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.
201
Who’s in charge? What von der Leyen’s absence r...
While the president of the European Commission was secretly in the hospital, the next president of the United States was musing about invading Greenland.
27 min
202
Elon Musk: Europe’s Bloviator-in-Chief
The world’s richest man has a lot to say, a vast platform, and the ear of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Now he has turned his focus to Europe.
30 min
203
Holiday special: Meet JD Vance’s surprising Eur...
To kick off the new year, we’re sharing a standout episode from our sister podcast, Power Play. EU Confidential will be back next week, but for now, join us for this deep dive into the rise of JD Vance.
35 min
204
Holiday special: Brussels vs Moscow — the EU ri...
For the final episode of EU Confidential this year, we revisit a compelling discussion on the EU’s waning influence in its eastern neighborhood, originally recorded in October.
36 min
205
Farewell to the EU’s sharpest in-house critic
Politics are driving a growing culture of secrecy at the European Commission, warns European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly in this week’s episode of EU Confidential.
30 min
206
Inside the POLITICO 28 gala: Europe’s most powe...
This week's episode of EU Confidential takes you inside the POLITICO 28 gala, where we revealed our list of the people who will drive the year ahead.
38 min
207
Can Brussels’ new power trio take on Trump?
Finally. After months of paralysis, the new leadership team in Brussels is up and running.
31 min
208
Romania’s TikTok upset boosts Putin
Romania’s presidential election delivered a TikTok-fueled political shock, with pro-Russia, far-right candidate Călin Georgescu winning the first round.
34 min
209
Scholz on the brink, Rubio in the wings: Europe...
While Donald Trump is filling out his top team, the EU faces a leadership vacuum.
29 min
210
The challenges to energy security in Europe
Europe’s energy system is entering a period of radical change.
14 min
211
What the Commissioner hearings revealed about t...
There were 26 hearings and 72 hours of questions, answers and non-answers — and in the end, none of it mattered. Politics clearly trumped policy as MEPs grilled the aspiring new commissioners, with partisanship reaching new heights.
30 min
212
How Trump is already breaking Europe
After Donald Trump’s election victory, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is breaking out the Champagne. Germany’s government, meanwhile, is breaking up.
38 min
213
Faith, fear and freedom: European eyes are on t...
For a fresh view of the U.S. election in its final days — and what it means for Europe — this week’s episode of EU Confidential gets a ground-level take from the campaign trail.
27 min
214
Brussels vs Moscow: The EU risks losing its eas...
A vote that was supposed to be a slam dunk in favor of the EU turned into a nail-biter: barely 50 percent of Moldovans backed the country’s accession ambitions in last week’s referendum.
35 min
215
The world is in crisis and the EU is doing ... ...
This week’s episode of EU Confidential is a show about nothing. As in: Brussels’ endless lame-duck inertia. Sure, there’s still lots of yadda yadda yadda, but no real action coming out of the EU institutions despite multiple global crises.
34 min
216
Driving toward a trade war with China
Buckle up. This week on the EU Confidential podcast, we’re talking cars. And a looming trade war.
27 min
217
From 'Fortress Austria' to 'Fortress Europe'?
In this week’s episode of EU Confidential, we tackle the complex forces shaping Europe’s future — where political shifts, migration and escalating conflict in neighboring regions are all colliding.
36 min
218
Ukraine’s 4-month countdown
Volodymyr Zelensky has just four months. That’s the time left until U.S. President Joe Biden leaves office. After that, who knows what’s going to happen. And that means uncomfortable questions for the EU, too.
35 min
219
The EU's new power pyramid and migration escala...
Live from Strasbourg… and Paris… and Berlin… and London, it’s EU Confidential. In this week’s episode, we catch you up on a dizzying week of news.
39 min
220
Does Europe’s economy need Mountain Dew?
While Brussels has been obsessed recently with the “Draghi report,” that’s NOT the topic of this week’s episode. We will, however, discuss WHY Brussels is so besotted. (Spoiler alert: It's because Europe’s economy is broken.)
34 min
221
Brussels’ back-to-school blues
It’s been a particularly chaotic rentrée for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. In this week’s episode of EU Confidential, we talk about the mad dash to name the new slate of commissioners, while getting the right balance of politics, geography, gender and expertise.
31 min
222
Anne Applebaum on dictators big and small
In this episode of EU Confidential, we speak to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anne Applebaum. Her latest book, "Autocracy Inc.," explores how authoritarian regimes are banding together against democracies, including EU countries.
32 min
223
This burger could kill the EU
In this episode, host Sarah Wheaton is joined by Alessandro Ford, POLITICO’s agriculture reporter, to unpack how the prospect of lab-grown meat has riled up Europe’s farmers.
18 min
224
Summer special: Who votes for the European far ...
While the podcast takes a little break, we bring this insightful episode back into your feed — unpacking details of who votes for the far right in Europe.
36 min
225
Summer special: ‘Rent is too damn high!’ Europe...
On our summer break, we're bringing this episode back into your feed by popular demand, looking at a crisis that is affecting many Europeans in most EU countries.
38 min