Briefed - Your Daily European Podcast

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...

In this episode of Europe Talks Back , we explore how Europe's so-called culture wars are used to divert attention from structural economic issues.   With insight from political scientist and member of the Social Democrats Justus Seuferle and Politics Professor at the University of Bath, Aurélien Mondon, the episode examines how political and media discourse has shifted away from materia...

Abortion remains illegal in Malta and highly restricted in Poland, despite ongoing pressure from European institutions to uphold reproductive rights. In this episode of Europe Talks Back , we examine the historical and current influence of religious institutions on abortion policy across Europe, and the political forces maintaining these restrictions.  We are joined by Neil Datta, Executive D...

Femicide is not just a word. It's a tragedy, and a manifestation of the deep-rooted inequality women face in every corner of society. It’s not just the tragic end of a life; it’s the culmination of years of violence, abuse, and power imbalances that have been allowed to fester unchecked. Unfortunately, despite legal advancements, femicides remain a persistent issue across Europe. Some countries ha...

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...

Fast fashion is responsible for 8-10% of global carbon emissions, more than aviation and shipping combined, and its environmental toll continues to rise. The industry thrives on overproduction and overconsumption, flooding the market with cheap, disposable clothing that drives a growing textile waste crisis. Across Europe, millions of tonnes of textiles are incinerated, dumped in landfills, or exp...

Before the launch of the new season of our daily podcast, we invite you to listen again to the best content produced in 2025. Summer 2025 is setting new tourism records, but also new tensions. In the sunny south of Europe, local patience is wearing thin. As prices rise and crowds grow, the question is: can southern Europe remain a paradise for tourists without becoming unliveable for its own peopl...

Before the launch of the new season of our daily podcast, we invite you to listen again to the best content produced in 2025. Women’s hatred towards men makes the men uncomfortable, but men’s hatred towards women kills women. Last July, a masculinist attack was averted in France. Earlier this year, the Netflix series “Adolescence” showed the world how the narrative of toxic masculinity had swept i...

Before the launch of the new season of our daily podcast, we invite you to listen again to the best content produced in 2025. Artificial intelligence models like ChatGPT and DeepSeek require immense computing power to train and operate. That demand has sparked a global construction boom of data centres, the physical backbone of AI. But as billions are poured into ever-larger facilities, is the wor...

Across Europe, the cost of housing is reaching a critical point. Rents are rising, homeownership is slipping out of reach, and no major city remains affordable for an average-income household. What are the driving forces behind this situation? What measures are being taken at the European, national or local level to address this crisis? How effective are they? In our new episode of Europe Talks Ba...

Before the launch of the new season of our daily podcast, we invite you to listen again to the best content produced in 2025. You’ve heard of PFAS, these forever chemicals found on your non-stick pan, in your dishwasher detergent, in your jacket and generally everywhere in your everyday lives. Now meet the trifluoroacetic acid or TFA, probably very dangerous to the public health but not regulated...

Before the launch of the new season of our daily podcast, we invite you to listen again to the best content produced in 2025. Wildfires have once again swept across the Mediterranean this summer. Catalonia saw entire towns forced into lockdown, fires crept dangerously close to Marseille, and evacuations have been underway in Greece. It’s becoming an all-too-familiar summer routine. But as the flam...

Discover a new podcast series! Who is threatening women’s rights and why? In the second episode of The Right to Decide, we uncover the forces driving the anti-gender movement with our host Sophie in ’t Veld and our guest Neil Datta, Executive Director of the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights. From fake hotlines that discour...

Discover a new podcast series! What happens when the right to choose over your own body becomes a political battlefield? The first episode of The Right to Decide explores the fight for abortion rights in Europe. Our host Sophie in ’t Veld sits down with Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Polish MEP and long-time women’s rights defender, to explore one of the most con...

Belgium’s Prime Minister, Bart De Wever, has thrown quite a spanner into the EU’s plans to use frozen Russian state assets to fund Ukraine. The Commission wants to turn those assets, around €210 billion frozen since Russia’s full-scale invasion, into a €140 billion “reparations loan” to keep Kyiv financially afloat for the next two years. But, what’s really behind Belgium’s resistance and could on...

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...

Wednesday’s inaugural session of the European Parliament’s new scrutiny working group, the one set up to investigate transparency around NGO funding, did not exactly go as planned. The meeting descended into chaos within the first half hour. Progressive and left-leaning MEPs walked out almost immediately, calling the probe a politically-motivated assault on civil society.  Join us on our jour...

The European Court of Justice has ruled that all EU member states must recognise same-sex marriages lawfully concluded in any other member state, even if they don’t allow such marriages at home. But what sparked this ruling and what are the reactions from countries where same sex marriages are illegal? Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Uni...

Belgium entered its second day of a coordinated, three-day strike on Tuesday, as unions protest against the government’s sweeping austerity plans. The action began yesterday, when trains and public transport walked off the job. The national rail operator managed to run only one or two out of three trains, while several Eurostar services between Brussels and Paris were cancelled.  Today, schoo...

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 of Europe Talks Back, Evi Kiorri explores what the rise of news creators means for journalism, trust, and public deba...

US and Ukrainian officials say progress has been made in Geneva during talks aimed at ending the war. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the discussions as “tremendous”, “productive”, and the most meaningful to date, although he emphasised that more work is still needed.  But what does the US plan include and what is Europe’s reaction to it? Join us on our journey through the events...

More than 60 delegations gathered in Brussels this Thursday for a meeting of the Palestine Donor Group, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, to discuss Gaza’s reconstruction, future governance, and security, as well as long-awaited reforms to the Palestinian Authority.  But, what was actually decided and what are the first reactions? Join us on our journey through the events that shape the...

EU foreign ministers are expected to impose sanctions today at their Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, following mounting pressure to act against individuals and entities supplying weapons to Sudan’s militia groups responsible for the country’s catastrophic civil war.  But are these sanctions enough to change the course of the war, or is it too late? Join us on our journey through...

The European Commission, backed strongly by France and Germany, is preparing to roll out a sweeping “digital simplification” package. This Wednesday the Commission will present a major omnibus plan to simplify digital rules, everything from data protection to the freshly minted AI Act. Officials call it a way to ease burdens on European companies. Critics including MEPs, NGOs, and a good number of...

In Copenhagen a political earthquake might be brewing. For the first time in over 120 years, Denmark’s Social Democrats are on track to lose control of Copenhagen, a city they’ve governed since 1903, longer than most European republics have even existed.  Every single lord mayor since 1938 has been a Social Democrat. But perhaps that changes tonight. But why can these local elections shift De...