Briefed - Your Daily European Podcast

Poland isn’t just preparing for war—it’s rewriting the rulebook on how to get ready. The defence training programmes adopted in 2025 should train some 400 000 people this year only.  Meanwhile, the rest of the EU is slowly catching up on defence. What can we learn from Poland’s approach? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . Follow us on: LinkedIn Instagram...

The U.S. President keeps putting pressure on the EU Whether it’s sanctions against International Criminal Court judges or threats of tariffs, Donald Trump is using coercion to sway European decisions. So what is the EU doing to protect its independence from American pressure? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . Follow us on: LinkedIn Instagram Hosted on Acast....

AI can be tricked into saying almost anything. That’s what a BBC journalist recently discovered. He found an easy way to make AI say whatever he wanted. Are authorities doing enough to regulate AI? At the EU level, is the AI Act doing its job? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . Follow us on: LinkedIn Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...

In Brussels, several EU member states are angry with the European Commission. These countries did not appreciate that the EU’s executive body attended the first meeting of the “Board of Peace” launched by Donald Trump. What was the alternative for the EU? Should Europeans stay away from this initiative? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . Follow us on: LinkedIn...

A new negotiation session ended yesterday between Ukraine and Russia, under the leadership of the United States. The EU, once again, did not take part in the peace talks, despite having long asked to do so. Has the EU given up on participating in the peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . Follow us on: LinkedIn Instag...

In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán could lose the next elections after 10 years in power. And this, despite having the open support of Donald Trump. If Orban were to actually lose the elections, what would this mean for the EU? Could the traditional Hungarian veto become a thing of the past? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . Follow us on: LinkedIn Instag...

The European Union will soon have a new regulation that should make it easier for EU countries to deport irregular migrants. A group of 64 NGOs is worried that EU countries could use deportation methods that resemble what the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, ICE, does in the US. Is the EU going in that direction? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . F...

US President Donald Trump has just announced that his administration no longer recognizes that a range of greenhouse gases poses a threat to public health and the environment. Meanwhile, the leaders of the EU, considered the most ambitious bloc on the green transition, are discussing rollbacks of existing green rules. Should Europeans be worried about the future of climate policies? Production: By...

The Kurdish diaspora has been demonstrating in major European cities for weeks now. Protesters are urging European and international authorities to respond to the takeover of the Kurdish autonomous region called Rojava by Syria’s new government. They fear that their community is at risk of disappearing. What is the diaspora hoping from the European and international authorities? Production: By&nbs...

French senator Laurent Duplomb is back with a controversial proposal: reintroducing pesticides that are currently banned in France.  Last year, his first attempt was blocked by the constitutional court. This time, the debate returns, as discussions at EU level also suggest a possible softening of pesticide rules. Are we witnessing a broader rollback of pesticide regulation in Europe? Producti...

“ We need to protect our industry. The Chinese are doing it, the Americans too.” This is what Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has been advocating for a while now: more European protectionism. Is he on the right track to convince his European counterparts? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . Follow us on: LinkedIn • Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...

Giorgia Meloni has called protesters at the Winter Olympic Games "the enemies of Italy" — a kind of shortcut we often see in Donald Trump’s interventions. Is the Italian prime minister, replicating Trump’s recipe for success? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . Follow us on: LinkedIn Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After X by Elon Musk, here comes “W”, or “We”, by privacy and technology expert Anna Zeiter. The “We” project was unveiled in Davos at the end of January. Its goal is to create a European alternative to X. But this is not the first attempt to create a large-scale European social media platform. Can it be the first one to actually succeed? Are Europeans able to compete with US platforms? Production...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Wednesday that “he had the feeling that Europeans were not able to understand that an attack could happen to their country too.” Are Europeans really facing a concrete threat, and are they preparing themselves enough? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . Follow us on: LinkedIn Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast...

A few days ago, a former general and member of the far-right party Lega in Italy announced his ambition to launch a new movement, even further to the right: Il Futuro Nazionale. The initiator, Roberto Vannacci, is known for his extremist views and his lenient stance on fascism. Meanwhile, Poland is witnessing the rise of an ultra-nationalist party that is openly antisemitic and pro-Russia. How did...

While the EU is celebrating the reopening of the Rafah crossing point between Gaza and Egypt, Israeli authorities are preventing many NGOs from providing humanitarian aid in Gaza — a move which violates the agreed peace plan. What are the EU's options to confront Israel over its violations of human rights? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . Follow us on: Linke...

Across the Atlantic, American President Donald Trump has just ordered that deep-sea mining be sped up, which is believed to be highly damaging for the ocean. Meanwhile, every raw material extraction project in Europe meets with strong social opposition. This leaves the EU in a delicate situation when it comes to producing solar panels or batteries without relying on China. Will Europe edge to...

In Poland in 2024, 99% of abortions took place outside hospitals, outside the legal framework. Polish women find alternatives to the near-total ban on abortion, but sometimes in ways that are either dangerous or very costly. That is why the European Parliament is asking for an European mechanism to allow every single woman in the EU to have access to safe and free abortion. This episode unpacks th...

30,000. This is the figure circulating about the number of people who might have been killed by the Iranian regime since the start of the protests at the end of December last year. The EU has just decided to tag the Islamic Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization. What does it mean, and is there something the European Union could do to avoid this bloodshed? Production: By  Europod, i...

Spain wants to regularize half a million undocumented migrants. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe is busy toughening migration rules. So is Spain the very last country on the continent to have a positive message around migration? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . Follow us on: LinkedIn Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kids under 15 should not access social media. That’s how France sees it. Its government is pushing for a full ban below this age. However, France, just like any other EU country, cannot force social media platforms to effectively restrict access for kids. Only the European Union can. Is the EU willing to do so? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . Follow us on:...

René Good, and now Alex Pretti. The people of Minneapolis are counting a second person killed by the border control agency, ICE, in just one month. Meanwhile, both in the US and in Europe, some hard-right politicians are openly congratulating the agents who killed Alex Pretti. This episode looks at how Europe differs or not from the US in terms of police violence. Production: By  Europod...

Whether it is train accidents or floods - every disaster in Spain strongly reignites political battles. Using tragedy for political gain is widely condemned in European countries. Is this a typical Spanish thing, or is the taboo weakening? This episode looks at how political exploitation is becoming more and more common as the extreme right parties gain ground in Europe. Production: By  Europ...

Members of the European Parliament, alongside farmers from all over Europe, claim a victory in the fight against the EU/Mercosur trade agreement. On Wednesday 21 January, the Parliament voted to challenge the controversial trade deal before the EU Court of Justice. What will happen if the judges rule against the treaty? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . Follo...

Germany and France have been trying to maintain a friendship since the 1960s — a friendship that is supposed to guide the rest of the continent. However, this doesn’t really work anymore. Why do they struggle to find a united position on Donald Trump’s ongoing threats? Could this lack of unity hamper Europe’s response? Production: By  Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network . Follow...