Brussels Playbook Podcast
POLITICO’s daily audio briefing on what’s moving Brussels — and why it matters.
The Brussels Playbook Podcast is the audio extension of the Brussels Playbook newsletter. Hosted by POLITICO's chief EU correspondent, Zoya Sheftalovich, the podcast runs Monday through Thursday, offering a clear, reporting-driven guide to EU politics in under 15 minutes. It’s a perfect companion for your morning coffee.
Each episode takes listeners inside the decisions, power shifts and debates shaping the day in Brussels — and explains how they connect to national capitals across Europe.
Clear, conversational and shaped by reporting from the heart of the EU, the Brussels Playbook Podcast brings context to EU politics as your day begins.
On Fridays, the same feed features a longer episode that goes deeper into the week’s biggest themes, offering context and analysis beyond the daily news cycle — with Sarah Wheaton behind the mic.
251
Ending an epidemic: innovations to eradicate HIV
To end HIV entirely, we will need to invest in innovation, develop new treatment and prevention options focusing on the needs of individuals and their preferences, new healthcare policies and new approaches to fight the stigma that HIV still carries.
22 min
252
NATO summit wrap-up and the EU's battle over bi...
This week, we bring you the latest from Vilnius as NATO leaders wrap up a crucial meeting of the defense alliance, plus all the news from Strasbourg as MEPs clash over an EU proposal to protect biodiversity.
33 min
253
A cure for HIV: When will Europe get there?
There’s one key weapon that would be a gamechanger in the fight to end HIV transmission in Europe by 2030 – a cure.
20 min
254
From Madrid: How Spain's election could impact ...
This week's EU Confidential comes to you from Madrid as Spain takes over the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union.
35 min
255
The last bastion of stigma: Criminalizing HIV t...
POLITICO speaks to someone who's experienced the impact of HIV criminalization first-hand, and to those campaigning for change, to understand why legal systems have refused to listen to the evidence.
26 min
256
EU leaders meet in the shadow of failed Wagner ...
Our slightly-later edition of this week's EU Confidential comes to you from on-the-ground at the European Council.
30 min
257
From cell to cell: Eliminating HIV in prisons
In the first episode of our EU Confidential: In Focus mini-series on HIV in Europe, we take you inside a French prison successfully tackling the spread of the disease.
26 min
258
Europe’s new Marshall Plan: making a bet on Ukr...
This week’s EU Confidential episode comes to you from London, where the Ukraine Recovery Conference has just wrapped up.
28 min
259
Artificial intelligence and the EU's attempt to...
This week's episode dives deep into artificial intelligence — and how the EU is responding to this rapidly developing technology.
35 min
260
Polish protests — Hungary's EU role — Sleeper t...
In this bumper edition, we explain what's behind recent large protests in Poland, why some in Brussels want to stymie Hungary in the EU decision-making process and we take you along on a new night train route from Berlin to Brussels.
36 min
261
From Moldova: The European Political Community ...
This week's episode comes to you from the second meeting of the European Political Community in the Moldovan capital of Chișinău.
28 min
262
EU's 'Defence of Democracy' debate on combattin...
This week, we debate the EU's latest attempt to combat foreign influence with its forthcoming "Defence of Democracy package," which some in Brussels claim could result in unintended consequences.
31 min
263
EU commissioner resigns — Bulgaria's breaking p...
This week, we dive into the political upheaval in Bulgaria and the resignation of the country's EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel. And we begin our spotlight series on the European Parliament, as the dates for elections next year are finalized.
35 min
264
The end of Erdoğan? — Turkey's EU accession amb...
This week, the focus is on Turkey and what's at stake in elections happening May 14. We also hear from British writer and scholar Hugh Pope, who has written extensively on modern Turkey and tackles the long-standing issue of EU accession.
32 min
265
POLITICO reviews ‘The Diplomat’ — Meloni surpri...
We hear from former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe Ben Hodges on Ukraine. We also ask why Giorgia Meloni in Italy is struggling to spend EU recovery funds in time, and find out what European diplomats think of Netflix series “The Diplomat.”
36 min
266
Timothy Garton Ash on the future of Europe — Ev...
"We have created the best Europe there has ever been" — so says Timothy Garton Ash, this week's special guest. Meanwhile, former vice president of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili, is fighting more criminal allegations.
34 min
267
Ukraine grain strain — Von der Leyen 2.0 — EU d...
We're back from a break and straight into tackling the geopolitical tensions that underlie a sudden ban on Ukraine's grain exports by neighboring Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.
36 min
268
Finland joins NATO — Ukraine foreign minister i...
This week, Finland joins NATO while Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, joins us here in the POLITICO studio to talk about his own country's NATO ambitions.
31 min
269
France & Germany on strike – Commission Legal C...
The worst strikes and protests in decades bring both France and Germany to a standstill this week. We ask if this is just the beginning of Europe’s cost of living crisis?
35 min
270
Economic jitters, French upheaval, arms for Ukr...
Coming to you from this week’s European Council summit in Brussels, competitiveness and the economy are high on the agenda, alongside a historic EU agreement for joint arms procurement.
30 min
271
Das Auto debate — Activist Bill Browder on Russ...
We debate Germany's last-minute effort to derail EU plans to end the sale of combustion engines by 2035. And our special guest is author and activist Bill Browder.
35 min
272
Viktor Orbán's political director — Sponsored f...
This week, we debate a controversy over travel rules for top EU officials and unpack what the European Commission president is hoping to achieve during her visit to North America. Our special guest is Balázs Orbán.
33 min
273
New EU-UK chapter — VDL meets the king — Decodi...
This week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met King Charles III at Windsor Castle after a deal was sealed on a long-awaited solution to the post-Brexit trade row over Northern Ireland.
32 min
274
Russia's war in Ukraine, one year on: How Europ...
As we approach the one year mark of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU Confidential crew chronicles the historic policy shifts in the EU and European capitals with the help of Bulgarian political scientist, Ivan Krastev.
36 min
275
VDL's texts — MEPs arrested — Eurogroup Preside...
This week, we unpack some of the transparency issues plaguing the EU's top institutions, and our special guest is Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe on Europe's economic outlook.
33 min