The Europeans | European news, politics and culture

Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer
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Mar 11, 2021 • 36min

Poland’s abortion fight

To mark International Women's Day this week, we speak to one of this continent's most courageous activists: Marta Lempart of the Women's Strike, the movement that that has organised massive street protests in recent months against Poland's incredibly restrictive abortion laws. We're also talking about Berlin's gender-neutral acting prize, Fidesz, and the power of oranges. This week's Isolation Inspiration: "It's A Sin", "African Europeans: An Untold History" and El País' long-read about José Epita Mbombo. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few euros / dollars / pounds a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Producer: Katz Laszlo Assistant producers: Andrei Popoviciu and Priyanka Shankar Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Feb 24, 2021 • 41min

A polyphonic episode

We've got a musical episode for you this week: a Catalan rapper jailed for controversial lyrics and tweets, an ancient French instrument, and some vintage Dutch pop. Plus the historian Timothy Garton Ash is here to explain why he thinks we need a more "polyphonic" Europe. Timothy and his team at University of Oxford want to hear your stories! Take part in their Europe's Stories project here. This week's Isolation Inspiration: Capitani on Netflix, Mangrove on Amazon Prime / the BBC, "Ding-a-Dong" by Teach-In. Thanks for listening! If you like our podcast and want to help us keep making it, we'd be hugely grateful if you'd consider chipping in a few euros / dollars / pounds a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Feb 17, 2021 • 37min

Decolonising Kitchens

A lot of this continent's favourite food comes originally from its former colonies — often with tweaks to suit European tastes. This week we talk to the superstar chef Asma Khan about food that has crossed borders, as well as her bid to banish macho culture from the restaurant industry. We're also talking about Super Mario, Greece's student protests, and an extremely old nun. Thanks for listening! If you like our show and would like to help us keep making it, we'd be hugely grateful if you'd consider chipping in a few euros/dollars/pounds a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Producer: Katz Laszlo Assistant producers: Andrei Popoviciu and Priyanka Shankar Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Feb 10, 2021 • 35min

The weird and wonderful world of eels

Why has a book about eels become a smash-hit in Sweden and beyond? This week we talk to Patrik Svensson, author of The Gospel of the Eels, about these strange and wonderful creatures and their epic annual migration from Europe to the Sargasso Sea. We're also talking about the Balkans' #MeToo uprising, Germany's mass coming-out, and the world's greatest Zoom meeting. Isolation Inspiration: Italian Netflix comedy Rose Island (L'incredibile storia dell'Isola delle Rose), and live dance performance Our House Is On Fire, amplifying the words of Greta Thunberg, on Thursday February 11. Thanks for listening! If you like our podcast and would like to help us keep making it, you can chip in a few euros/dollars/pounds at patreon.com/europeanspodcast.com. We're hugely grateful for your support! Producer: Katz Laszlo Assistant producer: Andrei Popoviciu Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Feb 3, 2021 • 34min

Taming Big Tech

Europe has big plans to regulate the giant internet companies that shape our lives. But just how much will they force the likes of Google and Facebook to behave? This week we ring up Andrii Degeler, host of the Tech.eu podcast, to explain the whole thing without putting us to sleep. We're also talking about the French village with an astonishing history of helping the persecuted; bingeing on movies on a lonely Swedish island; and why the EU's design might make it harder to fight poverty. Listen to the Tech.eu podcast here (https://podcast.tech.eu/) and find out more about how Le Chambon-sur-Lignon helped Jewish refugees during the Holocaust here (https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/le-chambon-sur-lignon). This week's Isolation Inspiration: Orff-Schulwerk: Gassenhauer (https://open.spotify.com/track/1sbtYPTZ2TW5T54JZaIshg?si=-bSHVY3nSNyn98LtKt3O4Q) from Klassix for Kidz (!) and Danish Netflix comedy Rita. If you enjoy our podcast and want to help us keep making it, we'd be hugely grateful if you could chip in a few euros, dollars or pounds a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also support our friends at the beautiful magazine Are We Europe, who have just launched a new membership drive. Find out more: https://2021.areweeurope.com Thanks for listening! Producer: Katz Laszlo Assistant producers: Priyanka Shankar and Andrei Popoviciu Twitter @europeanspod | Instagram @europeanspodcast | Facebook The Europeans Podcast | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Jan 27, 2021 • 37min

The Shell Case

The oil giant Shell is Europe's biggest company — and it's facing an absolutely massive court case over climate justice. This week we speak to Anoek Nuyens, one of the women behind an extraordinary piece of theatre about Shell that laid bare the "crisis of responsibility" at the heart of global climate policy. We're also talking about Russia's opposition protests and the horrifying case of a TikTok challenge gone wrong in Italy. To find out more about This Is What A Generation Sounds Like, the new podcast series we're making with our friends at Are We Europe, check out our website: europeanspodcast.com/call-for-stories-allianz-kulturstiftung. And why not get yourself 50 percent off Are We Europe's excellent new magazine? Enter EUROPEANS at checkout. This week's Isolation Inspiration: Call My Agent, Moonstruck, Dating Amber. Thanks for listening. If you like our podcast and want to help us keep making it, you can chip in a few euros/dollars/pounds a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Producer: Katz Laszlo Assistant producer: Priyanka Shankar Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Jan 20, 2021 • 36min

The mafia on trial

The 'Ndrangheta has become one of the most powerful and dangerous crime syndicates in the world. But how does the mafia actually operate? This week, as a massive trial of suspected   'Ndrangheta members gets underway in Italy, we delve into the inner workings of Europe's organised crime scene with the criminologist Federico Varese. We're also dishing up edible insects, the many European governments on the verge of collapse this week, and the magical power of seagrass. Isolation Inspiration: Federico's fascinating book Mafia Life; French Netflix show Lupin; nepotistic but excellent theatre livestream The end of Eddy. Thanks for listening! If you enjoy The Europeans and want to help us keep making it, we'd be hugely grateful if you'd consider chipping in a few euros/dollars/pounds at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Edited by Katz Laszlo. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Jan 13, 2021 • 36min

Life after Merkel

Happy New Year, Europeans and europhiles! We're back with a brand new episode featuring everything from ancient fast food to naughty aristocrats. Since Angela Merkel's party starts choosing her successor this weekend, German journalist Wolfgang Munchau is here to reflect on what kind of a hole the Queen of Europe will leave in our continent. We're also taking a look at Norway's split personality when it comes to the climate, and why Amsterdam cannabis tourism may become a thing of the past. Wolfgang is the director of Eurointelligence. Check out his podcast! This week's cutting-edge Isolation Inspiration: Fleabag (2016), The Bureau (2015), Bridgerton. Thanks for listening! If you like our podcast and want to help us keep making it, you can chip in a few euros/dollars/pounds a week at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. This episode was edited by Katz Laszlo. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Dec 16, 2020 • 34min

’Twas Christmas Eve in Dublin

For our last episode of the year, we take you to a supermarket in the Dublin suburbs in 2006. We also discuss a string of mysterious explosions at Polish grocery stores in the Netherlands, doing a deal with Viktor Orbán, and the secret to happiness in Europe. This week's beautiful story was written by Richy Craven, read by Darach Ó Séaghdha, and produced by Katz Laszlo. If you enjoyed it, please consider donating to Barnardos. You can check out Darach's podcast, Motherfoclóir, here, and listen to the sweet sounds of Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin and Ultan O'Brien here. Other music from Lena Orsa and Timbre at Freesound. This week's Isolation Inspiration: The Great, Catherine The Great, The Romanovs, Handel's Messiah from VOCES8, To Catch A Thief and ÜberWeihnachten. Thank you so much for listening to The Europeans in 2020. We've loved making the show. If you'd like to help us keep going in 2021, you can chip in a few euros/dollars/pounds a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Dec 9, 2020 • 27min

Philip and Laci

Philip recently found out that his classmate was a member of a far-right group. This is what happened when the two of them sat down to talk. This podcast was made possible by our Patreon supporters. If you'd like to help us keep making The Europeans, you can support us here: patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Reporting by Philip Pollak; production by Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer; editing by Katy Lee; artwork by Rosa ter Kuile; music by Jim Barne. With huge thanks to Natalie Nougayrède and Emily Schultheis for their editorial advice. The original Hungarian audio and an annotated English transcript can be found here (password-protected). Thanks for listening. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com

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