Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Briefed - Your Daily European Podcast

Two ships have been hit by drones in Bulgarian waters in the Black Sea on Monday. Several other ships have been targeted in recent weeks, at a time when Russia is intensifying its attacks on Ukraine.

So, at what point does a hybrid attack become an attack on NATO?

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The United States has imposed new sanctions on the International Criminal Court, this time targeting the institution itself. While the EU insists on its firm support for the ICC, it is still not using the one tool designed for this kind of situation: the blocking statute.

So, why is the EU holding back?

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European gas storage levels are unusually low for this time of year, reaching their lowest autumn level since 2011.

With Russian gas imports set to end in 2027, could Europe face a tougher challenge in the months ahead?

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Spain is heading for early elections, after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a snap vote last week. According to current polls, the conservative People's Party, or PP, is ahead of Sánchez's Socialists, while Vox is also making significant gains.

So, what would happen if the PP and Vox decided to govern together? And what would that mean for Europe?

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France has been seeing growing protests by high school and university students in recent weeks. The movement is continuing today with a fourth day of mobilisation. According to the government, the far-left opposition party is fuelling the protests. For Donald Trump, the movement is the result of mass migration and the presence of Islam.

But what are young people actually protesting about?

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Chinese carmakers are taking an increasing share of the European car market, particularly when it comes to electric vehicles.

Why are some European carmakers now opening their factories to their Chinese competitors?

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In this episode of Europe Talks Back, we talk about the 'Right to Stay,' a concept that aims at making outmigration within the EU, a choice, rather than a necessity.

Léa Marchal speaks with Eleonora Peruffo, researcher at Eurofound, who is working on a new Freedom to Stay index, and Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj-Napoca and member of the European Committee of the Regions. Together, they discuss regional disparities, shrinking areas, access to services and the role of place-based policies in helping people stay and thrive where they live.

Production by Europod, in cooperation with ESPON, an EU-funded programme that bridges research and policy.

This podcast series is cofunded by ESPON. However, the opinions and views expressed are solely those of the authors. ESPON can't be held responsible for them.

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The EU wants to bring new countries on board faster.

But after years of waiting, will the Commission’s new proposals actually make enlargement easier?

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Germany shut down its last nuclear power plants in 2023, bringing Angela Merkel’s nuclear exit policy to its conclusion. But now, nuclear power is making a strong comeback everywhere in Europe.

Will Germany return to nuclear policy?

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Italy brought back border controls with Spain in August, and has now extended them until at least 15 October. Giorgia Meloni’s government fears that migrants who arrived in Ceuta, reach the continent and Italy.

Are these restrictions legal in the Schengen area? What are the EU’s levies to avoid such controls?

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Donald Trump is betting on voluntary commitments from AI companies. On Tuesday, he unveiled a self-regulatory agreement drawn up with some of the biggest names in the AI industry.

What does it mean, and how does it differ from the EU’s Code of Practice for general-purpose AI?

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Hundreds of people were still camping yesterday at Puerta del Sol in Madrid. They were demanding action on housing, as rents and property prices continue to rise.

Following an outcry triggered by the eviction of an 83-year-old woman from her home, and the mobilization of tho usands of people across Spain, the government adopted two housing decrees.

Did they take the protesters’ demands into account?

Listen to the episode on the EU Commission proposals for affordable housing.

Read the article from El Salto about the Spanish government response to the housing crisis.

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The EU is negotiating its next long-term budget, worth 2 trillion euros. But reaching an agreement among the 27 Member States is proving difficult. The deadline is approaching, and the stakes are high.

Will the EU Member States be able to agree on the budget? And what are the different options?

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Rebuilding Gaza will require tens of billions of dollars. European countries have just approved new funding for water and waste management.

But with the ceasefire still fragile, can reconstruction really get underway?

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This summer, a group of 45 men was arrested in France. the reason: their adherence to masculinist ideas and incitement to hatred in a Telegram group with more than 1,700 members. In the UK, several young men linked to the misogynistic movement have been arrested in recent years.

Are European authorities finally taking this threat seriously? And how are they responding to it?

Production: By Europod in co-production with the Sphera Network.

This episode is based on an article written by Blanche Ribault for StreetPress and is co-written with Hélène Pillon from Médianes.

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Creating a company that operates across several EU countries could soon become easier. But the proposed 'EU Inc' regime is also facing strong opposition.

So what exactly is EU Inc, and why is it proving so controversial?

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Giorgia Meloni wants to introduce a limit on the number of foreign pupils in Italian classrooms.

Does such a measure exist elsewhere in Europe, and is it legally sound?

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Eleven EU countries are calling on the European Commission to stop proposing new legislation for a whole year. They say Europe needs to focus on implementing and simplifying the rules it already has.

Is a one-year regulatory pause realistic, and what would deregulation actually mean for European businesses?

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Oil prices are back above 100 dollars a barrel, pushing up fuel prices as fighting intensifies around the Strait of Hormuz.

Could taxing the windfall profits of oil and gas companies help governments support consumers? And what is the EU doing about it?

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Yesterday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a new proposal aimed at protecting children online.

How can the EU reach this objective?

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Yesterday, several dozen people gathered in Valletta to demand justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia, the Maltese investigative journalist who was murdered in 2017. 

Nine years after her murder, the person who allegedly ordered it has still not been convicted. How can such impunity still exist in Europe?

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After a summer marked by heatwaves, wildfires and droughts, climate is back on the European agenda.

But is it really? What can we realistically expect from Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union speech?

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The US is unhappy with the direction European industrial policy is taking. Washington has made its concerns very clear to the EU.

So, what exactly is the problem, and how could the EU solve it?

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For a long time, far-right parties were associated with an openly conservative discourse on women, the family and gender roles. But in recent years, some of these parties across Europe have softened their rhetoric, even presenting themselves as defenders of women.

What does the European far right really have in store for women?

Production: By Europod in co-production with the Sphera Network.

This episode is based on an article written by Melissa Aglietti for VD News and is co-written with Hélène Pillon from Médianes.

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Sweden is holding general elections this Sunday. The far right is already supporting the current government. Could it soon become part of it?

And what could the result mean for Sweden’s political direction?

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The 2025 PISA results were published a few days ago. And they’re quite a bad surprise for most European countries. Educational performance is declining almost everywhere on the continent.

What can we learn from East Asian countries?

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In the first quarter of 2026 alone, rents increased by 3% compared with the same period last year across the European Union. The EU is publishing its affordable housing act today. 

But will it really help Europeans afford housing?

To read the article from Popaganda: https://www.popaganda.gr/sportagon/to-antiskino-tis-daskalas-stegazei-ti-sygchroni-ellada/

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Spain wants the EU to create a European climate adaptation fund. And to finance it, the Spanish government is suggesting taxing oil and gas companies — in other words, applying the “polluter pays” principle.

Is this realistic?

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New return hubs could soon be established outside the European Union. At least, that is the ambition of several European countries, which want to speed up the return of migrants who have been denied the right to stay in the EU.

When and where should we expect those return hubs?

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Europeans have set ambitious goals for the defence capacities that they want to achieve in the next few years. They have increased their defence spending by 79%!

Bill that be enough?

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Mercosur, CETA, TTIP, the EU’s trade policy can sometimes feel very far away from the people who are actually affected by its decisions. In EU jargon, trade policy is an exclusive EU competence. This means that the European Union negotiates and concludes trade agreements with partner countries. Then, the rules apply across the whole of the EU.

But as we know, European regions are highly diverse, and they are equally divided over the benefits of free trade agreements.

How can we take into account the different regional interests in this area?

A podcast by Europod, in cooperation with ESPON, an EU-funded programme that bridges research with policies

To read more about the ESPON report on the impact of trade agreements on regions: https://www.espon.eu/publications/starter-free-trade-agreements-mercosur

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In the United States, a group of 29 states has achieved what Congress has so far failed to do: secure real commitments from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to limit the addictive nature of these platforms for young people.

Could the EU hope to achieve something similar?

Production: By Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network.

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At this stage, there is no evidence to suggest that Russia is preparing to attack a European country in the coming years. This assessment, shared by European intelligence services, is not unanimously accepted across Europe.

So what should Europeans really fear from Russia?

Production: By Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network.

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Thirty billion euros. That’s how much the EU wants to mobilise to build data centres. But this ambition might run up against an obstacle. In recent years, protests against data centres have been emerging across the European Union.

Can local residents influence the AI race? And can Europe make progress on this issue without the support of local communities?

By Europod in co-production with the Sphera Network.

This episode is based on an article written by Alberto Mesas for El Salto and an article written by Tommaso Proverbio for VD News and is co-written with Hélène Pillon from Médianes.

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In this episode of Europe Talks Back, we look at the share of renewable energy production in the EU and how it could be expanded, with insights from Flore Belin, Energy Policy Coordinator at Climate Action Network Europe.

Production by Europod, in cooperation with ESPON, an EU-funded programme that bridges research and policy.

This podcast series is cofunded by ESPON. However, the opinions and views expressed are solely those of the authors. ESPON can't be held responsible for them.

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On Saturday 29th August,, Icelanders will go to the polls to answer this question: Should Iceland restart the EU accession process?

The country could match the EU criteria quite quickly, but is it willing to do so? And what would this mean for Europeans and Icelanders?

Production: By Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network.

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Armenia could soon take another step towards closer ties with the European Union. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Monday, August 24th, that his country could soon submit its official application to join the EU.

Why does Armenia want to move closer to Europe now? And what could this mean for its relations with Russia?

Production: By Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network.

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All migrants, including minors, who arrived in Ceuta on July 30 are supposed to return to Morocco, according to the European Commission. But Spain recently announced it would transfer 500 unaccompanied minors from Ceuta to mainland Spain.

So what happened to the tens of thousands of migrants who entered the Spanish enclave in July?

Production: By Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network.

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The UK has a new Prime Minister: Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Manchester. Last year, he went as far as saying that he would like to see the UK rejoin the European Union in his lifetime. Since then, he has scaled back his ambitions: Burnham acknowledged a few weeks ago, that this was not the right time to reopen the debate over possible EU membership.

What should Europeans expect from Prime Minister Andy Burnham?

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In some of Europe's most popular destinations, excessive noise has become so common that residents are now demanding what they call a "right to peace and quiet."

How do we keep our cities vibrant without making them unbearable for the people who live there?

Production: By Europod in co-production with the Sphera Network.

This episode is based on an article written by Alexandra Lelito for Krytyka Polityczna and is co-written with Hélène Pillon from Médianes.

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Additional sound at the beginning: Joseph SARDIN

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Everywhere in Europe, various territories are facing growing challenges to maintain access to basic services or general interest services. We are talking about care, mobility, education… The ageing population, coupled with skills gaps and territorial inequalities, is putting pressure on a lot of regions.

Which are the most vulnerable territories? How to guarantee equal access to these services across the EU? And what role does the EU have to play?

To answer those questions, we receive Solène Molard, head of social affairs at Eurocities.

This episode was broadcast by Euradio on July 9. It was produced by Europod, in cooperation with ESPON, a European Union-funded program that links research and policy.  

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The European Union is one of the world’s most developed regions; yet deep territorial inequalities persist. According to Eurostat, GDP per capita can vary threefold within the same member state, with capital regions often earning twice as much as the rest of the country.

In this episode of Europe Talks Back, produced with ESPON, Léa Marchal explores why many small and medium-sized cities are losing ground — and whether this trend can be reversed.

Joined by Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, Professor at the London School of Economics and Chair of the High-Level Group on the Future of EU Cohesion Policy, the discussion looks at demographic decline, policy blind spots, and the limits of current cohesion funding.

Are these cities doomed to fall behind - or can smarter investment and stronger local institutions help them thrive again?

Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.

A podcast by Europod, in cooperation with ESPON, an EU-funded programme that bridges research with policies

“This podcast series is cofunded by ESPON. However, the opinions and views expressed are solely those of the authors. ESPON can't be held responsible for them.”

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In this episode of Europe Talks Back, we take a close look at working conditions across the EU. Are they evolving homogeneously? What are the obstacles to fair working conditions?

To answer these questions, we welcome Agnes Parent-Thirion, Senior Research Manager at Eurofound.

Production by Europod, in cooperation with ESPON, an EU-funded programme that bridges research and policy.

“This podcast series is cofunded by ESPON. However, the opinions and views expressed are solely those of the authors. ESPON can't be held responsible for them.”

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After five episodes focusing on Santorini, I now take a step back and take a look at overtourism on a European scale.

Dr. Antonio Paolo Russo shares his expertise on the problem, telling us that there is still a long way to go before effective policies are put into place at the European level.

So, could we do anything to solve the problem, as European citizens who love to travel? I invited my friends Lea & Melissa to share their points of view.

A podcast by Maëlle Julou for Sphera, available on the European podcast platform Europod and all listening platforms.

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In this episode, we talk about responsibility. Who should act to save Santorini? What are politicians doing? Who even cares?

When activists are doing most of the work voluntarily and without much resources, when municipalities are blocked by national governments, when investors are still building hotels in protected areas and individuals think saving Santorini is a lost battle, the island is certainly in need of a strong and collective movement to guarantee its sustainability.

A podcast by Maëlle Julou for Sphera, available on the European podcast platform EuroPod and all listening platforms.

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What happened to authenticity? When people start comparing some areas of Santorini with Disneyland, it is not a good sign.

This episode is about the impact that overtourism has on the local culture of Santorini. 

Locals highlight how important is to share with tourists the true richness of the island, for them to learn about its culture, its past, its traditions, its arts and crafts, its music, its essence. We also learn about the damage tourism has on the social fabric of Santorini, and how locals try to keep a sense of belonging to the island.

A podcast for the Sphera project, available on the European podcast platform EuroPod and all listening platforms.

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What’s the actual impact of over-tourism on the environment of Santorini? 

In this episode, activists, politicians and locals sound the alarm on the disaster created with the progressive loss of natural land and the pollution of its waters. The endless growth of Santorini is stretching the island’s capacity and resources far beyond their limits. 

A podcast by Maëlle Julou for Sphera, available on the European podcast platform EuroPod, and all listening platforms.

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“Everyone will get something from her, but no one will love her.” As tourist arrivals keep growing and attain dramatic numbers, the quality of life on the island is negatively impacted. How do inhabitants deal with the presence of tourists on a daily basis? Is there even a choice, now that the tourism industry is what feeds the whole island?

A podcast by Maëlle Julou for Sphera, available on the european podcast platform EuroPod, and all listening platforms.

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How did Santorini get here? How did this once small and quiet island become the host of millions of tourists every year?

Sharing their archives and memories, locals tell us about the rapid transformation that Santorini experiences, and how the focus on tourists might have become a bit excessive.

A podcast by Maëlle Julou for Sphera, available on the European podcast platform EuroPod, and all listening platforms.

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Hypertourismos is a documentary podcast series created by Maëlle Julou that explores overtourism on the Greek island of Santorini and across Europe. It features local voices discussing how massive crowds affect the environment, local life, and the economy.

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