Briefed - Your Daily European Podcast

Discover Briefed, Europod’s new daily podcast covering stories around Europe. In just five minutes, host Léa Marchal brings a fresh perspective on European politics and major news happening in European countries. On issues like tech sovereignty, climate scepticism or the rise of the extremes, the podcast brings you a different angle than your national one. Starting January 22nd, episodes of Briefe...

Zoos bring us much closer to wildlife, but their existence is a controversial topic. Go online and it’s easy to find groups that advocate for the closure of zoos, assessing that they do more harm than good to animals. Complaints usually relate to confinement, the lack of space, unnatural environments and crowded conditions as the main problems against animal well-being. But experts working in zoos...

The Cambridge dictionary defines fatphobia as the “ unreasonable   dislike  or  unfair   treatment  of  people  because they are  fat ”. Going deeper, Fatphobia  equates   fatness  with  ugliness ,  inferiority , and  immorality . Subjecting  people  to  fat   phobia  or  weight   stigma  ...

In this episode we’ll be speaking with 2 experts from the human rights space to unpack what we mean by our digital rights, how they are being protected or violated and who gets to decide what technology is needed for or against whom. Kahina Rabahi representing the European Anti-Poverty Network and Bibbi Abruzzini representing Forus, a global network of civil society organisations — will help us un...

This episode uncovers the real threat trans- and non-binary persons face, often due to the actions of far-right groups and a climate of hate which can also be traced back to political discourses. We hear from Patricia Reguero, a Spanish journalist from El Salto, and her Greek colleague, Anastasia Vaitsopoulou, who work for the media outlet Propaganda. Tune into episode 9 now! Join us on our j...

In this episode, we delve into what unites far-right groups in Europe and how they have been capitalising on cultural tools like social media and aesthetics to particularly target and successfully recruit young men and women. We hear from Michael Colborne, a journalist and researcher with Bellingcat, an investigation journalism organisation based in the Netherlands. His work focuses on the far rig...

In today’s episode we'll look into the new generation of student, university and worker led protests that are shaping up across Europe, from France to Poland. And we’ll also discuss how this trend relates to a global narrative change around the future of work. We'll hear from journalists Samuele Maccolini from the Italian outlet VD News and Maciej Domagała, from the Polish outlet Krytyka Polityczn...

In this episode, we’re going to tackle the rapid spread of gentrification. Let’s deconstruct this term and look at the human impact of taking from communities to serve mostly financial interests. Join our host of Europe Talks Back season 3, Gail Rego as she has a conversation with our guest activists and scholars activists and scholars Jordi González Guzmán and Rita Silva. Tune into episode 6 now!...

Artificial Intelligence is all the rage and most of us use it every day knowingly whether it's to get music recommendations or unlock our phones. But how far has IA gotten? Do we know when AI is being used and by whom? And most importantly is AI neutral? Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union. Production : Europod Follow us on: LinkedIn I...

According to the UN, 73% of women worldwide have experienced digital gender-based abuse: non-consensual intimate image-sharing, gender-based slurs or threats, online harassment, and unsolicited pornography. The consequences of this type of abuse go beyond the digital space, posing a threat to victim’s rights, health and safety both online and offline. Join our host of Europe Talks Back season 3, G...

White feminism is a self-proclaimed feminism shaped by the priorities of white, upper-middle-class, cisgender women. It assumes that all women experience misogyny in the same way - but it’s not.” What’s the point of breaking the glass ceiling if other women are left to pick up the pieces? Join our host of Europe Talks Back season 3, Gail Rego as she has a conversation with our guest Fren...

What is integration? What does it mean to you and the people who are expected to “integrate” into our societies? Having been born and raised as a migrant for her whole life, join our new host Gail Rego of Europe Talks Back as she unfolds the harmful and unreasonable expectations placed on people with a migration history and how this term is often used against people who migrate. Tune in and join o...

In this episode of Europe Talks Back, Juli Simond tells the story of Pit-Roig Vinyals, a German language teacher based in Barcelona, Spain. Diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at age 23, Pit-Roig turned her personal battles into a mission, emphasising on mental health stigma dismantlement and open conversations that were once con...

In the second episode of a special series of two, host Alexander Damiano Ricci talks to Stefano Valentino , an investigative freelance journalist who covered a case of greenwashing involving the French tire producer, Michelin, for the pan-European online media, Voxeurop . In particular, this podcast conversations uncovers the loopholes of green certification processes on financial markets. The ori...

A huge congratulations to Stefano for this well-deserved recognition, and a big thank you to the team for helping bring this important investigation to our listeners! Stefano investigated a case of greenwashing involving the French tyre producer Michelin for the pan-European online media, Voxeurop. This episode explores Stefano’s groundbreaking work and emphasises the importance of tackling enviro...

In this episode of Europe Talks Back, Gail Rego continues to dig into the investigation by Stefano Valentino published by the pan-European online media, Voxeurop, on how the European car industry has lobbied EU institutions to weaken Euro Seven, the next European Emission Standard.   Over the years, the EU has adopted progressively more stringent regulations on car emissions, but establishing...

In this episode of Europe Talks Back, Gail Rego takes us inside the investigation by Stefano Valentino published by the pan-European online media, Voxeurop, on how the European car industry has lobbied EU institutions to weaken Euro Seven, the next European Emission Standard.   Over the years, the EU has progressively adopted more stringent regulations on car emissions, but establishing this...

Once the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, people with disabilities suffered tremendously. And amid the panic and chaos that followed the invasion, many were unable to evacuate from their homes. This left people trapped in the crossfire without access to bomb shelters. In the first episode of the second season of Europe Talks Back, host Juli Simond tells the story of Tetyana Herasymova, wh...

COP30 ended with almost no attention to food systems, despite their huge climate footprint. In this episode of Europe Talks Back, Evi Kiorri explores the climate cost of the European diet, from high meat consumption to fertiliser-intensive farming, and why efforts like the Farm to Fork Strategy have stalled.  With insights from Olivier De Schutter, co-chair of IPES-Food, and UN Special Rappor...

Across Europe, traditional news is losing ground and creators are stepping in. From TikTok explainers to YouTube analysts and Instagram storytellers, a new generation of voices is reshaping how young audiences understand politics, culture, and the world around them. In this episode, Evi Kiorri explores what the rise of news creators means for journalism, trust, and public debate. With insights fro...

Across Europe, Millennials and Gen Z are working, studying and saving, yet home ownership is increasingly out of reach. Though housing is officially recognised as a human right under Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Pillar of Social Rights, skyrocketing house prices and stagnant wages have created what Eurofound calls a “generation-wide affordability divide....

Across Europe, a quiet movement is taking shape. From knitting circles in Helsinki to pottery workshops in Brussels, people are rediscovering the simple, grounding act of making things by hand. What began for many as a way to fill the long days of lockdown has grown into something deeper, a form of self-care, a social bond, and even a small act of resistance against the relentless pace of modern l...

Loneliness doesn’t stop at city limits or country borders. In this episode of Europe Talks Back ,we explore how isolation takes root in both Europe’s bustling cities and its quiet rural towns. With insights from sociologist Jasper de Witte, we unpack why loneliness isn’t just about being alone but about social ties, inequality, and the structures that shape our lives.  From young people in fa...

They call it Europe’s backbone: the rural heartlands. Covering more than 80 per cent of the EU’s territory but home to less than 30 per cent of its population, rural areas are vital for food, biodiversity, and climate resilience, yet face population decline, ageing communities, poor infrastructure, and limited digital access.  In this episode of Europe Talks Back, Evi Kiorri explores what lif...

Work emails at night. Messages from your boss after dinner. The pressure to be “always on” has become the norm, blurring the line between work and life, and pushing more people toward burnout. In this episode of Europe Talks Back , we look at how digital tools, remote work, and workplace expectations are wearing us down and whether the growing push for a legal right to disconnect can turn things a...