Briefed - Your Daily European Podcast

Today’s episode is brought to you in partnership with The Observer and Tortoise, who just released a brand new investigative podcast series, called “The Lab Detective”.  “The Lab Detective" deals with the story of Kathleen Folbigg, who experienced unimaginable loss. All four of her infant children died suddenly, over a 10-year period. Their deaths were unexplained. Until a police detective tu...

Today’s episode is brought to you in partnership with The Observer and Tortoise, who just released a brand new investigative podcast series, called “The Lab Detective”.  “The Lab Detective" deals with the story of Kathleen Folbigg, who experienced unimaginable loss. All four of her infant children died suddenly, over a 10-year period. Their deaths were unexplained. Until a police detective tu...

In episode 2 of The Right Kind of Family, our reporters travel to Hungary, a country ruled by Viktor Orban's Fidezs party since 2010. This relatively small central European country has surged to the role of ideological cornerstone for the Political Network for Values and its members.  In particular, our reporters focus on one specific dimension of the policies enacted by the Orban over the pa...

Eight months after Georgia’s disputed parliamentary elections, the country has taken a dramatic turn towards authoritarianism. The ruling Georgian Dream party has passed law after law to silence independent media, criminalise protests, and punish dissent. But how did a country once hailed as a frontrunner for EU accession end up targeting its own political opposition and journalists and what does...

The European Commission has officially proposed in a very confusing manner an almost €2 trillion budget for the 2028–2034 period. The biggest budget, in Ursula von der Leyen’s words, to be spent “for a new era.”  Von der Leyen says this budget will make the EU’s cash pot “larger, smarter and sharper.” But critics warn it may just end up being leaner, meaner, and far more politically painful t...

This afternoon, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to present a draft proposal for the European Union’s next seven-year budget, officially called the Multiannual Financial Framework, or MFF.  The current MFF, running from 2021 to 2027, stands at just over €1.2 trillion. But according to a leaked draft, the next proposal, covering 2028 to 2034, could reach €1.717 trillion, o...

Today, EU foreign ministers are gathering in Brussels for their final meeting before the summer recess. The main item on the agenda is of course the EU’s association agreement with Israel, and whether Israel is living up to its human rights obligations under that deal.  Following weeks of mounting pressure over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has presented...

Before the weekend Donald Trump sent a letter to the European Commission announcing his plans to slap a 30% tariff on nearly all EU imports, starting August 1st. This caught Brussels off guard. An agreement was already on the table,  one that included a painful, but tolerable, 10% base tariff. Most EU member states were willing to swallow that to avoid worse. But the 30% tariff had the Europe...

In episode 1 of The Right Kind of Family, reporters Claudia Torrisi, Elsa Cabria, Francesca Berardi and Lili Rutai are in Madrid, in the Spanish Senate. They follow the works of the "VI Transatlantic Summit for Freedom and the Culture of Life", a closed session “in defence of life and the natural family.” The meeting serves also as the sixth international gathering of the Political Network for Val...

" The Right Kind of Family " is a podcast co-produced by El País Audio, Chora Media, Europod, and 444.It was created within the framework of the WePod project, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission. The English version is written and narrated by Lili Rutai Research and fieldwork: Francesca Berardi, Claudia Torrisi, Lili Rutai, Elsa Cabria and Manuel Tomillo Script i...

Greece introduced today, July 11th, a controversial emergency law, suspending the registration of asylum applications for three months for people arriving by sea from North Africa.  The Greek government defends the new law as a matter of national urgency. Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis cited a 350% increase in arrivals, claiming that two-thirds of those entering the country do not qual...

A senior EU official has been lobbying against sanctions on Israel, using claims of antisemitism and arguments that critics say cross the line from political advocacy into disinformation.  According to a document brought to light by the EUobserver Katharina von Schnurbein, the European Commission's Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism, made controversial remarks during a meeting with EU amba...

Donald Trump’s patience with Putin is starting to wear thin. Five months ago, the US president insisted he trusted Vladimir Putin, who’s been leading the brutal invasion of Ukraine.  He told reporters back then that Putin “ wants peace” And that he trusted him on that. Today it seems that things have changed, but what has led to this shift? Join us on our journey through the events that shape...

So, time is ticking but there is still no trade agreement between the European Union and the Trump administration.  Negotiations have intensified in recent days, but European Commission officials informed EU ambassadors yesterday that there’s no deal in place, not even an agreement in principle. What are the most plausible scenarios following these negotiations? Join us on our journey through...

It’s been a turbulent few weeks in Spanish politics, with corruption scandals surfacing one after another. This past weekend was meant to be a reset for Sánchez’s Socialist party, the PSOE, a chance to move past the controversies. Instead, they found themselves facing yet another crisis.  But, can Pedro Sánchez survive the growing web of corruption scandals engulfing his government, or is Spa...

The United States has paused the delivery of key military systems to Ukraine, including Patriot air defense missiles, Stinger systems, and precision-guided munitions.  This decision comes at a time when Russia is intensifying its military offensive along the 1,000-kilometer front line and increasing missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities. But what happens now and what can Zelenskyy exp...

Next week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will stand before the European Parliament in Strasbourg to face a no-confidence vote. This is the first time in over a decade that a Commission president has been dragged into such a debate.  And although the outcome is all but certain, the motion is very unlikely to pass,  it’s more symbolic of the mounting pressure von der L...

As much of Europe roasts under a heat dome, the EU’s top officials are sweating it out too  but not just from the 40-degree temperatures.  Today, the European Commission is meeting to decide how much the bloc should cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, a milestone on the road to net zero by 2050. But is Europe serious about tackling the climate crisis, or is it too hot for political cou...

As of today, Denmark holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next six months, inheriting it from Poland. The official priorities for the Danes are security and defense, economic resilience and competitiveness.  But why is this presidential term more important than ever before? Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and th...

Today’s Cabinet meeting in Greece is a real crisis management moment. Because over the past 72 hours, Greece has witnessed the resignation of one minister, Makis Voridis, three deputy ministers, and two senior party officials, all following allegations tied to a massive EU subsidy fraud.  But what’s this scandal about and can Mitsotakis claim political responsibility while dodging legal accou...

All eyes are on Budapest this weekend, where the annual Pride march has been banned by Hungarian authorities, citing laws against so-called “LGBTQ propaganda”. But the parade is going ahead anyway on Saturday,  and so are the politics. Among those attending is MEP Daniel Freund, who has long criticised Viktor Orbán’s government for its attacks on democracy, civil society, and LGBTQ rights. In...

€72,461 per bed. That’s how much Italy is now spending to build offshore migrant centres in Albania, more than 11 times the cost of similar facilities at home according to an investigation published by Follow the Money.  This was Giorgia Meloni’s grand plan: a tough-on-migration deal to transfer those intercepted at sea to Albania, fast-track their asylum claims, and repatriate them. Her gove...

The NATO summit is underway in The Hague. Leaders have gathered, speeches are being made, and Mark Rutte, NATO’s Secretary-General is doing his best to keep the vibes up and the Americans on board. But what’s at stake and what can we expect on the war in Ukraine and Iran? Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union. Production: By Europod , in...

What does it really mean to be a rainbow family in the European Union? In this episode of Europe Talks Back ,we explore the promise, and the shortcomings of the European Certificate of Parenthood, a regulation meant to ensure that parenthood rights are recognised across all 27 EU countries. From Spain to Bulgaria, Italy to Poland, we look at what’s happening when same-sex families cross borders, o...

The European Commission announced it intends to withdraw the Green Claims Directive, a law proposed to stop companies from falsely marketing themselves or their products as environmentally friendly, unless those claims are backed by solid evidence.  This directive had already made it through several rounds of negotiations between the European Parliament and national governments and it was clo...