22 Together again 03:31 Good Week: Is Germany's Ukraine 'turning point' actually here? 11:27 Red-faced over orange-face 19:26 Interview: Ahmet Erdi Öztürk on the Turkish elections 28:23 Isolation Inspiration: 'The Man Who Bet His House on a Pop Song' and 'The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared' 33:19 Happy Ending: A Mona Lisa mystery solved? Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 18 May 2023 - 36min - 234 - Eurovision vs. The Champions League
This week is a bonanza for fans of Europe's two favourite competitions: the Champions League football tournament and the Eurovision Song Contest. Both are held up as events that bring Europeans together, but which one does the job better? This week we aim to settle the debate once and for all with a face-off between sports commentator Barbara Barend and Eurovision historian Dean Vuletic. We're also talking about a €300-million EU pension black hole and France's first rap awards. Do you live in Europe, and do you enjoy this podcast? If so, you can celebrate democracy and fund our show at the same time, by signing up to join the Capital of European Democracy jury. It only takes a few clicks and it's a huge help to us! Sign up here before May 15: https://join.capitalofdemocracy.eu/europeanspod FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/eurovision-vs-the-champions-league The Eurovision vs. Champions League debate was part of a special event for Europe Day hosted by the European Cultural Foundation. You can find out more about this year's celebrations at europeday.eu. This week's Isolation Inspiration: 'King Charles III's Secret Kingdom' and 'If Found'. You can find the article Katy mentioned on the Flamme awards here in the Guardian, and the ECF's Radio Europe Day playlist here on Spotify. 00:22 Beyoncé in the Brussels bubble 03:49 Bad Week: A €300m pensions black hole 13:25 Good Week: France's first rap awards 18:39 Help us out by joining the European Capital of Democracy Jury! 20:23 The ultimate debate: Eurovision vs The Champions League 37:46 Isolation Inspiration: 'King Charles III's Secret Kingdom' and 'If Found' 40:54 Happy Ending: Aurimas Valujavičius's epic journey Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Producer: Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 11 May 2023 - 43min - 233 - Brussels, that well-known comedy goldmine
The EU is a lot of things. But is it funny? And would Europe be a better place if we *could* find it funny? This week we're talking to Lise Witteman, one of the co-founders of live comedy show The Schuman Show, about finding humour in the Brussels machine. We're also talking about Pope Francis' face-off with Viktor Orbán and the Italian tourism campaign that spawned a thousand memes. Do you live in Europe, and do you enjoy this podcast? If so, you can celebrate democracy and fund our show at the same time, by signing up to join the Capital of European Democracy jury. It only takes a few clicks and it's a huge help to us! Sign up here: https://join.capitalofdemocracy.eu/europeanspod FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/brussels-that-well-known-comedy-goldmine You can find out more about the Schuman Show at https://www.schumanshow.eu. The final visual version of the episodes in our series This Is What A Generation Sounds Like, produced by our friends at Are We Europe, can be found here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: The Allusionist's Eurovision episodes and 'The Curious Case of Columbo's Message to Romania' 00:22 King's Day and erotic fiction penned by a finance minister 03:53 Good Week: The Pope v Viktor Orbán 11:44 Bad Week: Open to Meraviglia! 18:12 Help us out by joining the European Capital of Democracy Jury! 20:26 Interview: Lise Witteman on making the EU funny 31:58 Isolation Inspiration: The Allusionist's Eurovision episodes and 'The Curious Case of Columbo's Message to Romania' 35:53 Happy Ending: Gamefy The Dam Removal Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 04 May 2023 - 38min - 232 - How racial bias is messing with DNA research
Mapping our genes has already allowed humanity to make huge strides in medicine. But the vast majority of the genomes we’ve decoded are those of people of white European heritage. Why is that a problem, and how do we fix it? This week we talk to the Nigerian geneticist Segun Fatumo about fixing the genome gap. We’re also talking about Andalucía’s bid to protect flamenco, and why Europe’s most powerful media mogul is in hot water. Segun is an associate professor of genetic epidemiology and bioinformatics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He tweets @SFatumo. You can find a video of flamenco performers celebrating Andalucía’s new law here, and watch the latest visual podcast in our series with Are We Europe, 'Andrea', here. We are delighted that the visual version of an earlier episode of This Is What A Generation Sounds Like, 'Mohamed', has been nominated for the CIVIS Prize! Watch it here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: this interview on the European Space Agency's Jupiter mission; How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast); World Leader or My Friend's Dad? and Luis Sal's Parisian croissant review. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/how-racial-bias-is-messing-with-dna-research 00:22 Make Europe Digestible Again 02:23 A Good Week for protecting flamenco? 09:22 A Bad Week for Axel Springer's CEO 19:30 Interview: Segun Fatumo on the European bias of genomic studies 30:24 Isolation Inspiration: Juice, 'How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)', World Leader or My Friend's Dad, croissant reviews 34:59 Happy Ending: 500 days of reading and knitting (in a pitch-black cave) Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 20 Apr 2023 - 39min - 231 - Libraries: the safest spaces we have?
What comes to mind when you imagine a library? Rows of books, probably. But across the continent, libraries are transforming into places that serve communities in all sorts of other ways. This week we hear from two very different libraries about how they're doing just that: Bojana Grujic of the Novi Sad City Library in Serbia and Myrto Tsilimpounidi from the Feminist Library at the Feminist Autonomous Centre in Athens. We're also talking about the fallout from Macron's trip to China, the international fight against Hungary's homophobic law, and the hallucinogenic adventures of early Europeans. Bojana and Myrto's libraries are taking part in the European Cultural Foundation's Europe Challenge. The hunt for new participants begins soon; keep an eye on the ECF's website for updates, or subscribe to their newsletter. This week's Isolation Inspiration: Birdsbesafe cat collars, available via the Royal Belgian League for the Protection of Birds, and 'The Shadow King' by Maaza Mengiste. Bonus: Katy's amazing Notion template. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/libraries-the-safest-spaces-we-have 00:22 No Easter eggs for Dominic 02:43 Messy / Bad Week: Macron and von der Leyen's trip to China 14:47 Good Week: The fight against Hungary's anti-LGBTQ law 23:06 Interview: Bojana Grujic and Myrto Tsilimpounidi on the reinvention of Europe's libraries 35:51 Isolation Inspiration: Birdsbesafe cat collars and 'The Shadow King' by Maaza Mengiste 40:59 Happy Ending: Early Europeans' psychedelic dabbling Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 13 Apr 2023 - 43min - 230 - The great investment greenwash
Trillions of euros — trillions! — are currently invested in 'sustainable' investment funds across Europe. But how green really are these funds? This week we ring up El País journalist Daniele Grasso, part of the international team of reporters behind the Great Green Investment Investigation, to find out. We're also talking about Sanna Marin's defeat, Italy's move to ban ChatGPT, and courgette flowers. You can find Follow The Money's investigation on green investigation funds here, with links to reporting from Daniele and the rest of the team at the bottom of the page. The TechCrunch piece on the ramifications of Italy's ChatGPT ruling can be found here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: courgette flowers with garlic butter and oats; 99% Invisible - The Panopticon Effect. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 British lads and the correct way to enjoy a marathon 04:21 Bad Week: Sanna Marin 09:55 Good Week: Italy vs ChatGPT 20:28 Interview: Daniele Grasso on Europe's not-so-green investment funds 32:19 Isolation Inspiration: Courgette flowers and 99% Invisible: The Panopticon Effect 35:31 Happy Ending: Congratulations, Ryyan! Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 06 Apr 2023 - 37min - 229 - Suspicion machines and combustion engines
If you've claimed welfare benefits in Europe lately, there's a decent chance that authorities have used an algorithm to assess whether you might be trying to scam the system. The problem? All kinds of discrimination are baked into these calculations. This week we speak to Gabriel Geiger, one of the journalists behind an international investigation into these ‘suspicion machines’. We’re also looking back at a week of highs and lows for Europe’s climate policy, and celebrating Pompeii’s fluffy new recruits. You can find the various pieces published as part of Lighthouse Reports’ ‘suspicion machines’ investigation here and follow Gabriel on Twitter here. The Guardian graphic that Dominic mentioned, explaining why it’s so hard to power ships with electricity, can be found here. This week’s Isolation Inspiration: 'Lessons' by Ian McEwan, Traute Lafrenz's obituary, and 'A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived' by Adam Rutherford. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 The highs and lows of modern technology 02:52 Good week: Europe's maritime fuel deal 10:45 Bad week: The great combustion engine flop 19:33 Interview: Gabriel Geiger on Europe's suspicion machines 36:11 Isolation Inspiration: 'Lessons' by Ian McEwan, Traute Lafrenz's obituary, and 'A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived' 40:05 Happy Ending: Pompeii's fluffy new recruits Producer: Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 30 Mar 2023 - 42min - 228 - Why would you flood a forest?
Last year, conservationists deliberately flooded a Slovakian forest. Why would you do such a thing? This week we ring up the co-founder of one of the organisations behind the project, Duarte de Zoeten of Mossy Earth, to find out. We're also talking about Italy's rainbow families, a kind-of-sort-of deal between Kosovo and Serbia, and Europe's first wild river national park. You can find Mossy Earth's YouTube channel here and their latest video about the Danube project here. Find out more about their Slovakian partners, Broz, here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: Vrij Spel (NPO) - Arnout, Dominic, Felix & Timo vs. Purcell; Stanley Tucci - Searching for Italy. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 Rats and Covid03:12 Bad week: Milan's rainbow families09:39 Good week (ish): Serbia and Kosovo19:03 Interview: Duarte de Zoeten on flooding a Slovakian forest32:05 Isolation Inspiration: Arnout, Dominic, Felix & Timo vs. Purcell, and 'Searching for Italy'37:45 Happy Ending: Europe's first wild river national park Producer: Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 23 Mar 2023 - 40min - 227 - What is Putin up to in Moldova?
There've been a bunch of worrying reports from Moldova in recent weeks, from claims that Russia is fuelling street protests to fears of a coup d'etat. What exactly is going on, and what does Moscow have to do with it? This week we speak to Ivana Stradner, a specialist in Russian information warfare, to try to get to grips with Putin's strategy in the wider region. We're also talking about a teenager who may or may not have set up a non-existent airline, and what makes Swiss chocolate Swiss. Ivana is a special correspondent at the Kyiv Post and a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. You can follow her on Twitter here. Read more about the strangest story in German aviation here on One Mile At A Time. This week's Isolation Inspiration: Tár, 'The Instrumentalist' by Zadie Smith, Aftersun, and Rádio Olisipo. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 Viral cucumbers 03:13 Bad week: The teenager behind Germany's non-existent airline 09:48 Good week: Protecting Brand Switzerland (aka 'let's talk about Toblerones') 19:10 Interview: Ivana Stradner on Russian information warfare in Moldova and beyond 33:24 Isolation Inspiration: Tár, 'The Instrumentalist' by Zadie Smith, Aftersun, and Rádio Olisipo 38:08 Happy Ending: The opposite of burgling Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 09 Mar 2023 - 40min - 226 - So Nearly A Eurovision Hit
We're deep into the selection process for the world's most ridiculous music competition, with artists across the continent vying to be chosen as their nation's Eurovision entry. But what happens to the songs that don't actually make it to the contest? This week we've got a joyful interview with Monty Moncrieff, whose podcast Second Cherry gives some love to the nearly-Eurovision hits that still deserve a listen. We're also talking about Elly Schlein, Italy's new leader on the left, and an eyebrow-raising decision by Malta's prison service. This week's Isolation Inspiration: 'Euphoria' and 'Tattoo' by Loreen; 'The Last Soviet', and bonus entry 'Email to Berlin' by Double Date. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:23 Continental drama and bird noises 02:36 Good Week: Elly Schlein 12:13 Bad week: Malta's prison service 22:09 Interview: Monty Moncrieff on nearly-Eurovision hits 34:50 Isolation Inspiration: Loreen and 'The Last Soviet' 38:44 Happy Ending: A Roman dildo? Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 02 Mar 2023 - 43min - 225 - Valeria
An overnight career change. Switching the language you love in. This week, how war transforms your life in ways you’d never expect. This is the final instalment of our award-winning mini-series This Is What A Generation Sounds Like, a co-production by The Europeans and Are We Europe, made in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation. You can find the other episodes, which take us from Italy to Belarus, here. Our regular show will be back next week. Thanks as ever to the listeners who support this podcast so that we can keep making it. You can chip in at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening. Producers: Katz Laszlo and Valeria Fokina Sound design: Katz Laszlo Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Editor: Katy Lee Editorial support: Wojciech Oleksiak and Dominic Kraemer You can find Valeria on Instagram here. Music: The Kiffness x Boombox - Remix of Andrii Horolski singing ‘Oy u luzi chervona kalyna’; коники by Tik Tu; Vesna, Baby and Alambari by DakhaBrakha; Valeria Fokina covering ‘I Will Survive’ by Gloria Gaynor; When It Hits You and The Final Cut from Epidemic Sound. Theme music by Jim Barne. SFX from Freesound.org. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 23 Feb 2023 - 37min - 224 - Spies, wolves and taxes
There's been a steady drip-drip of revelations for months now that an alarming number of people in Greece have had their phones tapped. Who is behind this mass snooping, and why are they doing it? This week we call up our favourite Greek-splainer Nick Malkoutzis to unravel a complicated scandal. We're also talking about oil and gas companies' bonanza profits, and the wolf that killed Ursula von der Leyen's pony. Nick is the co-founder and editor of MacroPolis. You can find The Agora, his excellent podcast on Greek politics, here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: Cunk on Earth and The Making of Modern Ukraine (on Youtube here and on Spotify here). Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:23 Duolingo fraud 02:22 Bad Week: Ursula and the Wolf 08:03 Good week: Filthy-rich oil and gas giants 18:35 Interview: Nick Malkoutzis on Greece's snooping scandal 30:48 Isolation Inspiration: 'Cunk on Earth' and 'The Making of Modern Ukraine' 34:25 Happy Ending: Hercules rises from the sewer Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 09 Feb 2023 - 37min - 223 - Germany’s Gonna Germany
Germany’s government has faced international criticism in recent weeks for dithering over whether or not to send tanks to Ukraine. The Leopard 2s are finally on their way — but why is Europe’s richest country so reluctant to look like a military leader? This week we’re diving into the psychology of Germany’s foreign policy with Sophia Besch, Europe fellow at the Carnegie Endowment. We’re also talking about Czechia’s anti-populist new president, and a bitter row over wine labels. You can follow Sophia on Twitter here and find out more about her work here. This week’s Isolation Inspiration: Stromae’s Tiny Desk Concert and ‘The Door’ by Magda Szabó. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:00 Good Week, Fast Week 02:50 Good Week: Bye-bye Babiš 11:08 Bad week: The Great Wine Label Row 22:00 Interview: Sophia Besch on how Germany sees its place in the world 39:27 Isolation Inspiration: Stromae’s Tiny Desk Concert and ‘The Door’ by Magda Szabó 41:33 Happy Ending: Sharks in Liverpool Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 02 Feb 2023 - 44min - 222 - The dark side of fine dining
When legendary Copenhagen restaurant Noma announced that it's planning to close its doors, its star chef René Redzepi said that producing his kind of elite cuisine had become 'unsustainable'. The restaurant, and others like it, have faced vocal criticism over working practices ranging from exploitative unpaid internships to gruelling 16-hour days. This week we speak to Lisa Lind Dunbar, an industry veteran and critic of Denmark's restaurant working culture, to try to understand how fine dining went so wrong. We're also talking about Polish bison, why Turkey is blocking Sweden's NATO bid, and the Irish president's vision of a blissfully homework-free childhood. You can follow Lisa on Instagram here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: Paolo Sorrentino's 'Hand of God', and 'Ukraine: Under the Counter', reported by our very own Katz Laszlo for Rough Translation / Radiolab. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:00 The Europeans, brought to you by ChatGPT 03:49 Good Week: A proposed homework ban in Ireland 10:15 Bad week: Why Turkey is blocking Sweden's NATO bid 20:55 Interview: Lisa Lind Dunbar on Denmark's broken restaurant industry 39:03 Isolation Inspiration: 'The Hand of God' and 'Under the Counter' 42:07 Hooray for Polish bison Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 26 Jan 2023 - 44min - 221 - Andrea
This week, a story about being incredibly sure you’re right about something, and then realising you weren’t. We’re heading to Cyprus for the latest instalment of our award-winning mini-series This Is What A Generation Sounds Like. This series is a co-production by The Europeans and Are We Europe, made in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation. You can find the other episodes, which take us from Italy to Belarus, here. Our regular show will be back next week! Thanks as ever to the listeners who support this podcast so that we can keep making it. You can chip in at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening. Producers: Wojciech Oleksiak and Andrea Solomonides Scoring, sound design and mixing: Wojciech Oleksiak Editors: Katz Laszlo, Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Theme music by Jim Barne. With special thanks to Eleni Tzialli and Hilmi Tekoglu. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 19 Jan 2023 - 35min - 220 - Merry Christmas And A Penis Morning To You
*Content warning: This episode contains some colourful language and a discussion of what happens to letters to Sinterklaas* It's our final episode of 2022! This week we're getting into the festive spirit with Berlin-based historian Kathrin Schwarz, creator of an entire series of Christmassy European podcasts. We're also talking about Belgium's Sinterklaas postal failure, and why a 1970s Eurovision hit has gone viral in Ukraine. This episode was recorded live on Zoom in front of an audience of our supporters! Thank you so much to everyone who chips in so that we can keep making The Europeans. You can join us at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Kathrin's podcast, available in German, is called 'Have yourself a very European Christmas - Adventskalenderpodcast'. You can find all 24 episodes here on Spotify, as well as on Apple. You can also follow Kathrin on Twitter here or Instagram here, and find her latest work on witches in Brandenberg here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: @balthazar_theblackmagus and 'Limbic' by Peter Scapello. 04:01 Good Week: Goeiemorgen, morgen 09:56 Bad Week: The great Sinterklaas postal failure 18:03 Kathrin Schwarz on Christmas in the EU 29:13 Isolation Inspiration: @balthazar_theblackmagus and 'Limbic' by Peter Scapello 31:11 Happy Ending: Fighting loneliness at the supermarket checkout Thanks for listening! We'll be back in January. Hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Katy Lee Producers: Katy Lee, Wojciech Oleksiak and Katz Laszlo Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. You can find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com * * * * * * * * * * * * Kathrin's Recipe: Sardine sandwiches with Christmas cognac Ingredients 200 ml béchamel sauce* 4 slices of toast 50 g grated Gruyère cheese 1 tin of sardines in olive oil (115 g) 1 teaspoon mustard 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon chopped thyme salt black pepper *Melt butter, mix with flour, then steadily milk in at medium temperature Preparation Bring the béchamel sauce to boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the mustard, thyme, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir only briefly and remove from the heat. Place 2 slices of toast in a small ovenproof dish. Spread half of the resulting mixture on the toast slices in a bowl, then arrange the drained sardines and half of the grated cheese on top. Top with the remaining slices of toast and pour over the remaining béchamel sauce and grated cheese. Place in the oven preheated to 220 °C and bake for 10-15 minutes until the surface is lightly browned and the cheese melts. Tip Before baking, place a lemon slice on each sandwich as a garnish or sprinkle with chives.
Thu, 15 Dec 2022 - 33min - 219 - The Surprising Queer History of Poland
In 1932, Poland became one of the first countries in Europe to decriminalise homosexuality; today it's one of the most hostile on the continent when it comes to LGBTQ rights. This week historian Kamil Karczewski joins us to discuss Poland's little-known history as a queer pioneer, and what has changed since. We're also talking about France's crackdown on domestic flights and Ireland's amazingly successful experiment with the four-day week. Oh, and we pay a visit to the EU metaverse, so that you don't have to. You can follow Kamil on Twitter here, and visit the EU's Global Gateway metaverse site here. Good luck, and let us know if you make it inside! This week's Isolation Inspiration: Règle 30, TechTrash, and Inside the Mind of a Cat. You can follow the Savitsky Cats on Instagram here. Don't forget to sign up to support the podcast this week if you'd like to join the live recording of our Christmas episode on December 12! We're hugely grateful to everyone who chips in so that we can keep making the show. You can join us at patreon.com/europeanspodcast, and many currencies are available. Thanks for listening! 02:22 Good Week: France's crackdown on domestic flights 09:36 Bad Week: The EU's metaverse fiesta flop 22:23 Interview: Kamil Karczewski on Poland's little-known queer history 38:16 Isolation Inspiration: Règle 30, Tech Trash, and 'Inside the Mind of a Cat' 42:22 Happy Ending: Ireland's four-day working week is a roaring success Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. You can find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 08 Dec 2022 - 44min - 218 - Is China trying to police people in Europe?
When reports emerged of Chinese 'police service stations' operating in Europe, alarm bells began ringing across the continent. But what exactly is going on at these sites, and how worried should we be about them? This week we ring Yuan Yang, Europe-China correspondent at the Financial Times, to get a better understanding of how China works beyond its borders. We're also talking about Viktor Orbán's controversial scarf and the right not to be 'fun' at work. You can follow Yuan on Twitter here and read her reporting on China's offshore police stations here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: 'The White Lotus', Season 2, and The Playlist. Our interview with newly-minted astronaut Dr Meganne Christian, from February 2019, can be found in this episode: The Most Isolated Place on Earth'. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 03:04 Bad Week: Scarfgate 08:09 Good Week: The right to not be fun 15:35 Interview: Yuan Yang on China's 'overseas police stations' 29:20 Isolation Inspiration: Season 2 of 'The White Lotus' and 'The Playlist' 32:22 Happy Ending: Europe's new astronauts Producer: Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. You can find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 01 Dec 2022 - 35min - 217 - Good Five Years, Bad Five Years
The first episode of The Europeans aired five years ago this week! To mark this very special occasion, producers Katz and Wojciech join Katy and Dominic to look back on how Europe has changed in the half-decade we've been making this podcast. Many thanks to the amazing people who've taken the time to speak to us over the years. In this episode you heard: Franz Kubacyk - 'Translating Trump, Defending Deneuve', January 2018 Katz Laszlo - 'How the hell do you make an EU law?', February 2020 Tom Moylan - 'President of the European what now?', December 2019 Pasi Sahlberg - 'Finnish Lessons', April 2021 Andrei Popoviciu - 'Pushbacks', November 2019 Remco Yizhak Cooremans - 'It takes more than two, baby' - June 2022 Grace Ly - 'France's Invisible Asians', November 2020 Patrick Gathara - 'Eurafrica', February 2020 Natalie Lamprou - 'Cheese Diplomacy' - April 2021Sara (episode 3 in our series This Is What A Generation Sounds Like) - November 2021 And thank you for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. A video of friendly wolves can be found here. 04:10 Good Five Years: Solar energy 10:48 Bad Five Years: Western naivety 15:55 Good Five Years: Wolves 21:46 Bad Five Years: Media freedom in Central and Eastern Europe 33:42 An ode to governments that came and went 35:32 Franz Kubacyk on Translating Trump 38:46 Tom Moylan on the secrets of the European Commission building 39:53 Pasi Sahlberg on Finland's education system 42:14 Frontex and Fortress Europe 43:48 Remco Yizhak Cooremans on recognising rainbow families in the Netherlands 44:51 Grace Ly on France's Invisible Asians 45:45 Patrick Gathara on Eurafrica 47:34 Natalie Lamprou on halloumi diplomacy in Cyprus 49:47 Sara: trahana, and three Albanias Artwork for this episode by our lovely listener, Luisa Balaban. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 24 Nov 2022 - 55min - 216 - Fleeing climate change
As the COP27 climate talks wrap up in Egypt, we’re turning our attention to an issue that got less attention at the summit than you might expect: the growing number of people having to flee their homes as a result of climate change. What role does Europe have to play in all this, both in terms of finding solutions and as a major driver of climate change in the first place? This week we find out with the help of Alexandre Porteret of the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, and François Gemenne of the Hugo Laboratory, the world’s first interdisciplinary research centre focusing on how climate change impacts migration. This episode was supported by the European Commission, with coordination from Are We Europe. Producer: Katz Laszlo Scoring and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: BlueDot Sessions and Epidemic Sounds Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 17 Nov 2022 - 33min - 215 - Take your time in Barcelona
This week we're wrestling with a big idea: time, and the lack of it. Most Europeans have experienced burnout, or felt close to it, at some point in their lives. What if we redesigned policies to give citizens their time back? To find out more, we called up Ariadna Güell Sans, one of the coordinators of the Barcelona Time Use Initiative, about how the city is using time to try to make life easier and fairer. We're also talking about incomprehensible euro-speak, and healing Franco-German relations with train tickets. You can find Christian Rauh's study on the European Commission's unintelligible press releases here and Sarah Wheaton's reporting on it here in Politico. The European burnout survey can be found here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: 'Something to Do' from Zadie Smith's 'Intimations', and Katy's Notion planner. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 02:35 Bad Week: Impenetrable euro-speak 10:46 Good Week: French and German young'uns 19:12 Interview: Ariadna Güell Sans on giving Barcelona's citizens their time back 34:57 Isolation Inspiration: 'Something To Do' by Zadie Smith, Notion and Rádio Olisipo 38:36 Happy Ending: The Netherlands' high school mayo dealers Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. You can find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 10 Nov 2022 - 41min - 214 - The one where we take over the European Parliament
Last weekend, we took over the European Parliament (kind of) along with more than 1,000 young activists from across the continent. This week we hear from some of those activists as well as from President Roberta Metsola, in a conversation recorded live on stage inside the Hemicycle. We're also talking about Germany's plans to legalise cannabis, and how to steal a Polish tram. Katy and Dominic were hosting Level Up!, a two-day activism bootcamp organised by the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Youth Forum, whose president Silja Markkula also spoke to us on stage. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. This week's Isolation Inspiration: Greta Thunberg in conversation with Björk on the New Statesman's World Review podcast, and Adam Buxton in conversation with the Irish novelist Marian Keyes. 02:58 Good Week: Germany's plans to legalise cannabis 09:44 Bad Week: Poland's stolen tram 15:03 Our takeover of the European Parliament with 1,000 young activists 34:20 Isolation Inspiration: Greta Thunberg and Björk in conversation; Adam Buxton and Marian Keys in conversation 37:50 Happy Ending: The upside-down Mondrian Producer: Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. You can find the first chapter 'Mohamed' here, and more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 03 Nov 2022 - 42min - 213 - Kinga
Can we find ways to live happily alongside people with radically different values than our own? This week, we journey to one of the most isolated corners of Europe for the sixth installment in our series ‘This Is What A Generation Sounds Like’. A beautiful visual version of this podcast will be available soon. In the meantime, you can find the first visual podcasts in this series here. This series is co-produced with Are We Europe and made in cooperation with Allianz Kulturstiftung, an independent not-for-profit cultural foundation committed to strengthening cohesion in Europe using the tools of art and culture. Find out more at kulturstiftung.allianz.de. Producers: Wojciech Oleksiak and Kinga Goc Mixing, mastering and sound design: Wojciech Oleksiak Editorial support: Katz Laszlo, Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer Music by Casletila. Theme music by Jim Barne. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few euros / dollars / pounds a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review. This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 20 Oct 2022 - 32min - 212 - Hacked by Hungary
What does it feel like to know that your government has been able to access every single message on your phone? Last year, the Hungarian investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi found out that he'd been hacked using Pegasus spyware. This week we hear about his latest investigation, which looks at how the Orbán government managed to get hold of this incredibly powerful surveillance tool in the first place. We're also talking about last weekend's mysterious German train sabotage and growing European protests against World Cup hosts Qatar. You can follow Szabolcs on Twitter here and read the inside story of how Pegasus was brought to Hungary here via Direkt36. A background read on the spyware scandal currently rocking Greece can be found here. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. This week's Isolation Inspiration: The latest visual episode in This Is What A Generation Sounds Like, our series with Are We Europe: Denisa Scottish crime drama Karen Pirie 'Les années' (The Years) by Annie Ernaux 00:22 Welcome! 02:49 Bad Week: The Great German Train Sabotage Mystery 10:22 Good Week: Europe's growing World Cup protest movement 24:39 Interview: Szabolcs Panyi on being hacked by the Hungarian government 36:06 Isolation Inspiration: 'Denisa', 'Karen Pirie', and 'The Years' by Annie Ernaux 40:39 Happy Ending: Waxworms, gross but good Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 13 Oct 2022 - 43min - 211 - Golden passports, anal beads, and the world’s most complicated elections
With fourteen governments and a three-person presidency, Bosnia and Herzegovina's political system is often described as the most complicated in the world. It's a system that was designed to keep the peace after a devastating war. But three decades on, is it still working? This week we give Aleksandar Brezar the near-impossible task of untangling the weekend's elections for us. We're also talking about Malta's golden passports and a chess scandal involving anal beads. Yes, you heard that correctly. Aleksandar is a journalist mostly covering the Western Balkans. You can find him on Twitter here. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. This week's Isolation Inspiration: 'Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War', by Howard W. French The ZOE podcast: 'How to control blood sugar spikes', with Jessie Inchauspé 02:42 Good Week: A challenge to Malta's golden passport scheme 09:33 Bad Week: Anal bead scandal strikes the chess world 18:44 Interview: Aleksandar Brezar on the Bosnian elections 30:46 Isolation Inspiration: 'Born in Blackness' and Jessie Inchauspé on the ZOE podcast 34:41 Happy Ending: The power of cow poo Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 06 Oct 2022 - 37min - 210 - What the hell just happened in Italy?
This week saw a political earthquake in Italy — albeit one that had been widely predicted. With Giorgia Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy poised to lead the new government, just how scared should we be? We ring up the philosopher Lorenzo Marsili to help us understand what just happened. We're also talking about fair pensions for Swiss women, and a Spanish lagoon that can now call itself a person. Lorenzo is the founder of the progressive civil society movement European Alternatives. You can follow him on Twitter here. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. This week's Isolation Inspiration: 'Flying to LA' by Maro feat. Lisa Oduor-Noah 'I'll Come Too' by James Blake 'Broken Greek' by Pete Paphides and the accompanying Spotify playlist 02:18 Good Week: The Mar Menor 06:43 Bad Week: Swiss women 13:57 Interview: Lorenzo Marsili on the Italian elections 28:16 Isolation Inspiration: Maro and Broken Greek 32:07 Happy Ending: We can't wait for Rail Baltica Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 29 Sep 2022 - 34min - 209 - The joys of the early internet
Between those of us who grew up before the internet and those who've never known a world without it, there's a generation of people who came of age *with* the web. This week we chat to the French-Moroccan journalist Marie Le Conte about 'Escape', a book that reflects on the vibrant, chaotic days of the early internet and what has changed since then. We're also talking about Viktor Orbán's money woes and why psychiatrists in Brussels are prescribing museum visits for mental health. Marie tweets at @youngvulgarian. 'Escape: How a generation shaped, destroyed and survived the internet' is out now. You can read about how Hungary's elite made a fortune from EU subsidies here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: The Politalia newsletter and 'Druk' (Another Round). Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 02:47 Bad (ish) Week: Hungary's billions 10:34 Good Week: Brussels' 'museum therapy' initiative 18:57 Interview: Marie Le Conte on 'Escape' and growing up on the early internet 30:18 Isolation Inspiration: The Politalia newsletter and 'Druk' ('Another Round') 32:59 Happy Ending: Happy Birthday, Spider-Man Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 22 Sep 2022 - 36min - 208 - Episode 200! Sweden’s elections and a guy who used to run a country
We're back after our summer break, and celebrating a milestone this week: our 200th episode! To mark the occasion, we're joined by a special guest, former Finnish prime minister Alexander Stubb. Now that he's training the next generation of leaders at the European University Institute in Florence, we asked him to grade the current batch on their handling of everything from the war in Ukraine to the energy crisis. We're also talking about Sweden's election, an ill-advised decision by Bosnian football bosses, and how sheep can help to fight forest fires. Alexander Stubb is Director of the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute. You can follow him on Twitter here. Back in 2020 we interviewed another former Finnish PM, 16-year-old Aava Murto, after she held the job for a day. You can check out that conversation in this episode. And Aleksandar Brezar's reporting on Bosnia and Herzegovina's planned friendly against Russia can be found here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: 'Take A Chance' - DOMi & JD BECK, feat. Anderson .Paak 'Thou Wilt Keep Him In Perfect Peace' - Samuel Sebastian Wesley 'The short unhappy life of Elizabeth Windsor' - Politico Europe Thank you so much to all the listeners who have helped us reach 200 episodes. If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 We're back, and it's our 200th episode! 03:36 Good Week? Sweden's elections 20:27 Interview: Alexander Stubb grades Europe's leaders on their handling of various current crises 36:33 Isolation Inspiration 41:04 Happy Ending: Firefighting sheep and goat(s) Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 15 Sep 2022 - 46min - 207 - Josh and Franco
This week, we heard that 'Josh and Franco', one of our all-time favourite episodes, has been nominated for the equivalent of an Oscar in the European podcast world: the Prix Europa. We are over the moon and thought this was a good moment to re-release the episode. It was the first episode from our series This Is What A Generation Sounds Like and if you are watching on Spotify, you will be able to watch this podcast as it was our first attempt at creating a 'Visual Podcast', in collaboration with our friends at Are We Europe. If you are not listening on Spotify, then you can experience the visual episode on Vimeo here: https://vimeo.com/areweeurope/joshandfranco Podcast Credits: Producers: Katz Laszlo and Josh Prezioso Editorial support: Dominic Kraemer, Katy Lee, Andrei Popoviciu and Priyanka Shankar Video Credits: Visual & Motion Design: Eddie Stok Project Coordination: Mick ter Reehorst Translation: Giosuè Prezioso Subtitles: Marco Mingolla Music: Tarantella del Gargano by Marco Beasley & represented by Out Here Music; Italian Opera by UV Protection; Andante (Italian Concerto) written by Bach and performed by Catrina Finch; Amore Mio by Mina with Warner Music Italy; Tomb by Veshza; La Luna E Fisarmonica by Ziv Moran; Disco Ball by Evgeny Barduzha, and Jim Barne. Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions: Kilkerrin by Scalcairn; Sylvestor by One Such Village; Angel Academy by Marc Oakley; Toby or not Toby by Mark Oakley. SFX from Freesounds.org: Wescwave; GeorgeHopkins; suonidigallipoli; samararaine; cmusounddesign; suonidibologna; wolkenunddreck; ancorapazzo; soundforest. This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. This series is co-produced in co-operation with Allianz Kulturstiftung, an independent not-for-profit cultural foundation committed to strengthening cohesion in Europe using the tools of art and culture. Find out more at kulturstiftung.allianz.de.
Fri, 09 Sep 2022 - 32min - 206 - Bad laws and feta wars
In the final episode before our summer break, we dive into a cheese-based conflict between Greece and Denmark and a homophobic Hungarian law that is finally being challenged by the EU in court. Plus, we ring up Una Hajdari, roaming reporter in the Western Balkans, to try to untangle why North Macedonia has had such a rough ride on its path to EU membership. And in a special pre-holiday edition of Isolation Inspiration, we've got a bumper crop of European summer reads and a chat with Gregory Warner from NPR's Rough Translation about work culture around the world. You can follow Una on Twitter here and Szabolcs Panyi, the Hungarian journalist Dominic mentioned, here. The Europeans' Summer 2022 Reading List is here and you can check out Rough Translation's new season, 'Work', at https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510324/rough-translation. Thanks for listening! We'll be back on September 15. If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 Welcome! 02:33 Good Week: Slovenia legalises gay marriage and adoption 08:25 Bad Week: The Uber Files 19:43 Interview: Janez Potočnik on Europe's food supplies 33:03 Isolation Inspiration: 'Techtopia' and 'Standing Up' 36:25 Happy Ending: Old bones in Spain Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 21 Jul 2022 - 41min - 205 - Farmers, fossils and files
Russia's assault on Ukraine is driving a global food crisis, and there are calls for Europe to dramatically increase its own supplies in response. But can we do that without damaging the environment? This week we speak to former EU environment commissioner Janez Potočnik about how to ensure our food security without sacrificing ambitious climate and biodiversity plans. We're also talking about the #UberFiles, Slovenia's move to legalise same-sex marriage, and an extremely old Spaniard. Janez is the co-chair of the UN International Resource Panel and a partner at SYSTEMIQ. You can follow him on Twitter here. Isolation Inspiration: This episode of Techtopia on a massive ransomware attack in Germany; Standing Up on Netflix. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 00:22 Welcome! 02:33 Good Week: Slovenia legalises gay marriage and adoption 08:25 Bad Week: The Uber Files 19:43 Interview: Janez Potočnik on Europe's food supplies 33:03 Isolation Inspiration: 'Techtopia' and 'Standing Up' 36:25 Happy Ending: Old bones in Spain Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 14 Jul 2022 - 38min - 204 - The bigger the better?
Ukraine and Moldova have been granted candidate status to join the EU. It's a major moment in the messy process of knitting this continent together — but is a bigger European Union automatically a better one? This week we chat to Dr. Ilke Toygür about what this all means for Ukraine, Moldova and the EU itself. We're also talking about Venice's new entry fee for day-trippers, sexy Swedish waste disposal, and why Greece and Turkey are fighting over a made-up word. Ilke is a professor of political science at the University Carlos III of Madrid and a fellow at the Centre for Applied Turkey Studies at SWP Berlin. You can follow her on Twitter here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: 'Borgen - Power & Glory' and 'She Rides Like The Wind - the story of Alfonsina Strada' by Joan Negrescolor. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 02:20 Good Week? Venice's fee for day-trippers 08:50 Bad Week: The Great Greek-Turkish Portmanteau Row 16:52 Interview: Ilke Toygür on growing the EU 32:13 Isolation Inspiration: 'Borgen' and 'She Rides Like The Wind' 35:11 Happy Ending: Malmö's smutty bins Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 07 Jul 2022 - 38min - 203 - Your Face Looks Familiar
More and more European police forces are using facial recognition technology. Under an EU proposal they'd be able to share access to the millions of images they've collected – creating what critics say amounts to one of the most extensive biometric surveillance systems in the world. This week we speak to Domen Savič, head of Slovenian digital rights NGO Državljan D (Citizen D), about the tricky balance between fighting crime and protecting our privacy. We're also talking about Seville's plans to name its heatwaves and the French response to the US Supreme Court's abortion ruling. Plus, a recording of Dominic's doorbell disaster. This week's Isolation Inspiration: Bionic reading, Nicola Coughlan on Off Menu, DakhaBrakha, Jamala, Kalush and Go_A. You can check out Državljan D's monthly podcast on tech ethics here. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 02:34 Good Week: Seville's plan to name its heatwaves 11:52 Bad Week (or Good Response To A Bad Week): France's response to the US Supreme Court ruling 18:20 Interview: Domen Savič on the EU's facial recognition plans 30:33 Isolation Inspiration: Bionic reading, Nicola Coughlan on Off Menu, and Glastonbury's Ukrainian offerings 34:42 Happy Ending: Rock, paper, scissors on wheels Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 30 Jun 2022 - 37min - 202 - It takes more than two, baby
When Remco Yizhak Cooremans moved home to the Netherlands after many years abroad, the authorities told him something shocking: his son wasn't legally his son. This week, we hear about Dutch plans to bring the law up to date with the realities of 21st-century parenting. We're also talking about Roman trash and minimum wages you can actually live on. Remco is the chairman of Meer dan Gewenst. If you're interested in the multi-parenting law, you can catch him speaking at De Balie in Amsterdam on June 16, and it's being streamed online too. Details here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: Navalny, and Rough Translation's episode on France's forbidden desk lunches. We're taking a break next week so that Katy can go stand in a muddy field. While we're away, check out this beautiful episode from Belarusian poet Hanna Komar, reflecting on the meaning of freedom. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 02:41 Good Week: Minimum wages you can actually live on 08:54 Bad Week: Messy Rome 18:06 Interview: Remco Yizhak Cooremans on the Netherlands' planned multi-parent law 32:33 Isolation Inspiration: 'Navalny' and Rough Translation's French lunch episode 34:23 Happy Ending: Congratulations, Candida! Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 16 Jun 2022 - 36min - 201 - What is Orbán playing at?
In the EU's complicated efforts to present a united front on Ukraine, Viktor Orbán stands out like a sore thumb. Why is Orbán cosying up to Vladimir Putin? This week, we catch up with longtime Orbán-watcher Viktória Serdült on what game the Hungarian leader might be playing. We're also talking about the toxic row engulfing Germany's documenta fifteen festival, and a gamechanger for annoying customer service calls in Spain. Viktória is a journalist at HVG, one of the few remaining bastions of independent media in Hungary. You can follow her on Twitter here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: On Spec and Season 3 of Derry Girls. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 03:07 Bad Week: documenta fifteen 14:06 Good Week: Spain's amazing customer service bill 20:18 Interview: Viktória Serdült on Viktor Orbán's latest antics 31:16 Isolation Inspiration: On Spec and Derry Girls 34:09 Happy Ending: Pompeii DNA Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 09 Jun 2022 - 37min - 200 - Hanna
From Minsk and London, a story about the meaning of freedom. Hanna Komar, a poet, was jailed for her activism in Belarus. This week, she tells us what it’s like to move from a place where people have to fight for basic rights, to a place where people take them for granted. This is the fifth episode in our series This Is What A Generation Sounds Like: intimate stories from young Europeans across the continent. A beautiful visual version of this podcast will be available later this year. In the meantime, check out the first visual podcast in this series: Josh and Franco. This series is co-produced with Are We Europe and is made in cooperation with Allianz Kulturstiftung, an independent not-for-profit cultural foundation committed to strengthening cohesion in Europe using the tools of art and culture. Find out more at kulturstiftung.allianz.de. Producers: Katy Lee and Hanna Komar Sound design: Katz Laszlo and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Editors: Katz Laszlo and Dominic Kraemer Music: ‘Girl in White’ by Naviband, ‘Ballerina’ by Yehezkel Raz, ‘Ballerina Remix’ by Yehezkel Raz and Lalinea, ‘Магутны Божа’ by Volny Chor; ‘Looking for You’ by Christof Waters; Blue Dot Sessions; and Papa Bo mixing tracks by Meute, live during the protests in Minsk. Theme music by Jim Barne. SFX from Freesound.org. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few euros / dollars / pounds a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review. This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 02 Jun 2022 - 28min - 199 - Moldova’s Propaganda Problem
Moldova represents a prime example of social media giants' failure to tackle disinformation in smaller and less wealthy countries — in this case, with hugely dangerous potential consequences. This week we speak to civil society activist Diana Filimon about the propaganda war that Russia has been waging in countries neighbouring Ukraine. We're also talking about Germany's €9 transport experiment, the morality of a lockdown for cats, and scallop discothèques. You can find out more about Diana's work at Forum Apulum here and read Philip Oltermann's reporting on racism claims against Berlin ticket inspectors here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: The Truffle Hunters, and the New York Times' reporting on the legacy of Haiti's reparations to enslavers. You can read more about the methods used for the NYT's reporting here and more on reactions to the story here. A video of dancing scallops can be found here. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. And this week, why not #TellASwede about this podcast's existence? 02:51 Good Week: Germany's €9 transport experiment 09:40 Bad Week: Walldorf's lockdown for cats 17:12 Interview: Diana Filimon on disinformation in Moldova 33:06 Isolation Inspiration: 'The Truffle Hunters' and the NYT's reporting on Haiti's reparations to enslavers 38:19 Happy Ending: Scallop disco Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak, with thanks to Katz Laszlo Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 26 May 2022 - 42min - 198 - Solar-Powered Scrolling
Kris de Decker's balcony in Barcelona is nice and sunny. Which is just as well, because a website depends on it. This week we chat to Kris, co-founder of Low-Tech Magazine, about why he built a solar-powered website and how human history can inspire modern environmental solutions. We're also talking about foie gras, faux gras, and bringing EU and non-EU Europe together. You can check out the solar-powered version of Low-Tech Magazine's website here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: 'Today in Focus - The Wagatha Christie case'; 'Multiples: 12 stories in 18 languages by 61 authors'; this vegan foie gras recipe; Impact from Les Glorieuses, a feminist newsletter in English and French. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few euros / dollars / pounds a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. 03:23 Good Week? Macron's big new idea 12:09 Bad Week: Foie gras 20:09 Interview: Kris De Decker on building a solar-powered website 34:38 Isolation Inspiration: 'Today in Focus - The Wagatha Christie case' and 'Multiples' 38:04 Happy Ending: Italy's women footballers go pro Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak, with thanks to Katz Laszlo Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 12 May 2022 - 40min - 197 - Doctor Eurovision
We know, we know, not everyone loves Eurovision — but we think you'll enjoy this week's interview even if you're not as nuts about the annual celebration of euro-kitsch as we are. Dr Dean Vuletic is the world's pre-eminent Eurovision historian, and we were delighted to talk to him about how the contest came into being and why it's always been so political. We're also talking about the EU's Russian oil embargo, a row over WWII reparations in 2022, and a first for wind power in the Mediterranean. We'll be running a Eurovision sweepstake for our Patreon supporters on the night of the finals, May 10! More details soon at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Financing Putin's war: you can find the real-time tracker of EU fossil fuel imports here and read the Atlantic Council's research on replacing Russian gas here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: 'Young Mungo' by Douglas Stuart, the photography of Wolfgang Tillmans, and Russian Doll, Season 2. 02:26 (Tentative) Good Week: The EU's Russian oil embargo 10:24 Bad Week: Italy, Germany, and WWII reparations 15:57 Interview: Dean Vuletic on the history of Eurovision 32:45 Isolation Inspiration: 'Young Mungo', Wolfgang Tillmans and Russian Doll, Season 2 Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few euros / dollars / pounds a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Producer: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 05 May 2022 - 38min - 196 - Mohamed
This week, a story about Mohamed, living in limbo while trapped in a labyrinth of bureaucracy. This is the fourth episode from our series This Is What A Generation Sounds Like: intimate stories from young Europeans across the continent. A beautiful visual version of this podcast will be available later this year. In the meantime, check out the first visual podcast in this series: Josh and Franco. This series is co-produced with Are We Europe and is made in cooperation with Allianz Kulturstiftung, an independent not-for-profit cultural foundation committed to strengthening cohesion in Europe using the tools of art and culture. Find out more at kulturstiftung.allianz.de. Producers: Katz Laszlo and Mohamed Bah Mixing and Mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Sound design: Katz Laszlo Editor: Katy Lee Editorial support: Dominic Kraemer and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel To Be Free, covered by Bahghi; Ancore une Staggione by Bottega Baltazar; Blurry by Curtis Cole; Kongo by Trio Particular; Coco Bread by Wearethegood; Mas Feliz Del Mundo by Ofir Atar; Fandanguillo also by Ofir Atar; No One Is Out Here by Yehezkel Raz. Theme music by Jim Barne. SFX from Freesound.org. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few euros / dollars / pounds a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review. This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 28 Apr 2022 - 29min - 195 - Can the EU fix fast fashion?
Every year, Europeans chuck away millions of tons of clothing. The EU has a new plan to tackle the huge environmental impact of the fashion and textile industry — but can it make a difference? We asked the model and activist Nimue Smit to take a look. We're also talking about the UK's extremely controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, and a legal leap forward for Spain's single parents. This week's Isolation Inspiration: Lithuanian clothing exchange Vinted, and Belgian Netflix comedy 'Soil' ('Grond'). A few things Nimue mentioned that listeners might want to check out: 'Consumed' by Aja Barber, Depop, Vestiaire Collective, Sustainable Fashion Giftcard, Rank A Brand. 02:17 Bad Week: UK asylum policy 13:44 Good Week: Spain's single parents 19:49 Interview: Nimue Smit on fixing the fashion industry 34:02 Isolation Inspiration: Vinted and Grond 36:28 Happy Ending: Teaching teens to love natural history Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few euros / dollars / pounds a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Producer: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak, with thanks to Katz Laszlo Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Thu, 21 Apr 2022 - 38min - 194 - Katy went to Le Pen’s party so you didn’t have to
Iiiiit's French election week! Katy spent the big night at Le Pen HQ. This week, in a Europeans first, Dominic and Katz turn the microphone on our resident French person to ask: what just happened? And could Marine Le Pen really become France's first far-right president? We're also talking about the soaring cost of housing (again) and the European microstate that just pulled off an LGBTQ+ world first. You can listen to Cody Hochstenbach calling for a revolution in housing policy here and find the latest figures from Eurostat here. And you can read here about why microstates have often been slow to catch up on LGBTQ rights. Isolation Inspiration: 'Free' by Lea Ypi and Große Freiheit (Great Freedom). 02:07 Bad Week: Housing costs up AGAIN 04:49 Good Week: San Marino's world-first LGBTQ+ head of state 10:22 Interview: Katy on the French election 28:09 Isolation Inspiration: 'Free' by Lea Ypi and Große Freiheit (Great Freedom) 30:31 Happy Ending: Making the most of the Greek sunshine Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few euros / dollars / pounds a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify. Producer: Katy Lee, with thanks to Katz Laszlo and Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina This podcast is part of the Are We Europe family. Find more like-minded European podcasts at areweeurope.com/audio-family. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Tue, 12 Apr 2022 - 32min
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