
The Europeans | European news, politics and culture
The Europeans is a fresh and entertaining weekly podcast about European politics and culture, recorded each week between Paris and Amsterdam with fascinating guests joining from across Europe. This multiple award-winning podcast fills you in on the major European politics stories and other European news of the week, as well as fun and quirky nuggets that have been missed by most media outlets.
Hosted by Katy Lee, a journalist based in Paris, and Dominic Kraemer, an opera singer in Amsterdam, The Europeans covers everything from elections and climate policy to the best new European films and TV shows. We also produce investigative podcasts about everything from the European farming lobby to oat milk. Yes, oat milk.
Katy and Dominic are old friends, and the warmth and intimacy of their conversations will soon make you feel like you’ve known them a long time too. They approach topics with a light and humorous tone that makes The Europeans stand out from other European news podcasts, while remaining journalistically rigorous and meticulously fact-checked. The Europeans has been recommended by The New York Times, The Guardian, Buzzfeed, The Financial Times, and many other outlets.
Katy Lee, a British-French reporter, has written for major outlets including The Guardian, Politico Europe, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Foreign Policy and The New Statesman for more than a decade, covering French and European politics and more recently, climate change. Dominic Kraemer, a British-German opera singer, performs across Europe when he is not co-hosting The Europeans, with roles recently at the Staatsoper in Berlin, the Dutch National Opera and the Münchener Biennale. The Europeans’ team is completed by producers Katz Laszlo in Amsterdam and Wojciech Oleksiak in Warsaw. You’ll hear them joining Katy and Dominic from time to time, particularly during investigative episodes like ‘The Oatly Chronicles’ and ‘The Big-Agri Bully Boys’.
The Europeans’ breezy, informal approach to covering European news has won awards such as a Covering Climate Now award for an episode about the Swiss women who sued their government at the European Court of Human Rights demanding more climate action; Germany’s prestigious CIVIS Media Prize for ‘Mohamed’, an episode that explores the everyday life of a young undocumented man in Amsterdam; and best LGBTQIA+ short at the MiraBan UK Film Awards for ‘Josh and Franco’, the coming-of-age story of a father and son, both gay.
Our guests have included everyone from major figures in European politics such as Alexander Stubb, now the President of Finland, and Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, to star chefs Asma Khan and Christian Puglisi, celebrated illustrator Christoph Niemann, and environmentalist George Monbiot. Since launching in 2017, we’ve talked about everything from elections in France, Italy and many more countries besides, to the politics of halloumi cheese in Cyprus, to why Donald Trump is so hard for TV interpreters to translate.
We pride ourselves on covering European politics, European news and European culture from a pan-European perspective. You’ll often hear stories on The Europeans from parts of the continent that don’t usually receive enough attention from major international media outlets, especially Central, Eastern and Southern Europe.
You might enjoy The Europeans if you also enjoy one of these other podcasts: The News Agents, On the Media, Today in Focus, Inside Europe, The Journal, EU Confidential, The Daily, The Globalist, Reasons to be Cheerful, The Media Show, Power Play, and The New Statesman. Whether you’re already a European news nerd, or simply someone who’d like to be better informed about what’s happening across Europe, The Europeans is the podcast for you.
Latest episodes

Jan 30, 2025 • 56min
Butterflies and bullied protesters
Europe's rarest butterfly lives on the outskirts of a single town in North Macedonia. So why is it possible to find specimens of this incredibly endangered animal for sale online for 30 euros? This week we speak to Kiril Arsovski Przo, one of the scientists behind an investigation into this troubling legal loophole. We're also talking about the farcical election in Belarus and Britain's crackdown on climate protesters.
You can watch 'Nature for Sale' here and read more about the investigation here.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work in 2025. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'Earnest Cole: Lost and Found' and 'Murder Mindfully' (Achtsam Morden).
Other resources for this week's episode
'Hope for our rarest UK bat' - Bat Conservation Trust, January 27, 2025 https://www.bats.org.uk/news/2025/01/hope-for-our-rarest-uk-bat
Zeno Siemens and Jacco Prantl - 'Learning to listen with Gordon Hempton' https://soundcloud.com/thecorrespondent/zeno-siemens-and-jacco-prantl-learning-to-listen-with-gordon-hempton
Invisibilia - 'The Last Sound' https://open.spotify.com/episode/2vPX641oHRo1vetDVl7CeH?si=qu4otcOPTeS4hGyimw5Snw
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
00:23 Cold dips and the future of memory culture
04:27 Good Week: Aleksandr Lukashenko
12:08 Bad Week: Freedom to protest in the UK
32:11 Interview: Kiril Arsovski Przo on the legal loophole threatening Europe's most endangered butterfly
47:31 The Inspiration Station: 'Earnest Cole: Lost and Found' and 'Murder Mindfully' (Achtsam Morden)
50:59 Happy Ending: Company for the world's loneliest bat
Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com

Jan 23, 2025 • 47min
The world needs more drag cows
In an otherwise miserable week, this podcast is delighted to bring you a joyful interview with a drag cow. At least, an interview with the person behind the cow: the Swiss artist, performer and animal rights activist Daniel Hellmann. We chat to Daniel about why he decided to channel his campaigning side into something so wonderfully silly. We're also talking about a trigger-happy Croatian politician and Ursula von der Leyen's return from hospital.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work in 2025. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here.
You can follow Soya the Cow here and find out more about Daniel's work here.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'The Outrun', Danish spruce cookbook 'Mad med gran', and European TikTok.
Other resources for this episode
'Što društvo može napraviti da spriječi porast nasilja?' (What can society do to prevent the rise in violence?') - HRT, January 16, 2025 https://vijesti.hrt.hr/hrvatska/otvoreno-659-11963849
'A Brit Explains Wagatha Christie To An American' - Bustle, October 19, 2023 https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/wagatha-christie-explained-by-a-brit-to-an-american
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
00:23 An (attempted) orange-man free zone
03:08 Good Week: Ursula von der Leyen
10:32 Bad Week: Croatia's government
21:40 Interview: Daniel Hellmann (Soya the Cow) on the case for joyful activism
39:05 The Inspiration Station: 'The Outrun', 'Mad men gran', and European TikTok
44:23 Happy Ending: A social network making a good decision, for once?!
Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com

Jan 16, 2025 • 51min
Russia's gas games
There's been a weird loophole in the war in Ukraine up until now. Nearly three years after Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine was still being paid to transport Russian gas for sale to Europe, all while Moscow continued to kill its people. What does the end of this strange deal mean? This week we ring up energy expert Szymon Kardaś to ask how Putin's regime might seek to use the new situation to his advantage, and to what extent Europe has really managed to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels. We're also talking about the new challenge to Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić, and whether or not it's a good idea to eat your Christmas tree.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work in 2025. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here.
Szymon is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and an assistant professor at the University of Warsaw. You can read his tweets here.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: The European Journalism Centre's Journalism Innovation Podcast and 'Beyond the Wall' by Katja Hoyer.
Other resources for this episode
Ghent city hall's guide to reducing post-holiday waste — now with added disclaimer: https://stad.gent/nl/groen-milieu/nieuws-evenementen/na-de-feestdagen-wat-met-de-restjes#je-kerstboom
'Sweden says Christmas tree needles safe to eat — after Belgian warning'. AFP / France 24, January 8, 2025
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250108-sweden-says-christmas-tree-needles-safe-to-eat-after-belgian-warning
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
00:22 Polish apple facts, and some amazing news
05:05 Bad Week: Aleksandar Vučić
17:02 Good week: Adventurous chefs
26:44 Interview: Szymon Kardaś on what the Russia-Ukraine gas pipeline shutdown means for Europe
42:31 The Inspiration Station: The European Journalism Centre's Journalism Innovation Podcast, and 'Beyond the Wall'
46:12 Happy Ending: From Thiberville to Thiberville, with love
Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com

Jan 9, 2025 • 48min
Democratic salami and boiling frogs
Between Elon Musk's meddling and Romania's election rollercoaster, the state of Europe's democracies feels a little scary at the start of 2025. This week we talk to Tom Theuns, author of a new book about Europe's failure to stop the slow slide towards autocracy so far and what we can do to fix it.
Tom is a senior assistant professor of political theory and European politics at Leiden University. You can find out all about his book, 'Protecting Democracy in Europe', here, and follow him on Bluesky here.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'My Favourite Cake' and 'La Chimera'.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work in 2025. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here.
We're also crowdfunding our new series, 'Who Does It Best?', which will delve into the most imaginative policies around Europe. We're 96% of the way there! You can find out all about our plans for the series, and help us start making it, at https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast.
Other resources for this episode:
Double Dutch on Instagram and TikTok
Ada Colau's amazing Instagram post
Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
00:23 The headwinds of 2025
02:48 Bad Week: Fireworks
11:50 Good Week: Greenland's pro-independence movement
22:31 Interview: Tom Theuns on protecting Europe's democracies
38:01 The Inspiration Station: 'My Favourite Cake' and 'La Chimera'
43:13 Happy Ending: Ada Colau's amazing Instagram post
Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com

Dec 11, 2024 • 59min
Cold water, warm hearts
Katharina Smets is an audio maker and a member of Antwerp's biggest cold plunge club, known for her expertise in cold water swimming. She shares fascinating insights into the health benefits of cold exposure, highlighting its positive impacts on mental health and addiction recovery. The conversation also touches on the cultural significance of cold swims during winter festivities across Europe. Additionally, they humorously discuss Greece's festive pricing policies and the controversy surrounding the Vatican's Christmas tree, making for a lively and engaging dialogue.

Dec 5, 2024 • 54min
The manosphere, the 'TikTok messiah', and 132 hamsters
This week’s guests are Andrei Popoviciu, an award-winning investigative journalist skilled in navigating Romanian politics, and Chris Ntonis, a Greek-Albanian student in Sweden with insights on gender perceptions across cultures. They dive deep into Romania’s political shift with the rise of the 'TikTok Messiah' and explore the generational divide on feminism among young Europeans. Expect laughter over an incident involving 132 runaway hamsters and a discussion on combating online misogyny in a digital age!

Nov 28, 2024 • 57min
Has Donald Tusk fixed Poland?
It's been a year since Donald Tusk took power, filling liberals and progressives in Poland with hope as eight years of rightwing populist rule came to an end. But how much has Tusk's coalition really improved things? This week Dominika Lasota of Wschód, an increasingly influential force that has been holding Tusk's government to account, joins us to discuss what still needs to change. We're also talking about Ursula von der Leyen's new squad, and why you might no longer need your passport for trips to Romania or Bulgaria.
It's seven years today since we published the first episode of The Europeans! If you'd like to send us a little birthday present, we'd love it if you'd consider funding our work. We're crowdfunding a new mini-series at https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast, and you can also support the weekly running of The Europeans via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/europeanspodcast. Thank you so much to everyone who makes our independent European journalism possible.
This week's Inspiration Station offerings: The World In Maps and My Voice, My Choice.
Other resources for this episode:
David Gilmour - Rattle That Lock (Official Music Video)
'Schengen in Sights, EU and Frontex Overlook Violent Bulgarian Pushbacks' - Balkan Insight, February 26, 2024
00:22 Dominic's SNCF jingle trauma
04:02 Bad Week: The European left
15:09 Good Week: Romania and Bulgaria's Schengen bid
28:07 Interview: Dominika Lasota on one year of Donald Tusk's government in Poland
49:29 The Inspiration Station: The World In Maps and My Voice, My Choice
53:46 Happy Ending: Dominic's Barcelona metro challenge
Producers: Katz Laszlo and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Instagram | Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com

Nov 21, 2024 • 49min
The perils of standing up to Iran from Europe
From Turkey to France and the UK, Iranians who've challenged the regime at home have often sought safety in Europe. But how safe are these dissidents, really? This week we speak to Fariba Nawa, host of 'Lethal Dissent', a fascinating new podcast series that investigates Iran's efforts to silence those in exile on European soil and beyond. We're also talking about Denmark's remarkable mass rewilding plan, and Slovakia's nationalist crackdown on the use of Hungarian and other minority languages.
You can find 'Lethal Dissent' wherever you're listening to this. It was produced by the team at slow journalism podcast On Spec.
We're crowdfunding a new series! You can find out all about it in the special announcement on our feed, as well as on the crowdfunding page itself: https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast. You can also support the weekly running of The Europeans via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/europeanspodcast. Thank you so much to everyone who makes our independent European journalism possible.
This week's Inspiration Station offerings: Bluesky (here's the Sky Follower Bridge) and 'Metrokosmos' on Arte.
00:23 Hot and fresh in your ear canals
04:52 Good Week: Denmark's huge rewilding plan
11:28 Bad Week: Slovakia's Hungarian minority
24:15 Interview: Fariba Nawa on Iran's hunting of its citizens abroad
40:09 The Inspiration Station: Bluesky and 'Metrokosmos'
45:32 Happy Ending: Granny's revenge on the phone scammers
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Instagram | Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com

Nov 14, 2024 • 16min
A special announcement from The Europeans
An exciting new initiative is underway, calling for listener contributions to sustain independent podcasting. The hosts share plans for an investigative series, 'Who Does It Best?', aimed at showcasing successful policies from around the world. They discuss how divergent European policies impact daily life, including housing and healthcare. Personal stories highlight the urgent need for effective solutions in housing and drug policies. The importance of listener support in fostering transparent and engaging media is emphasized throughout.

Nov 7, 2024 • 1h 3min
Spain's floods, Moldova's election, and what the kids of Europe are watching
The world may be transfixed by the US election results, but this was a huge week for news on this side of the Atlantic too. This week we're trying to make sense of the cataclysmic floods in Spain, and talking about another presidential election with major consequences — the one in Moldova. Plus, a much-needed palate-cleanser: we're delving into a fascinating report into what European children are watching, and what grown-up film producers can do to make better stuff for kids.
Anne Schultka is the project manager of KIDS Regio, which campaigns for the children's film industry in Europe. Rikke Flodin is a partner at PUBLIKUM. You can download the report, 'European Children's Film in Focus', here.
This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Kapsalon Romy' ('Romy’s Salon') and 'Leto kada sam naucila da letim' ('How I Learned To Fly').
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by leaving us a review or giving us five stars on Spotify.
Other resources for this episode:
'Valencian president downplayed floods while Spain’s rivers rose' - Politico Europe, November 1, 2024 https://www.politico.eu/article/spain-valencia-floods-death-toll-carlos-mazon/
'Pumpkin paddling season: Kasterlee's giant pumpkin regatta' - DW News, October 28, 2024 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2701632486675304
00:22 A non-US election podcast
04:48 Bad Week: Spain's floods
24:39 Good Week: Maia Sandu
37:26 Interview: Anna Schultka and Rikke Flodin on what the kids of Europe are watching
55:00 The Inspiration Station: 'Romy's Salon' and 'How I Learned To Fly'
58:19 Happy Ending: Belgium's pumpkin kayak race
Producers: Morgan Childs and Katz Laszlo
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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