Briefed - Your Daily European Podcast

EU countries are beginning negotiations on the bloc’s next Multiannual Financial Framework, covering 2028 to 2034. The European Commission has proposed a budget of €2 trillion, up from the current €1.2 trillion, with the aim of increasing flexibility for national spending and boosting funding for defence and competitiveness.  But as discussions open, why are richer member states drawing the l...

European research funding, Chinese-owned technology, and Turkey’s expanding surveillance system are more closely connected than EVER. A recent investigation by Follow the Money reveals that EU-backed research projects have indirectly supported a Turkish company supplying facial-recognition equipment to law enforcement, despite its ties to ZTE, a Chinese firm classified by the EU as a “high-risk” v...

In the final episode of  The Right to Decide , host Sophie in ’t Veld speaks once again with Neil Datta, Executive Director of the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, to look at the global picture for reproductive freedom. With the return of the Trump administration, the world is witnessing renewed attacks on gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and...

The EU’s migration dilemma is back, not that it ever really went away. Member states are once again clashing over asylum rules, exposing old rifts that the bloc has spent years trying, and failing, to gloss over. This week, the European Commission published its first annual migration management cycle. Think of it as a map of who needs help, who should give help, and who is already signalling they’...

Today, Thursday, all eyes are on a crucial vote in the European Parliament regarding corporate sustainability and due diligence rules. The Parliament’s biggest political group, the European People’s Party, or EPP, is poised to do something it has long claimed it would never do, vote alongside the far right. How could this move reshape not only the EU’s environmental policy but also the entire poli...

Ukraine’s Justice Minister, German Galushchenko, has been suspended from his position as energy minister after a major corruption investigation into the country’s energy sector. Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko announced the decision after an extraordinary government session today, Wednesday, saying Galushchenko would step aside while the inquiry continues. But how is this affecting Ukraine’s bid...

The EU has been working on a plan to use frozen Russian state assets to help keep Ukraine afloat. Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, around €185 billion in Russian assets have been immobilised in Europe, most of them sitting at Euroclear, a huge securities depository based in Belgium. But, why is the EU’s plan to use these frozen assets hitting a wall? Join us on our journey through the events that...

The world has gathered for what’s called the “COP of truth.” Tens of thousands of delegates, activists, and journalists have descended on Belém, Brazil, for COP30 the UN’s annual climate conference. It’s been one of the hottest years on record, with floods, fires and melting ice caps becoming the new normal. The UN warns that global temperatures are now on track to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius withi...

In the fifth episode of  The Right to Decide , host Sophie in ’t Veld speaks with Nicole Moran, Gender and SRHR Advisor, about a worrying trend spreading across Europe: the decline in contraceptive use among young people. Together, they explore how stigma, fake news, and a growing mistrust in healthcare providers are shaping young people’s attitudes toward contraception. F...

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is about to meet US President Donald Trump, and he’s got quite the wish list. The visit comes at a sensitive moment. On the surface, it’s a diplomatic catch-up between two long-time political allies.  But underneath, the Hungarian leader has two clear goals, first, to secure an exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil, and second, to persuade Trump to h...

The French government has launched a procedure to suspend access to the fast-fashion giant Shein’s website, after authorities found child-like sex dolls listed on the platform. Under French law, online platforms must remove clearly illegal content, including child sexual content, within 24 hours, or risk being blocked and delisted. This move came on Wednesday, the same day Shein opened its first p...

The European Commission has released its annual enlargement report and there’s movement on Europe’s waiting list. Ten countries are officially candidates to join the EU: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Turkey, and Ukraine.  They all want a seat at the table, but who is really getting closer to joining, and who is falling behind?...

Liberties, a network of civil liberties organisations across the EU, has released its 2025 Gap Analysis, reviewing the Commission’s Rule of Law cycle. The report examined over 500 recommendations issued to Member States since 2022, case studies on Italy and Slovakia, and a dedicated review of media freedom. The findings point to a system that is stalling. So, if this is the case how do we protect...

It has been a year since the concrete canopy at Novi Sad train station collapsed, killing 16 people and sparking one of Serbia’s largest youth-led protest movements in recent memory. What began as mourning has transformed into a sustained political awakening that is reshaping Serbia today.  Now, tensions between citizens demanding accountability and a government determined to hold its grip on...

In the fourth episode of The Right to Decide, our host Sophie in ’t Veld speaks with Belgian Senator Celia Groothedde to explore how anti-rights actors are using money and media to influence politics, public opinion, and access to healthcare. From anti-choice clinics spreading disinformation to campaigns targeting schools and sex education, we uncover how a well-funded network is reshaping Europe’...

Sudan’s government has publicly criticised the European Union, accusing Brussels of responding too softly to atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces, the RSF, in the city of El Fasher.  The United Nations describes the situation in Sudan as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. So, what is happening on the ground and what is the international community, including the EU, actually do...

A political plot twist happened after yesterday’s election in the Netherlands. A leader once dismissed as “Robot Jetten” is suddenly the smiling face of Dutch centrist optimism, challenging the far-right, and potentially becoming the country’s first openly gay prime minister. Who is Rob Jetten, and why is Europe watching him so closely? Join us on our journey through the events that shape the Euro...

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....

This Wednesday, voters in the Netherlands head to the polls for yet another snap parliamentary election. The vote was called after the collapse of a four-party coalition government led by Geert Wilders’ far-right Party for Freedom (PVV). The coalition, which included the liberal-conservative VVD, the agrarian BBB, and the centrist New Social Contract (NSC), lasted less than a year. Wilders withdre...

The world’s latest climate plans are in and they fall drastically short. More than sixty countries have submitted their updated commitments to the United Nations, outlining how they’ll reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. But according to the UN’s own analysis published today, these plans would only cut global carbon emissions by around 10% compared with 2019 levels. That’s just one sixth of w...

This week, the European Union and China will hold talks in Brussels aimed at easing trade tensions, focusing on Beijing’s restrictions on exports of rare earths and magnets, materials vital for Europe’s automotive, defence, green tech and digital industries.  All this, as Donald Trump meets Xi Jinping to discuss trade and critical minerals on the other side of the world. But why is everyone s...

Who’s funding the rollback of women’s rights in Europe? In the third episode of The Right to Decide, host Sophie in ’t Veld speaks with Lucia Yar, Member of the European Parliament from Slovakia, to uncover how money fuels the anti-gender movement. From religious donors and oligarchs to EU funds being redirected toward conservative networks, we reveal how a well-organised financial strategy is res...

Winter is approaching, and while energy bills have fallen since the shock of 2022, when the EU moved to cut its dependence on Russian energy following the invasion of Ukraine, millions of Europeans are still struggling to keep their homes warm. The EU has now gone a step further, sanctioning Russian liquefied natural gas, and while Europe’s push for energy independence is essential, it hasn’t solv...

EU leaders gathered in Brussels today, Thursday, to discuss matters ranging from defence and housing to climate targets, but the agenda is clearly topped by Ukraine. Two big items stand out, the so-called “reparation loan” using frozen Russian assets, and the EU’s 19th sanctions package against Moscow, which was greenlit this morning. But can Europe turn political agreement into real financial sup...

The European Commission has changed course, again, on its landmark anti-deforestation law, known as the EUDR. After weeks of speculation about yet another delay, Brussels has now decided not to postpone the law for everyone. Instead, it’s introducing a series of exemptions and tweaks especially for small businesses and farmers. But what does this all mean in practice? Join us on our journey throug...