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The Europeans | European news, politics and culture

Latest episodes

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Mar 25, 2020 • 31min

Lakes and dogs

Calming things are much needed this week, so we're talking about lakes and we're talking about dogs. Our guest is the poet and author Kapka Kassabova, whose latest book To The Lake is a beautiful account of life on the borders of Greece, Albania and North Macedonia. We're also celebrating cleaner skies, human-canine relationships, and putting booze to good use. Thanks to the amazing people who support this podcast on Patreon, especially in these uncertain times. If you have a couple of dollars to spare each month, you can chip in at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Watch Dominic's latest opera here! Thanks for listening. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Mar 18, 2020 • 32min

Consent

The show goes on. This week, aside from bringing you some positivity from around the continent, we're talking to someone who turned something terrible into something empowering. Emma Holten was 20 years old when nude photos of her were leaked onto the internet without her consent. We gave her a call in Copenhagen to hear about her inspiring fightback. Also this week: good dogs and good decisions in Spain and Greece. You can follow Emma on Instagram here and Twitter here. Thank you to the generous supporters who keep this show going! You can pledge just $2 a month or more at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Mar 11, 2020 • 30min

Long Distance

This week, the distances travelled in search of love and safety. The Finnish novelist and playwright Saara Turunen has written beautifully about what it's like to navigate a relationship between Helsinki and Barcelona. We chat to her about European culture clashes and what feminism looks like in the two countries she lives between. Plus, Europe's failed refugee policy, magical taps, and ill-chosen words by a billionaire populist (no, not that one). Saara's piece appears in Europa28, a collection of writing by European women which comes out on March 12. Read the New York Times investigation on how oligarchs milk EU farming subsidies here. Fancy seeing Lysistrata in Dortmund on March 23 or Greentea Peng in Lisbon on April 23? We have free tickets! Tag us in a post alongside @liveurope for your chance to win. Thanks for listening. If you like the show and have a couple of spare dollars a month, you can help keep us running at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Mar 4, 2020 • 30min

The God Lobby

You might not think of the corridors of Brussels as a particularly spiritual place, but all kinds of religious groups are jostling for influence there. This week we delve into the world of religious lobbying with the French journalist Quentin Ariès. Also this week: a secret passage, winds of change in Slovakia, and the power of the Paris agreement. You can read Quentin's article on religious lobbying in the latest issue of Are We Europe magazine. Listeners to this podcast get 25% off with the code EUROPEANSPOD. Watch Iceland's amazing Eurovision entry here and help support this podcast at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Feb 26, 2020 • 30min

Why is Greece’s refugee policy such a mess?

In 2015, the 'migrant crisis' was the front page story of every newspaper in Europe. Today more than 42,000 people are still stranded on the Greek islands, in shameful conditions — and yet we barely talk about it. Migration researcher Apostolis Fotadis joins us from Athens to explain why Greece's refugee policy has become such a disaster. Also this week: big changes in Portugal, criminally-bad (?) singing in Croatia, and a Finnish mystery. Thanks for listening. You can support the podcast on Patreon here: https://patreon.com/europeanspodcast Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Feb 19, 2020 • 34min

Eurafrica

This week, a tale of two continents. Katy speaks to the Kenyan writer Patrick Gathara about Eurafrica, an idea that informed the European project after World War II but is now largely forgotten. Sixty years after a wave of African countries won their independence in 1960, we're also talking about why decolonisation is an ongoing process. Also this week: jilted Balkan lovers, mixed meat messages, and a lost summer soundtrack. Read Patrick's piece about Eurafrica for Al Jazeera: https://bit.ly/2HE5s88 Take part in our survey and help us make the podcast better: https://iter.ly/w9d8i Enter our competition for free Charlotte dos Santos tickets: http://tiny.cc/n3p7jz Thanks for listening. Patreon | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Feb 12, 2020 • 29min

What just happened in Ireland?

Something huge just happened in Irish politics, but as outsiders it's difficult to understand what exactly. Naomi O'Leary from the excellent podcast The Irish Passport is here to untangle everything for us. Also this week: coronavirus racism, a step forward for LGBTQ+ rights in Switzerland, and what happens when a celeb does the 'double-clicky-likey-thing' on one of your social media posts. We're doing a survey to work out how to make the podcast better! If you've got 5 minutes to spare, we'd love to hear your thoughts. You can take part here. We also have a competition this week, courtesy of our friends at our favourite European concert venue chain Liveurope! We have three pairs of free tickets to see the brilliant Charlotte Dos Santos in Copenhagen, Brussels and London in March. For a chance to get their hands on them, tag us in a tweet or Instagram post letting the world know you listen to The Europeans! Thanks for listening. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Patreon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Feb 5, 2020 • 31min

How the hell do you make an EU law?

We've been wondering how on earth the European Union makes laws for 27 countries at once. Producer Katz Laszlo went to the beach to find out. This is the last episode in our mini-series Bursting the Bubble, explaining how the EU works in the least boring way possible. Huge thanks to the European Cultural Foundation for funding this series. They support projects that promote Europe as an open and democratic space. Thank you also to the amazing Patreon supporters who keep this show running, and to The Europeans' tote bag designer and beach trash collector Rosa ter Kuile. Written and produced by Katz Laszlo, with help from Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Patreon | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Jan 22, 2020 • 24min

Fanya and the Forest

This week, Katy heads to the forest in Lithuania. Ahead of International Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27, we're talking about memory politics with a formidable 97-year-old. This is the last podcast in our mini-series Postcards from Europe, featuring intimate portraits of lives and places across the continent. It was made possible by the European Cultural Foundation, who support initiatives that rethink Europe as an open and democratic space. This podcast was written, produced and edited by Katy Lee, with help from Sonia Zhuravlyova, Dominic Kraemer and Katz Laszlo. Voiceover by Haya Vardy. Music provided by Moni Ovadia, Yad Vashem and Blue Dot Sessions. Artwork by La Kingsbeer. Thanks for listening. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Patreon europeanspodcast.com | hello@europeanspodcast.com
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Jan 15, 2020 • 29min

Why are monarchies still a thing in Europe?

Monarchies might seem out of date on a continent that prides itself on its democratic values, but nearly a third of Europeans still live in countries that have them. This week the drama in the British royal family finally convinced Katy to lift her ban on the topic. She and Dominic are joined by Bob Morris ⁠— constitutional expert at UCL and co-editor of a forthcoming book comparing European monarchies ⁠— to talk about why the royals are still a thing in the 21st century. Plus, flight-shaming, Federer-shaming, and Hungary's quest for a baby boom. Fancy a postcard from Paris or Amsterdam? Chip in to our Patreon fund before the end of the month! Thanks to the amazing donors who are already keeping this show running: patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com

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