Briefed - Your Daily European Podcast

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is headed to Antwerp to launch the “Clean Industrial Deal,” yet another time with the same big promises and the same CEOs nodding in agreement. Von der Leyen’s pitch today is all about making the European industry competitive while keeping the Green Deal alive. The Commission’s new plan is to save industry, jobs, and apparently the climate, all in one go....

What if you could work fewer hours without losing pay? Some European countries are already testing the four-day workweek, and the results are in higher productivity, happier employees, and less burnout. But while some are working less, others are working more, like in Greece, where a six-day workweek has been introduced in certain sectors. So, is Europe really moving toward a better work-life bala...

Friedrich Merz and his Christian Democratic Union won Germany’s election with a solid lead, no surprise there. However, they didn’t secure an outright majority, meaning Merz must now initiate coalition talks with other parties to form a government. The deadline is Easter, and Europe is anxiously waiting for him to make key decisions. But with a divided parliament and rising pressure from all sides...

Today marks the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In a strong show of support, thirteen European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, traveled to Kyiv, with another 24 participating in discussions online. These meetings reaffirm the EU’s commitment to Ukraine amid ongoing war and Donald Trump turning his back to president Zelensky while...

On our journey through the roads of central Europe, we often encountered trucks with Polish or Lithuanian licence plates. An accident? Certainly not. In this episode we travel to Sandomierz, Poland, to see how the competition between East and West works and to learn more about the problems of truck drivers in this part of Europe. Truck Drivers is a podcast co-produced by Europod and Ser Podcast ....

Germans are heading to the polls, and it looks like Friedrich Merz is on track to become Germany’s next chancellor. That should mean a match made in heaven with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as they are both from the same party, the European People’s Party. But politics isn’t a fairy tale, and this isn’t your typical love story. If anything, it’s more like a long-running sibling riv...

U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia with Keith Kellogg, landed in Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In other conditions this would be a nice diplomatic moment, right now things are way too complicated.  Zelenskyy has clarified that he wants this meeting to be “constructive,” but that’s harder than it sounds when the leader of Kellogg’s own country has been busy...

So, Brussels is experiencing a surge in drug-related violence. In the past few weeks, multiple shootings have taken place, leaving two people dead and several others injured. Authorities say this wave of violence is linked to organized crime and the drug trade.  And the new Belgian government is discussing whether merging the city's six fragmented police zones into one could be a solution to...

So, European leaders met in Paris for an emergency summit, called by French President Emmanuel Macron. And as we discussed in yesterday's episode the goal was to come up with a common response to the U.S. decision to start negotiations with Russia over ending the war in Ukraine, without inviting Europe or Ukraine.  And to figure out what the continent most affected by this war can do to prote...

So, EU leaders are in full-on crisis mode. Again. This time, they’re scrambling to respond to a rather blunt questionnaire from Washington, yes, an actual questionnaire, that they have to think about during their meeting in Paris and that is asking what kind of security guarantees Europe is willing to provide Ukraine. But what worries Europe, and will these talks find any point of consensus? Join...

Truck drivers are expected to obey precise rules when driving, but this is not always the case. Many of them are forced to break these rules in order to make as many deliveries in as little time as possible, skipping mandatory rest breaks and exceeding speed limits. This is a problem for their safety, but also for their own. In this episode, we will talk about safety on the roads, but also about o...

Germany’s upcoming election is now dominated by a single issue: migration. After a violent attack on a trade union demonstration by an Afghan asylum seeker, conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz is doubling down on his calls for tougher law and order. Meanwhile, the far-right AfD is surging in the polls, blaming lax migration policies. With security fears shaping the debate, how will this attack...

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are reportedly pushing for peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, but with one major catch: Europe is being completely left out of the conversation. While the US and Russia make plans, European leaders are scrambling to figure out what’s next. Ursula von der Leyen insists Europe must remain at the center of negotiations, while António Costa bluntly states that the E...

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has put forward a high-stakes geopolitical proposal: the possibility of a land swap with Vladimir Putin. The idea could fundamentally reshape the conflict, with Ukraine potentially offering part of the Kursk region, a territory that it has controlled inside Russia since a surprise incursion last year, in exchange for land currently occupied by Russia in Ukra...

The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security have responded this morning to the U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel announced overnight, calling them unjustified and vowing that the EU will respond with "firm and proportionate countermeasures." Translation? The EU is getting ready to hit back.  But how will the...

France is making a bold move in the AI race with a €109 billion investment, backed by private and international investors. But can Europe really compete with the US and China, or is it still too caught up in regulations? As Brussels shifts from AI watchdog to innovation hub, questions remain over funding, infrastructure, and Europe’s place in the AI-driven future.  In this episode, we break d...

In Europe, there is a shortage of around 230,000 truck drivers, but by 2028 there will be as many as 745,000 vacancies. Excessive working hours, inadequate wages and long periods away from home are the main causes of this shortage of truck drivers, but the issue is much more complex. In order to understand why this great labour gap exists and what it could mean for our societies and personal lives...

Since Donald Trump’s reelection or even before that Washington’s foreign policy has been shifting from soft power to hard power. Translation? More tanks, fewer textbooks. More weapons, less humanitarian aid. The EU, which has long relied on the U.S. for global development efforts, is now looking at a major funding vacuum as USAID, America’s premier development agency, freezes nearly $40 billion in...

When WhatsApp alerts you that military-grade spyware hacked your phone, it’s not just paranoia, it’s reality. At least seven people in Italy, including journalists and activists, and another 83 people in more than 24 countries were targeted using Israeli-made spyware.  The Italian government denies involvement, but questions remain: Who ordered the hacks? And what does this mean for press fre...

Legal experts from the European Commission, the European External Action Service, the Council of Europe, Ukraine, and representatives from 37 countries agreed on the legal framework for a special tribunal to try Vladimir Putin and his officials for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The experts finalized the so-called ‘Schuman draft Statute’, the core legal text governing the tribunal’s func...

Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the US will “definitely” impose tariffs on the EU, citing concerns over the US trade deficit with Europe. While Trump has previously made threats without following through, some of his recent tariff measures, particularly on Canada and China, have been implemented stressing European leaders.   But is Trump really going to impose tariffs on the EU, an...

EU leaders are meeting in Brussels today, Monday, to discuss defense spending, without committing to real investments. This follows weeks of debate on the issue, fueled by growing concerns that Russia could test and destabilize Europe’s defenses at any moment.  But instead of concrete funding plans, the focus of this meeting will be on identifying the EU’s priorities, securing necessary finan...

Truck Drivers is the story of an indispensable profession, but also of an economic and logistical system under strain. It’s a story of exploitation, fierce competition, and an equilibrium that has spiraled out of control. Every day, thousands of trucks crisscross Europe’s roads to deliver the products we consume without a second thought. This immense and often invisible supply chain is, nonetheles...

Angela Merkel has spoken, and she’s not happy. Three years after stepping down as Germany’s chancellor, she’s publicly criticizing her successor, CDU leader Friedrich Merz, for breaking a long-standing taboo: relying on far-right AfD votes to pass an anti-immigration motion in parliament. With Germany’s elections just weeks away, Merkel’s intervention has ignited a fierce debate over whether the f...

Donald Trump is once again saying Greenland should belong to the U.S., but Denmark, and the EU, aren’t having it. European Council President António Costa reminded everyone that Europe doesn’t take kindly to territorial threats and European leaders have rallied behind Denmark, making it clear that Greenland is not for sale or for the taking. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has been securin...