The Europeans | European news, politics and culture

Last weekend, Parisians voted to triple parking fees for SUVs in a bid to remove some of the city's more polluting vehicles. It's just one of many policy ideas that are being tested out in European cities to clean up the air we breathe — but how bad is the problem really, and can we really fix it? This week we ring up Oliver Lord from the Clean Cities Campaign to find out. We're also talking about the exhausting antics of Viktor Orbán and some juicy Italian art theft allegations.  FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/toxic-air-and-toxic-politicians This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Mrs Mohr Goes Missing' by Maryla Szymiczkowa, and The European Tree of the Year 2024.  You can find a video of Vittorio Sgarbi's eyebrow-raising interview on the best account on Twitter, Crazy Ass Moments in Italian Politics. 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.  Many thanks to our friends at Outside/In for featuring our Oatly mini-series recently. You can find their show ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. 00:22 Coming soon, a podcast entirely about disturbing European children's songs 03:32 Good Week: Ukraine's €50 billion aid deal 12:01 Bad Week: From culture minister to art thief? 37:44 The Inspiration Station: Mrs Mohr Goes Missing and The European Tree of The Year 2024 40:49 Happy Ending: Hooray for the HPV vaccine Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hello@europeanspodcast.com

European farmers across several countries are protesting due to policies affecting their livelihoods. The podcast discusses the clash between climate policies and farmer interests, the diverse situations of farmers, and positive news about decreased fossil fuel emissions in the EU.

A lot of us are pretty diligent when it comes to throwing our plastic into the dedicated bin. But how much of that stuff actually gets recycled? This week we're digging into the truth behind Europe's trash with Nico Schmidt, reporter for Investigate Europe. We're also talking about Germany's massive anti-AfD protests, and Saudi sell-out Rafael Nadal.  EPISODE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/what-actually-happens-to-europes-recycling Resources for this episode: 'Secret plan against Germany' - Correctiv ‘Everyone, together, against fascism’: protests sweep Germany after exposé of AfD party’s deportation ‘masterplan’ - The Guardian Wasteland - Europe's plastic disaster - Investigate Europe ‘Queen of trash’ and employees arrested over Sweden’s ‘largest environmental crime’ - The Guardian On the French border, drowning in a sea of trash - PoliticoHitster'Black Butterflies' by Priscilla Morris 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.  Many thanks to our friends at Outside/In for featuring our Oatly mini-series recently. You can find their show here. 00:22 The Europeans: coming to you soon in 200 languages? 02:35 Good Week: Standing up against the German far-right 14:35 Bad Week: Saudi sellout Rafael Nadal 38:58 The Inspiration Station: Hitster and Black Butterflies 41:50 Happy Ending: A 3,000-year-old map of the stars? Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Threads⁠ |⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠hello@europeanspodcast.com

We’re kicking off the new year with a heady mix of urban policy, cake-based scandal and political controversy. Find out which European city ranks as the most ‘liveable’ in Good Week, and dive into the fraud case embroiling Italian mega-influencer Chiara Ferragni in Bad Week. And in this week’s interview, hear from historian Quinn Slobodian about the parallel he sees between the current discourse around Israel-Palestine in Germany, and events 50 years ago.  FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: https://europeanspodcast.com/episodes/influencer-fraud-liveable-cities-and-the-israel-taboo Quinn is Professor of History at Boston University. You can follow him on Twitter here and read his New Statesman article, ‘Germany’s new years of lead’, here. Resources for this episode:  Report on the quality of life in European cities, 2023  ‘How to define genocide’: an interview with historian Omer Bartov in The New Yorker  German police statistics on politically-motivated crimes  ‘Oral’ by Björk and Rosalía Continental Riffs The Guardian: ‘New “riskier” wave of British musicals to challenge West End’s established order’ Tickets for Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York) 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.  00:22 Happy 2024, listeners! 02:57 Good Week: Europe's most liveable city? 08:17 Bad Week: Italian mega-influencer Chiara Ferragni 20:49 Interview: Quinn Slobodian on Germany's history of 'militant democracy' 40:31 The Inspiration Station: 'Oral' by Björk and Rosalía; Continental Riffs; Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) 44:12 Happy Ending: Rodney's helping hand Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠ Threads |⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠hello@europeanspodcast.com

In the winter of 2020, deep into the misery of the global pandemic, Richy Craven lit up the internet with a tale about working at Christmas in a fancy department store in Dublin. His story went viral and we loved it so much that we asked our friend, the writer and podcaster Darach Ó Séaghdha, to read it for us. Producer Katz Laszlo added some audio magic, and a classic episode of The Europeans was born. As a little early Christmas present, here it is again. A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from The Europeans! If you enjoyed this story, please consider donating to Barnados.  Music by Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin and Ultan O'Brien, as well as Lena Orsa and Timbre on Freesound. ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠ Bluesky⁠⁠ |⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠hello@europeanspodcast.com⁠⁠

In Iceland, the night of December 24 is traditionally spent curled up with a book. Why? Because you're very likely to have been gifted one, given the huge array of literary offerings that get published in Iceland in the run-up for Christmas. In this festive last episode of the year, we're speaking to the writer Hildur Knútsdóttir about the Christmas Book Flood and why Iceland is such a nation of bookworms. We're also talking about Christmas tree diplomacy, a new twist on an old tradition, and an Italian tyre-slashing mystery.  You can find Hildur here on Instagram and here on Twitter. You can find details of her new book, 'The Night Guest', here on her website.  This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Small Things Like These' by Claire Keegan, 'My Father's House' by Joseph O'Connor, and 'La Ride' by Simon Boileau and Florent Pierre. Hildur's recommendations are 'Shadows of the Short Days' and 'The Shadows of a Midnight Sun' by Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson. Thanks so much to everyone who's supported us this year. If you enjoy our podcast and would like to help us keep making it in 2024, 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.  Producer: Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ |⁠ Bluesky⁠ |⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠hello@europeanspodcast.com⁠

In Part 1, you learned how illiberal regimes have used the political tools at their disposal – and their rich friends – to turn the media outlets of democratic European countries into propaganda machines. In Part 2 we’re exploring the legal tools needed to complete the job and talking to local journalists who found themselves on the receiving end of these takeovers. Finally, we’re asking: how can you stop a wannabe autocrat doing this in *your* country?  This series was funded by Journalism Fund Europe, the Allianz Foundation, and supporters of The Europeans. 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 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.  Credits Reporters: Viktória Serdült, Dimitar Ganev and Wojciech Oleksiak Writers: Wojciech Oleksiak and Dimitar Ganev Production, scoring, sound design and mixing: Wojciech Oleksiak Editors: Adam Zulawski and Katy Lee Editorial support: Katz Laszlo and Dominic Kraemer Director of recording sessions: Dominic Kraemer  Artwork: RTiiiKA Thanks for talking to us: Vesislava Antonova, Ervin Gűth, Antal Józing, Zuzanna Nowicka, Venelina Popova, Anna Wójcik, Spas Spassov, Marek Twaróg, Ágnes Urbán, and Cezary Węgliński.⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | Bluesky | ⁠⁠Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com

It’s a playbook that’s been used by illiberal governments across Central and Eastern Europe: muzzling the media until it resembles little more than propaganda. But how exactly does one go about dismantling the free press, in a democratic country within the European Union?  In Part 1 of this two-part special, Viktória Serdült, Dimitar Ganev and our producer Wojciech Oleksiak ask: how the hell did we get here? And how did the local press become such a powerful political weapon? This series was funded by Journalism Fund Europe, the Allianz Foundation, and supporters of The Europeans. 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 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.  Credits Reporters: Viktória Serdült, Dimitar Ganev and Wojciech Oleksiak Writers: Wojciech Oleksiak and Dimitar Ganev Production, scoring, sound design and mixing: Wojciech Oleksiak Editors: Adam Zulawski and Katy Lee Editorial support: Katz Laszlo and Dominic Kraemer Director of recording sessions: Dominic Kraemer  Artwork: RTiiiKA Thanks for talking to us: Vesislava Antonova, Ervin Gűth, Antal Józing, Zuzanna Nowicka, Venelina Popova, Anna Wójcik, Spas Spassov, Marek Twaróg, Ágnes Urbán, and Cezary Węgliński. ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | Bluesky | ⁠⁠Twitter | hello@europeanspodcast.com

This podcast discusses the political situations in Spain and the Netherlands, with a focus on the rise of far-right parties in the Netherlands and the left-leaning coalition in Spain. They also touch on topics such as government formation, film success, tax havens, and the power of kindness.

Ukraine has seen an exodus of foreign journalists in the wake of the terrible conflict in the Middle East. But coverage of the war on this continent remains more crucial than ever. This week we talk to the writer Sasha Dovzhyk about what is happening in Ukraine right now, as well as Ukrainians' complicated feelings around the struggle for international attention. We're also talking about the corruption scandal rocking Portugal's government, and Greta Thunberg's fraught appearance at Amsterdam's huge climate protest.  Sasha is the editor of the London Ukrainian Review. You can read her piece in the New York Times here and subscribe to her newsletter, Ukrainian Killjoy Dispatch, here. The NRC piece on the climate movement's soul-searching over Palestine can be found here (in Dutch). And Aitor Hernández Morales’ excellent tweeting on the dramatic events in Portuguese politics can be found here.  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 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 offerings: The Deepest Breath' on Netflix and the Spotify playlist of 'Le Guess Who?' festival in Utrecht (Katz’ top pick: Swedish Ethiopian band BITOI, combining vocals and bass heavily inspired by birdsong). Producers: Katz Laszlo and Katy Lee Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | Bluesky | ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠hello@europeanspodcast.com⁠