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.
376
Ep 153: Merkel & Macron's Recovery Fund — Econo...
It was big and bold and came out of the blue — Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron took Europe by surprise with a plan for a €500 billion EU recovery fund. Was it a historic moment for Europe? How would the scheme work? And can the skeptics be won over? POL
33 min
377
Coronavirus edition #10: MEP Pascal Canfin on g...
How green will Europe's economic revival be? Pascal Canfin, the chair of the European Parliament's environment committee, outlines what MEPs want to see from the EU's recovery plan. Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron outlined their vision for that plan thi
26 min
378
Ep 152: Timothy Garton Ash — Second wave — War ...
Timothy Garton Ash, professor of European studies in the University of Oxford, doesn't mince words about the challenges — and opportunities — facing the European Union as it tries to navigate its way out of the coronavirus crisis. His Europe’s Stories pro
35 min
379
Coronavirus edition #9: Talking Tedros: WHO chi...
We turn the spotlight on World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the man at the center of a global public health crisis and a geopolitical storm. POLITICO's Sarah Wheaton talks about her recent profile of Tedros and the challenges he f
28 min
380
Ep 151, presented by the Croatian presidency: C...
What standards should we expect from politicians, professors and public health experts as they guide us through this crisis? And where does science end and politics begin? POLITICO's Andrew Gray, Matthew Kartnischnig, Rym Momtaz and Kate Day debate those
30 min
381
Coronavirus edition #8: Pledge drive — Getting...
Pledges of billions of euros to fight the coronavirus rolled into a conference hosted by the European Commission on Monday — but how much of that money is new and where will it go? POLITICO healthcare reporter Jillian Deutsch breaks down the results of th
23 min
382
Ep 150: Chinese propaganda — Economist Thomas P...
French economist Thomas Piketty has some big ideas about how Europe should respond to the coronavirus crisis. He shared them in a livestreamed conversation with POLITICO earlier this week, and Brussels Playbook author Florian Eder joins us to talk through
31 min
383
Coronavirus edition #7: Commissioner Elisa Ferr...
Elisa Ferreira, the European commissioner for cohesion and reforms, is directly involved in crafting the EU's economic response to the coronavirus. She speaks with POLITICO's Lili Bayer about how the Commission plans to use regional development cash from
18 min
384
Ep 149: Europe's recovery — Virtual Council — A...
EU leaders met virtually to try to forge a path toward economic recovery — and they found a way not to disagree, by deciding in advance not to try to agree. With the European Commission now tasked with producing a plan, what are the main sticking points t
30 min
385
Coronavirus edition #6: Belgium death toll expl...
Why is Belgium’s coronavirus death toll so high? And will antibody tests be the panacea to ending lockdowns in Europe? POLITICO's Sarah Wheaton and Barbara Moens answer these questions in the latest edition of our special series on the coronavirus crisis
23 min
386
Ep 148: Coronavirus Twitter chat — The Brussels...
How have the EU and the U.K. handled the coronavirus crisis so far? Our podcast team took your questions on that subject in a live Twitter chat. Listen in to hear what U.K. political correspondent Annabelle Dickson, EU editor Andrew Gray, chief Europe cor
39 min
387
Coronavirus edition #5: How Europe failed coron...
Our senior health reporter Sarah Wheaton reviews the key moments of this crisis so far and answers the big questions on how Europe ended up here. You can read the deep dive Sarah co-authored with chief Brussels correspondent David M. Herszenhorn, How Euro
26 min
388
Ep 147: Who's running Britain? — Exit strategy ...
Who's running Britain? Does anyone have a plan to get us out of lockdowns? And what's behind the battle over corona bonds? We try to answer all these questions and more in this week's episode. POLITICO's Annabelle Dickson paints a portrait of Dominic Raab
32 min
389
Coronavirus edition #4: Pandemic preparations —...
David Alexander, a professor of risk and disaster reduction, explains how governments should prepare for a pandemic and why leaders seem to be in a state of "frantic improvisation" now this one has come along.Governments needed "an immediate, aggressive
27 min
390
Ep 146: Jobs Commissioner Schmit — Lockdown lim...
Nicolas Schmit, the European commissioner for jobs and social rights, is our special guest — discussing the Commission's plan to help people stay in jobs despite the coronavirus crisis.Our pan-European panel debates how long citizens will tolerate lock
34 min
391
Coronavirus edition #3: Testing questions — Co...
Herman Goossens, a professor of microbiology and coordinator of an EU group studying how to combat the coronavirus, is our special guest. What would he have done differently if he could turn back the clock? And when can we realistically expect a return to
29 min
392
Ep 145: Italian lessons — Democratic distancing...
POLITICO's Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome shares her thoughts on what the rest of Europe can learn from Italy's response to the coronavirus. Our pan-European panel debates the challenges for democracy in the age of social distancing and examines the ri
31 min
393
Coronavirus edition #2: European Commissioner Y...
We hear from someone directly involved in the EU's response to the coronavirus crisis: Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson. The Swedish commissioner talks about the challenges of trying to keep the EU's internal borders open during the crisis — and s
29 min
394
Ep 144 In Focus: Energy, presented by Shell: Eu...
As COVID-19 paralyzes Europe, our podcast panel describes daily life right now in Paris, Berlin, London and Brussels. We also look at how Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen are leading in this time of crisis. Have they
36 min
395
Coronavirus edition #1: Shutdowns & lockdowns —...
POLITICO brings you a special edition of the EU Confidential podcast focusing on the coronavirus crisis. This is the first in a series of extra episodes looking at the people, politics and policies shaping Europe's response to COVID-19.After we recap a
25 min
396
Ep 143: Italy in coronavirus lockdown — Electio...
Life under lockdown in Italy: This episode of EU Confidential leads off with a conversation with Silvia Sciorilli-Borrelli in Rome about how Italy's attempt to quell the spread of the coronavirus is impacting people's daily lives.European Council Presid
32 min
397
Ep 142, presented by Goldman Sachs: EU in crisi...
From Brussels, Berlin, Paris and London, we break down responses to the coronavirus across Europe. How are politicians and the general population in each capital reacting? Is there a coherent European response or is everyone doing their own thing?We als
32 min
398
Ep 141: Europe's coronavirus response — Carniva...
This episode of EU Confidential explores how Europe is responding to the coronavirus, with POLITICO's senior health reporter, Sarah Wheaton. We also take you to the Belgian city of Aalst, whose carnival celebrations have been widely condemned for anti-Sem
37 min
399
Ep 140: EU's €1 trillion summit — Herman Van Ro...
We go inside the special summit on the EU budget as leaders battle over plans likely to be worth more than €1 trillion over seven years. Among those sharing their thoughts with us: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Europ
33 min
400
EU Confidential #139, presented by the Croatian...
We go inside one of the world's top gatherings of political leaders, military commanders, ambassadors and policy experts — the Munich Security Conference. POLITICO's team of reporters analyzes the big topics to emerge from the conference, including the st
45 min