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
As it happened: Ursula von der Leyen’s secret b...
Join host Sarah Wheaton for a romp through the Strasbourg seat of the European Parliament, and relive a week that was so crucial for Europe's direction over the next five years.
33 min
202
Viktor Orbán's rogue “peace missions” to Kyiv, ...
Just days into his country's rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orbán again stunned other European leaders by setting off on a series of visits to Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing.
31 min
203
French election shocker: reaction and analysis
France has voted and the results are in — our POLITICO team in Paris discusses the surprising results of the final round of the parliamentary election in this special episode of EU Confidential.
20 min
204
Panic mode: Biden and Le Pen imperil mainstream...
Just days before the final round of France's snap parliamentary elections, we discuss possible scenarios for what could emerge from the messy political situation in Paris: shiny new leaders, a shaky new government, rocky cohabitation — or even more chaos.
30 min
205
EU top jobs deal — French election, round 1
Straight from the European Council summit, we bring you the latest news and analysis on a range of tough issues on the leaders' agenda.
29 min
206
MEGA shift in the EU's balance of power
Almost two weeks after the EU election, there is still a lot of political manoeuvring going on — both in Brussels and in national capitals.
34 min
207
Macron challenges French voters and spooks Brus...
As the EU comes to terms with its new (sort of) political reality following last weekend's European Parliament election, France is already back in campaign mode — preparing for snap elections called unexpectedly by President Emmanuel Macron.
24 min
208
EU election results — Europe swings to the right
As election result projections were revealed on Sunday evening, our EU Confidential team recorded a live episode with first reactions and analysis from our POLITICO newsroom.
39 min
209
What the EU election is actually about
As voting gets underway throughout the EU, we check in on the polls and learn which stories are dominating the headlines in capitals around Europe.
32 min
210
Key EU policies — how will they change after th...
With just a week to go until the European election and the campaign in full gear, we're focusing on how the vote will impact key EU policies such as health, energy, climate, technology and defense.
33 min
211
EU election 101 — your questions answered
This is your essential (and entertaining!) guide to the upcoming European election — everything you've wanted to know but been too afraid to ask.
36 min
212
How Russian disinformation could skew EU electi...
Ursula von der Leyen made a promise this week: if she secures another term as president of the European Commission, she will prioritize beefing up the EU's defenses against malicious disinformation from Moscow.
31 min
213
Who votes for the European far right? And why?
In this episode we unpack what drives voters to abandon the mainstream and more traditional party loyalties for the far right.
35 min
214
Debate time! EU lead candidates go head-to-head
It was a rare chance to see all the leading candidates from Europe's main political parties go head-to-head in a presidential-style debate to become the next head of the European Commission.
35 min
215
European Parliament in review — MEP unAwards 2024
Since the 2019 election this European Parliament has had to deal with various challenges, from Brexit and Covid-19 to the war in Ukraine and scandals such as Qatargate.
33 min
216
Brussels buzzwords of the week: competitiveness...
In this episode we unpack the EU's new buzzword and the main point of discussion at this week's European Council summit: competitiveness.
37 min
217
EU election latest: Knives out for Ursula von d...
With just weeks to go until the European Parliament election, we're bringing you the state of play.
34 min
218
'If you want peace, prepare for war': How an ol...
In this episode, we unpack the growing urgency among EU leaders to defeat Russia's Vladimir Putin.
30 min
219
Farmers lead the EU climate backlash
As EU leaders received a stark warning about the climate risks facing the bloc, the European Commission caved to farmer protests and demands to slash environmental requirements.
34 min
220
Portuguese voters' anger and what it means for ...
In this episode of, host Sarah Wheaton is joined by POLITICO’s Aitor Hernández-Morales, Barbara Moens and Nicholas Vinocur to break down the results of the vote and discuss what the far-right surge in Portugal could mean for the future of the EU.
31 min
221
Inside the European People's Party Congress 2024
On this bumper edition of EU Confidential, we take you inside the two-day European People Party's Congress in Bucharest.
58 min
222
European Parliament election 2024 — state of play
With less than 100 days until the European Parliament election, we bring you the state of play. Also, we hear from Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili about her country's ambitions to join the EU.
34 min
223
VDL 2.0 — How Europe and Ukraine have changed, ...
As we mark two years of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we take stock of how the war has changed Europe — as well as life for Ukrainians under siege. Also, we look at Ursula von der Leyen's campaign to remain European Commission chief.
39 min
224
Europe responds to Donald Trump
In this episode of EU Confidential, we discuss reactions in European capitals to Donald Trump's latest comments on NATO and Russia.
29 min
225
Can the EU defend Ukraine (and itself)?
Europe is waking up to the urgent need to strengthen its own defenses — especially as Donald Trump seems poised to capture the Republican nomination and possibly even the White House in November presidential elections.
29 min