EU Confidential

We have all the recommendations you need for reading, listening and viewing to make the most of your summer holiday — courtesy of the POLITICO podcast crew, special guests and our listeners.This extended episode of EU Confidential features entertaining, as well as enlightening, recommendations from POLITICO's Andrew Gray, Rym Momtaz and Matthew Karnitschnig. Our executive producer Cristina Gonzalez brings us listener recommendations, and we also hear from some of our special guests over the past months.Here's the full list of tips:Reading"Going Dark: The Secret Social Lives of Extremists" by Julia Ebner (as recommended by Rym)(Bonus track: Julia Ebner was a guest on EU Confidential in 2018. Listen to the episode, with former host Ryan Heath, here.)"Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction" by David Enrich (as recommended by Matt)"Summer Before the Dark: Stefan Zweig and Joseph Roth, Ostend 1936" by Volker Weidermann (as recommended by Andrew)"Disenchanted Night: The Industrialization of Light in the Nineteenth Century" by Wolfgang Schivelbusch (as recommended by EU Confidential listener Jed)"The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race" by Walter Isaacson (as recommended by Javier Solana and a listener)"The Lonely Century: A Call to Reconnect" by Noreena Hertz (as recommended by a listener)"What We Owe Each Other: A New Social Contract for a Better Society" by Minouche Shafik (as recommended by a listener)"Trans-Europe Express: Tours of a Lost Continent" by Owen Hatherley (as recommended by listener Aisling)"Soul Tourists" by Bernardine Evaristo (as recommended by listener Andrea)"La grande illusion" by Michel Barnier (as recommended by listener Wolfgang)"Alarums and Excursions" by Luuk Van Middelaar (as recommended by listener Murray)"Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine" by Hannah Fry (as recommended by listener Agathi)"The Meritocracy Trap: How America's Foundational Myth Feeds Inequality, Dismantles the Middle Class, and Devours the Elite" by Daniel Markovits (as recommended by special guest Hans Vijlbrief)"Machiavelli: His Life and Times" by Alexander Lee (as recommended by special guest Carl Bildt)"Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism" by Anne Applebaum (as recommended by special guest Robert Cooper)"The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas (as also recommended by special guest Robert Cooper)Viewing"Gomorrah" (as recommended by Matt)"Succession" (as recommended by Rym)"Lupin" (as recommended by Andrew)Listening"Grande Traversée : François Mitterrand, un mythe français" (as recommended by Rym)"The Rest Is History" (as recommended by Matt)"In Our Time" (as recommended by Andrew)"Second Captains" (as also recommended by Andrew)"The Intelligence" (as recommended by a listener)"WorkLife with Adam Grant" (as recommended by a listener)"Because People Count" (as recommended and hosted by listener Andrea)"How To Fail With Elizabeth Day" (as recommended by listener Agathi)"Mothers of Invention" (as recommended and hosted by Mary Robinson, along with Maeve Higgins and Thimali Kodikara)Programming note: EU Confidential will take a summer break for two weeks. We'll be back in your feed on August 19. See you then! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The devastating floods in Western Europe are our top story this week: We hear from our reporter in the German flood zone and debate the political consequences of the catastrophe. We also discuss a big spyware scandal and Western accusations of Chinese cyberattacks. And we hear from Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.POLITICO's Laurenz Gehrke calls in from Hagen, Germany to describe the devastation he's witnessed in towns and villages across the flood zone and recount what he's heard from people most affected. Weighing in on the political ramifications for Germany's general election campaign is Chief Europe Correspondent Matthew Karnitschnig.Senior France Correspondent Rym Momtaz joins Andrew Gray to discuss the reaction to reports that a mobile phone number used by French President Emmanuel Macron was selected for possible targeting with Pegasus spyware by a Moroccan intelligence service.EU-China Correspondent Stuart Lau digs into this week's joint condemnation by the U.S., the EU, the U.K. and NATO of cyberattacks on Microsoft servers, attributed to hackers based in China.Our special guest is Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. Speaking to POLITICO's David M. Herszenhorn from her office in Vilnius, Lithuania, Tikhanovskaya discusses the latest round of sanctions against the Lukashenko regime and the forced landing of Ryanair Flight 4978. She also explains what the EU can do to put pressure on the Belarusian government to hold new elections this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The political repercussions of Euro 2020, a massive package of European climate laws, and the first economic recovery plans approved for EU cash all feature this week.POLITICO's Rym Momtaz joins Andrew Gray to fill us in on French President Emmanuel Macron's efforts to give people a big "nudge" to get vaccinated.We get into the politics of Euro 2020 with POLITICO's resident sports expert Ali Walker, along with Annabelle Dickson in London and Hannah Roberts in Rome. The team looks at the aftermath of the final in Italy, where victory played into a bigger surge in the national mood, and England, where fan violence and racist online abuse have dominated the conversation.Here's Hannah's write-up from Rome on Italy's wave of euphoria. This is Annabelle's coverage of the U.K.'s attempt to curb online abuse. And here's Ali's A-Z review of the tournament.Then Kalina Oroschakoff, POLITICO's climate reporter, joins Andrew to break down the big news announced in Brussels this week: a mammoth package of climate laws aiming to cut carbon emissions by 55 percent by 2030. All of POLITICO's coverage of the package — known in Brussels-speak as Fit for 55 — can be found here.Finally, POLITICO's Paola Tamma gets us up to speed on efforts to get EU funds flowing to member countries to finance their post-pandemic recoveries. Paola speaks with Hans Vijlbrief, secretary of state for finance from the Netherlands, who attended a crucial Council meeting this week in Brussels to approve the first 12 recovery plans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slovenia's awkward start to its EU presidency and a look at why Russia has France fizzing over Champagne feature this week. And our special guest is former MEP Marietje Schaake on transatlantic tech regulation.POLITICO's David M. Herszenhorn tells Andrew Gray about his recent trip to Slovenia for the start of the country's six-month stint as president of the Council of the EU and analyzes European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's terse warning for Slovenia's controversial prime minister, Janez Janša, about the importance of upholding EU values.POLITICO's Rym Momtaz brings us up to speed on a bubbling geopolitical brouhaha between Russia and France after Vladimir Putin signed a law banning foreign sparkling wine producers from using the term "Champagne" — even those produced in France's famed, wine-growing region that gives the drink its name.Former Dutch MEP and digital expert Marietje Schaake is our special guest. In conversation with POLITICO's Laurens Cerulus, Schaake reveals why she left the European Parliament in 2019 to move to Stanford University in Silicon Valley as the international policy director at the Cyber Policy Center. After working for years to regulate tech from within the European Union, Schaake reflects on these efforts from her new transatlantic perspective.Laurens has more from the conversation in this week’s Digital Bridge newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We unpack last week's extraordinary summit of EU leaders, take stock of the coronavirus situation in Europe and bring you inside the EU's "engine room." Our special guest is former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt.POLITICO's Andrew Gray is joined by Chief Brussels Correspondent David M. Herszenhorn to unpack last week's remarkable European Council, where emotions ran high over Hungary's new anti-LGBTQ+ measures. Leaders also held a heated discussion on relations with Russia, with Eastern Europeans blasting a last-minute proposal from Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron to hold a summit with Vladimir Putin.We also take stock of Europe's coronavirus situation with Chief Policy Correspondent Sarah Wheaton, as questions mount about the Delta variant and whether digital passes will allow for normality to resume soon.Then we lift the lid on the most important EU body most Europeans have never heard of: Coreper. The committee of 27 EU ambassadors is credited with keeping the bloc's political machinery going while much of Europe went into lockdown. POLITICO's Jacopo Barigazzi joins the podcast to break down his article, "How ambassadors took over the EU."Our special guest is former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt. The veteran statesman spoke to Sarah on the sidelines of the Globesec security conference in Bratislava about his current gig as the World Health Organization's special envoy for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, as well as Europe's relations with Russia, the situation in Belarus and EU enlargement prospects in the Balkan region. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hungary's anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, France's regional elections and U.K.-EU relations are all up for debate. And we hear from European Commission VP Maroš Šefčovič's on the U.K.-EU "sausage wars" and more.POLITICO's Andrew Gray is joined by Brussels politics reporter Lili Bayer to explain why the anti-LGBTQ+ bill passed by the Hungarian parliament has the Continent in uproar — and even caused consternation in the sporting arena.Rym Momtaz in Paris has analysis of regional and local elections in France, which could signal trouble for President Emmanuel Macron and his party ahead of next spring's presidential poll. And our U.K. colleague Annabelle Dickson joins the panel to mark five years since the Brexit vote and break down the key battles still playing out between the U.K. and the EU.Our special guest is Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič. The Slovakian diplomat is currently responsible for interinstitutional relations and foresight — and has a key role for the EU in navigating the U.K.'s withdrawal from the bloc. On the sidelines of the Globesec conference in his hometown of Bratislava, he talks to POLITICO's Joshua Posaner about being dubbed "the sausage king" by his U.K. counterpart, his personal connection to the U.K. and what he's hoping for as negotiations drag on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We take stock of Joe Biden's visit to Europe and what it means for EU allies. And our special guest is European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, discussing the uphill battle for gender equality in finance.Kicking off our special 4th birthday edition, POLITICO's Andrew Gray and Rym Momtaz welcome Ryan Heath — the original host of EU Confidential — to the podcast panel. Rym gives us the inside scoop on her coverage of the G7 and NATO summits, while Ryan has the perspective from Washington on those gatherings, as well as the EU-U.S. summit that took place in Brussels this week.Then David M. Herszenhorn, POLITICO's chief Brussels correspondent, joins Andrew from the Geneva airport to break down the much-anticipated meeting between Biden and Vladimir Putin. (Check out our coverage of Biden's visit to Europe here.)In our feature interview, ECB President Lagarde talks to POLITICO's Johanna Treeck and Florian Eder about encouraging gender equality at the bank and across the world of finance. (You can read more coverage of that exclusive interview here.)And to celebrate EU Confidential's 4th birthday, our Executive Producer Cristina Gonzalez will be taking over the POLITICO Europe Twitter account (@POLITICOEurope) on Friday, June 18. It's your chance to ask any questions about our audio offerings and reminisce about some of our favorite — and most controversial — episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Biden's trip to Europe, an interview with Germany's transatlantic coordinator, the European Parliament's strange return to Strasbourg, and a brewing Brussels brouhaha over the French language all feature in this episode.As Biden makes his first overseas presidential trip for a series of summits — with the G7, NATO, the EU and Vladimir Putin — POLITICO's Andrew Gray gets a preview from colleagues Rym Momtaz, David M. Herszenhorn and Anna Isaac, who are all headed to Cornwall for the first of those powwows.Peter Beyer, the German government's transatlantic point man, talks to POLITICO's Matthew Karnitschnig about what's changed now that Donald Trump no longer occupies the White House, how the West's approach to China is evolving and how the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline impacts relations with Washington.Meanwhile, a debate is heating up in Brussels over plans by Paris to use only French when conducting business during its upcoming presidency of the Council of the EU, starting in January 2022. POLITICO's Maïa de La Baume has the inside scoop on that, and on the European Parliament's strange return to Strasbourg after more than a year of pandemic-enforced absence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Claims that Denmark helped the U.S. spy on European leaders, demands for the EU to step up on defense and bellwether state elections in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt all feature in this episode. Mary Robinson is our special guest.POLITICO's Rym Momtaz and David M. Herszenhorn analyze new revelations by Danish media that the country's intelligence service reportedly helped the NSA spy on European leaders during the Obama administration, and how the news could impact U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Europe later next week. They also debate the implications of this report by the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank with close ties to the Biden administration, calling for the EU to become a global military power.Rym is then joined by POLITICO's Laurenz Gehrke to break down state elections this Sunday in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt, and what the result could indicate about the way the political winds are blowing heading into the country's federal elections in September.We're also joined by Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland and currently chair of The Elders, a group of distinguished figures formed by South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela in 2007. In a conversation with POLITICO's Sarah Wheaton, they cover everything from coronavirus vaccines and climate change, to the geopolitical "rift" between the United States and China, and where Europe should fit in. Finally, Robinson recommends her own podcast — which she hosts, along with comedian-writer, Maeve Higgins, and series producer, Thimali Kodikara — to our listeners, Mothers of Invention. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Belarus airliner drama and EU leaders' response, as well as a big bunfight over farm subsidies, are up for debate this week. And longtime EU diplomat Robert Cooper talks about his new book "The Ambassadors."POLITICO's Andrew Gray, Rym Momtaz, David M. Herszenhorn and Jan Cienski analyze the repercussions of what has been branded a state-sponsored hijack — Belarus forcing a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius to land in Minsk, where an opposition activist and his partner were detained. The team also asks: Did EU leaders step up to the challenge?POLITICO's Eddy Wax sheds light on a big Brussels battle coming to a head this week: the fight over the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. With billions of euros at stake, Eddy has the inside scoop on how the reforms are taking shape, and who's trying to influence them. Read more here.Robert Cooper — a former British diplomat who played a key role in building up the EU's foreign policy apparatus — is our special guest to discuss his new book, "The Ambassadors: Thinking about Diplomacy from Machiavelli to Modern Times." He has a frank assessment of EU foreign policy today when it comes to China — he's not a fan of "pinprick" sanctions over human rights abuses. He also has some recommended reading for listeners, including a book on democracy under threat and some lighter fare, which he enjoys en français.The podcast panel also has a few recommended reads. Jan's tip is a profound book about how life on Earth arose. Rym's recommendation may have you rethinking how you view relationships. And David previews this tome by a recently-retired NATO bigwig. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices