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.
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Episode 108 — Paul Adamson, godfather of Brusse...
In our latest podcast episode, we discuss the life of a lobbyist, the latest in the Brussels hustle, and the recent transatlantic twitterstorm.This week’s feature interview is with Paul Adamson, the godfather of Brussels lobbying. He talks to Ryan about
33 min
402
Episode 107: Moonshot Venture's Mark MacGann ——...
A surprise European Commission presidential nominee landed on Brussels this week: the polished and much-criticised defense minister of Germany, Ursula von der Leyen. The job is now hers to lose, and she might indeed lose it. German greens and socialists a
37 min
403
Episode 106, presented by Bayer: Can capitalism...
In the latest in our occasional series focusing on green issues, we ask whether capitalism can save the planet.The European Commission held a sustainable finance conference this week, and two of our reporters went along to get beyond the hype. Tune in t
45 min
404
Episode 105, presented by Romania's EU presiden...
David Miliband speaks to POLITICO’s Brexit editor James Randerson in our feature interview this week.It’s delicious timing, given the U.K. is getting a new prime minister and the EU is getting a new slate of leaders. Had history taken just a slightly di
34 min
405
Episode 104: Jean-Claude Juncker & Shada Islam
Hear European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in conversation with POLITICO's Florian Eder, discussing Trump, Brexit and more.Also this week, Shada Islam from think tank Friends of Europe talks to POLITICO's Ryan Heath about educating EU newbies
38 min
406
Episode 103: Danny Alexander — Debating the Tru...
In a week full of world-shaping history, from the 75th D-Day anniversary to the 30th anniversary of the Tianamen Square massacre, our feature interview is with former U.K. Cabinet minister Danny Alexander. He flew in from Beijing to discuss his new work a
32 min
407
Episode 102: Martin Selmayr — EU election results
A look back at the European Parliament election results, and a look ahead to the race for EU top jobs.Ryan Heath interviews Martin Selmayr, the powerful and controversial secretary-general of the European Commission, at a special POLITICO event the day
36 min
408
Episode 101: Bruno Le Maire and EU election pre...
Bruno Le Maire, French minister of economy and finance, outlines his big ambitions for collecting tax from giant companies, creating a eurozone budget and ensuring European sovereignty on key new technologies. Does it, or will it, amount to a "new capital
30 min
409
XX Factor Episode 5 — UK: Annunziata Rees-Mogg,...
After three years of divisive Brexit debate and voting in the United Kingdom, POLITICO's Annabelle Dickson surveyed the damage and opportunities that have arisen as British voters unexpectedly head to vote in the 2019 European Parliament election. How hav
29 min
410
**Episode 100** presented by Bayer: Air polluti...
For EU Green Week and EU Public Health Week, we go to an issue at the intersection of those themes: air quality. The World Health Organisation attributes up to seven million deaths annually to air pollution. The topic is getting political too, thanks to
35 min
411
Episode 99: Frans Timmermans and Margrethe Vest...
We have a double-header this week: interviews with both Frans Timmermans (Socialist) and Margrethe Vestager (Liberal), two rivals to become European Commission president.Ryan Heath and Nazan Gökdemir jointly interviewed the candidates as part of a telev
42 min
412
XX Factor Episode 4 — What can Europe learn fro...
Hosted by Sarah Wheaton and featuring Corinna Horst, Lina Aburous, Jacinda Ardern and Lulwah Al Khater, this episode takes us from the Middle East to Mexico, and on to New Zealand, the United States and Rwanda to look at the challenges shared by women in
16 min
413
Episode 98: EU Presidential Debate highlights
In this episode we offer you highlights from Monday's 95-minute EU presidential debate in Maastricht, co-moderated by EU Confidential host Ryan Heath. Five candidates debate on Digital Europe, Sustainable Europe and the Future of Europe.The podcast pane
54 min
414
Episode 97: Manfred Weber, EPP EU presidential ...
This week it's a short episode: just a 20-minute interview with Manfred Weber, the person in pole position to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as European Commission president later this year. The interview was conducted by POLITICO's Ryan Heath and Nazan Gökd
25 min
415
XX Factor Episode 3: Women in election media co...
Why do female candidates and politicians receive more negative coverage than men, and why are they seen as less newsworthy? In this episode we look at the case study of Italy with POLITICO reporter Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli, and speak to one of the most h
37 min
416
Episode 96, presented by BP: Decoding election ...
The European Parliament has wrapped up its current five-year term, and the election campaign now enters into a final five-week sprint. This episode features a three-way discussion about what betting companies, opinion pollsters and journalists can tell us
26 min
417
Episode 95: For & Against the EU — Sandro Gozi ...
For or against the EU? It's the biggest European question of all — and we tackled it in a debate in front of an audience in Brussels this week as the EU election campaign gets into high gear.Hear highlights of the debate between Sandro Gozi, Italy's for
40 min
418
Episode 94: Emily Thornberry on Labour, Brexit ...
Emily Thornberry, the U.K. Labour Party’s shadow foreign secretary, is our guest in this special edition of EU Confidential. The show was recorded on Sunday in London in front of an audience at Podcast Live, an event that brought together political podcas
55 min
419
Episode 93, presented by Bayer: MEP climate deb...
Are we headed for climate disaster, and is the EU the solution?That's the question we ask in the second episode of "EU Confidential Goes Green,” the occasional series in which we zoom in on climate and sustainability challenges.Six Members of the Euro
42 min
420
Episode 92, presented by Bayer: Amanda Eichel a...
The first of six special EU Confidential Goes Green episodes between March and September 2019. This episode is all about cities and features interviews with Amanda Eichel, executive director of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy and Anna
36 min
421
XX Factor 2 – MEP Mairead McGuinness and the wo...
Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness, vice president of the European Parliament from Ireland’s ruling Fine Gael party, talks Brexit, the Irish border and about her interest in throwing her hat in the ring to be president of the next European Parliament, if reelec
33 min
422
Episode 91: EU summit — Brexit, Orbán & liberal...
It's a summit special this week. POLITICO’s Andrew Gray, Rym Momtaz and Florian Eder discussed the topic du jour, Brexit, as EU leaders gathered in Brussels. They also chewed over Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party being suspended from the European People’s Part
37 min
423
Episode 90, presented by Naftogaz: Twitter's Ni...
Nick Pickles, Twitter’s senior policy strategist, is our main guest. He responds to heated criticism of Twitter’s handling of free expression, misogyny, disinformation and transparency.“Increasingly, problems have tech components, but often societal prob
34 min
424
XX Factor 1 - Women, power and the EU election
Welcome to the first episode of our new mini-series on women, power and the EU election — a fortnightly spin-off podcast from POLITICO's EU Confidential.Our timing for episode one could hardly be better. EU leaders like Manfred Weber, Frans Timmermans an
31 min
425
Episode 89: UAE parliament president Amal Al-Qu...
This week’s podcast features Amal Al Qubaisi, president of the United Arab Emirates' Federal National Council, making her perhaps the most senior female politician in the Arab world. We cover a lot of territory including the blockade against Qatar and why
37 min