
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

Jul 18, 2024 • 39min
'Luca'
Meet Luca Borsos, a producer sharing the story of a Hungarian family divided over land use. The podcast explores generational farming, artistic freedom, family dynamics, and community interactions, offering a deep dive into agricultural narratives and personal struggles.

Jul 11, 2024 • 54min
What happens after France's surprise swing to the left?
A surprise left-wing election win? In Europe? In 2024? This week, we turn to our resident Parisian journalist to try to get our heads around what just happened in France, as well as what might happen next. We’re also looking at the other big left-wing winners of the week: the UK Labour Party. What might their new government mean for Britain’s relationship with Europe? Plus, Barcelona’s anti-tourist revolt and what may be the world’s toughest crackdown on Airbnb.
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.
This week's Inspiration Station picks: BBC Assignment: 'Germany's AI detectives' and The Europeans on YouTube.
Other resources:
'El malestar por el turismo masivo se traslada a las calles de Barcelona' - La Vanguardia, July 6, 2024
'Quelle coalition ? Composez votre majorité absolue avec notre simulateur de coalitions exclusif' - Le Grand Continent, July 7, 2024
00:22 The return of human co-host Dominic Kraemer
03:51 Good Week: Britain's relationship with the EU
15:02 Bad Week: Tourists in Barcelona
28:16 Interview: Katy on France's surprise election results and what might happen next
48:33 Isolation Inspiration: 'Germany's AI detectives' and The Europeans on YouTube
51:24 Happy Ending: Climate-resilient cacao
Producers: Wojciech Oleksiak and Katy Lee
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky hello@europeanspodcast.com

Jul 4, 2024 • 53min
Why is European cinema so different from Hollywood?
Fewer expensive car chases, more moody shots and ambiguous endings: movies made in Europe are often very different from those made in the US. But Europe's more arty film output isn't just a product of our culture — it has a lot to do with how the industry is financed. This week, we're asking: why is European cinema the way it is, and should we be trying to change it? Plus, producer Wojciech Oleksiak joins Katy to discuss Europe's latest far-right alliance and why Kaja Kallas may be glad to be stepping down as Estonia's prime minister.
This episode was supported by KIDS Regio. Thanks so much to project manager Anne Schultka for joining us, along with Tamara Kolarić, assistant professor in social sciences at SALIS, Dublin City University.
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.
This week's Inspiration Station picks: Euro 2024 and Search Engine: 'Why didn't Chris and Dan get into Berghain?' Parts 1 and 2
Other resources:
'The Hungarian presidency: Let the games begin' - Politico Europe, June 25, 2024
00:22 Hot in Warsaw, even hotter in Paris
02:45 Good Week: Kaja Kallas (and her replacement)
12:40 Bad Week: The Mainstream
26:05 Interview: Anne Schultka and Tamara Kolarić on how money shapes Europe's film industry
43:56 The Inspiration Station: Something called 'football', and Search Engine: 'Why didn't Chris and Dan get into Berghain?' Parts 1 and 2
48:58 Happy Ending: Dominic's holiday voice note
Producers: Morgan Childs and Katy Lee
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina

Jun 27, 2024 • 47min
Pigeon murders, the nature restoration law, and Scandinavian family therapy
Nature restoration law in the EU and a German town's pigeon dilemma. Discover 'Norsken, svensken og dansken' podcast for Scandinavian family therapy. Dive into linguistic dynamics and cultural identity in Scandinavia.

Jun 20, 2024 • 46min
The most confusing elections of all time?
The far-right surged but the centre held; somehow the two are true at once. Nearly 100 members of the new European Parliament have yet to tell us which political family they’ll be joining. And as for who’s actually going to be running the EU’s institutions for the next five years – right now, it’s anyone’s guess. How can we make sense of these European elections? Alberto Alemmano joins us to help decipher a momentous, and very confusing, moment in Europe’s democracy.
Alberto is a professor of EU law at HEC in Paris and the College of Europe. You can follow him on Twitter here.
We’ve got a new look! Check out our beautiful new website, designed by the wonderful RTiiiKA, at europeanspodcast.com.
This week’s Inspiration Station offerings: ‘Untold: Power for Sale’ and ‘Under Paris’. You can check out ‘Mixed Signals’, the new podcast from Semafor, here.
This special episode was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Culture of Solidarity Fund, powered by the European Cultural Foundation in collaboration with Allianz Foundation and the Evens Foundation. You can check out the #CulturalDealEU campaign here.
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.
Hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Katy Lee
Producer: Katy Lee
Sound design, mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Editorial support: Katz Laszlo
Music: Jim Barne and Blue Dot Sessions
Sound effects: Freesound.org
Artwork: RTiiiKA
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky | hello@europeanspodcast.com

Jun 6, 2024 • 36min
Why give a damn about the European elections?
They’re the second biggest elections on Earth. For the next four days, 373 million people are eligible to take part in the vote for the European Parliament. And yet in most EU countries, the prevailing mood is… ‘meh’.
This week, we take on the challenge of convincing you that these elections are anything but meh, with the help of one of our favourite explainers of all things EU, Beatriz Ríos.
You can follow Beatriz on Twitter here and find Politico Europe’s guide on how to vote here.
This special episode was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Culture of Solidarity Fund, powered by the European Cultural Foundation in collaboration with Allianz Foundation and the Evens Foundation. You can check out the #CulturalDealEU campaign here.
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.
Hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Katy Lee
Producer: Katy Lee
Sound design, mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Editorial support: Katz Laszlo
Music: Jim Barne and Blue Dot Sessions
Sound effects: Freesound.org (JoeDeshon)
Instagram | Threads | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky | hello@europeanspodcast.com

May 31, 2024 • 47min
The Big-Agri Bully Boys
Investigative journalists explore the manipulation of farmer protests by powerful groups across Europe, revealing hidden agendas and disparities in agriculture. The podcast delves into the dominance of industrial farming, tensions within farmer unions, rollback of green ambitions, and coercive tactics used by big agri-lobbies. Consumer support for small-scale farmers and climate activism plea are highlighted.

May 16, 2024 • 52min
What's more endangered: wolves or Eurovision?
Hanna Pettersson discusses coexisting with wolves in Europe. Controversy in Eurovision. Catalonia's political turmoil. Wolf conservation challenges and benefits. Labor rights for sex workers in Belgium. Podcast explores diverse topics in a lively and engaging way.

May 9, 2024 • 46min
Can food labels make us healthier?
Alie de Boer, an expert on food labeling, explains the Nutri-Score system. They discuss biases in food ratings, political tensions in Georgia, and the rise of far-right extremism in German politics. The podcast also explores the complexity of Nutri-Score algorithm, traditional cake recipes, and European events.

Apr 25, 2024 • 45min
The regime that ended with a song
Author Alex Fernandes discusses the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, starting with a Eurovision song. They touch on UK's missed fun opportunities, Milan's ice cream uproar, and the impact of music on the revolution. Insights on labor shortages in the UK post-Brexit and an innovative initiative where nature receives royalties for pop song sounds.
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