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
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
202
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
203
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
204
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
205
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
206
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
207
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
208
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
209
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
210
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
211
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
212
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
213
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
214
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
215
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
216
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
217
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
218
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
219
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
220
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
221
Zelenskyy in Brussels: the worst-kept secret in...
Coming to you during Thursday's meeting of EU leaders, we discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's (not so) surprise visit to Brussels, as well as other topics on the agenda: migration and Europe's response to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.
27 min
222
EU-Ukraine summit — Fighter jets? — Moldovan Pr...
All eyes are on Ukraine as the EU's top officials visit Kyiv for a historic summit — the first to be held in an active war zone. And Moldovan President Maia Sandu is our special guest.
31 min
223
Scholz's tanks for your assistance — EU finance...
Our POLITICO team has the inside scoop on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's long-awaited decision to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and how it's landing internationally. Also, our special guest is EU financial services commissioner Mairead McGuinness.
30 min
224
From Davos: Tanks to Ukraine — Irish PM Leo Var...
The EU Confidential crew takes you inside this week's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland where the world's rich and powerful are gathered.
25 min
225
Director Oliver Stone talks nuclear power — EU ...
It's Thursday morning and today we bring you bumper editions from Davos with our final episode of the week landing later this evening.
25 min