Europod • English

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Greece is back on the front page of the international media after a significant phone-tapping scandal. The wiretaps were carried out against the journalist investigating financial scandals, Thanasis Koukakis, and the political leader of the third largest political party, Nikos Androulakis. A short time earlier, another journalist who specialized in the refugee issue, Stavros Malichoudis, had disco...

From 2022, Greece ranks the worst of all EU countries in the RSF ranking for press freedom. Why has it fallen from 70th to 108th out of 180 countries? What is happening to the media in the so-called birthplace of democracy? The first episode of the podcast series offers an informative retrospective for both international and Greek audiences, setting the context for a better understanding of t...

In the last episode, we look at the future of the transport sector. How will goods be moved in the coming years?  Which role will artificial intelligence play? And most importantly, will truck drivers still be needed or will they be replaced by machines? To answer these questions, we went to Intermodal Europe, the congress that brings together industry professionals in Rotterdam each year to...

Truck drivers transport 77% of products in Europe, but road transport is not the only option. Trains and intermodal systems are one of the alternative solutions the EU is focusing on, and one which could also improve the working conditions of truck drivers. Investment, however, is still too low. In the meantime, Europe is also trying to reduce the fossil fuel consumption of trucks by focusing on e...

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 ....

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 ....

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...

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...

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...

In the last episode of Sea of Rage, we travel back to Barbate and investigate what happened on the night of the 9th of February 2024, when two local police officers were killed by narco-gangs. We also meet Spanish prosecutors and researchers, trying to understand what the future might hold for Barbate. Sea of Rage is a reportage podcast dealing with the borderless narco-trafficking business as see...

In this episode, we continue our reporting from the area of Gioia Tauro. We meet journalist Michele Albanese who lives under police protection these days. And discover the reach and connections of the Italian Ndrangheta mafia across Europe. From the reporting the differences and red threads connecting Barbate and Gioia Tauro become manifest. Sea of Rage is a reportage podcast dealing with the bord...

In this episode, we travel to the Italian coast and port-town of Gioia Tauro, in the Southern region of Calabria. We discover the history of the construction of the port of Gioia Tauro and the role of the Italian mafia, Ndrangheta, in the narco-trafficking of cocaine into Europe.  Sea of Rage is a reportage podcast dealing with the borderless narco-trafficking business as seen from the perspe...

After visiting the neighbourhood of El Pinar and the port of Barbate, in this episode we try to understand deeper reasons for why this south-western Spanish port town struggles in changing its status of entry door for hashish into Europe. We discuss the impact of geography, education and, eventually, local politics on Barbate.  Sea of Rage is a reportage podcast dealing with the borderless na...

Walking the streets of Barbate is not enough to grasp why drug trafficking affects this small town in South-Western Spain. In this episode, the team of reporters behind Sea of Rage visit the port of Barbate, where everything - the smuggling - happens.  Sea of Rage is a reportage podcast dealing with the borderless narco-trafficking business as seen from the perspective of ordinary people who...

In this episode, the team of reporters behind Sea of Rage set foot for the first time in Barbate, Andalusia, South-Western Spain. They meet people from El Pinar, a notorious neighbourhood in town which is known to be a pivotal place for drug trafficking.  Sea of Rage is a reportage podcast dealing with the borderless narco-trafficking business as seen from the perspective of ordinary people w...

Sea of Rage is a reportage podcast dealing with the borderless narco-trafficking business as seen from the perspective of ordinary people who live in two towns in Southern Europe: Barbate (Andalusìa, Spain) and Gioia Tauro (Calabria, Italy). Over the past few decades, Barbate and Gioia Tauro have become entry points for hashish and cocaine into Europe. But why have these towns become such pivotal...

Alexis Tsipras: "Angela Merkel did not succeed in making Europe less German but she tried to make Germany more European." In this bonus episode of my question to Angela Merkel, Alexis Tsipras, who was the Greek Prime Minister during one of the most important crises for his country and the EU, tells of his fascinating relationship with Angela Merkel, an adversary, just as much as an attentive count...

This episode bonus of "my question to Angela Merkel" is part of the series War & Peace, by the International Crisis Group, EuroPod's partner. After sixteen years at Europe’s helm, Angela Merkel is stepping down from power. The federal election in September also marked an end to the long-term hold her political party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), had had over German politics. Merkel’s...

They are both monsters of European political longevity. Jean-Claude Juncker, former President of the European Commission, answered EuroPod ’s questions on Angela Merkel's career and legacy. You have already heard some extracts of what he said on “My question to Angela Merkel” and now you can enjoy the full interview by Quentin Ariès, journalist at Cafébabel and EuroPod partner for this podcast ser...

The journey is about to end. Emilia has already walked us through the most pivotal moments of Angela Merkel’s life and political career, including her reaction to the financial crash, the Greek sovereign debt crisis and the rise in migration flows in Europe. However, before deciding on which question to ask Merkel, she also wants to reflect on the way her departure will change politics both in Ger...

By now we know all about Angela Merkel’s life and political career up until her famous “Wir schaffen das!”. Now Emilia will tell us all about Merkel switching gears on her Atlanticist side with the arrival of Donald Trump while at the same time being reluctant in taking on the role of leader of the free world after the departure of Obama. We will discover why she was against a referendum on Brexit...

Emilia has already delved into every detail of Merkel’s life and political career up until her reaction to the Greek sovereign debt crisis. As we will discover in this episode, before she could catch her breath, Merkel was faced with yet another challenge, one that would make her enter history: a consistent surge in migratory flows. Emilia will tell us about Merkel being in favour of a common Euro...

By now we know all about Merkel’s life and political career up until how she reacted to the financial crash of 2008. In this episode, we will discover about the time the EU was on the verge of a new crisis because of Greece’s instability. Emilia will tell us about Merkel holding back even though European leaders only had 72 hours to prevent it, about her stating that “Germany can’t do well if Euro...

Emilia already told us all about Merkel’s youth and retraced every step of her political career up until the role she played in closing the deal on the Lisbon Treaty. But as we will discover in this episode, that was only one of the many challenges Merkel had to face ever since becoming Chancellor. Emilia will tell us about Merkel turning to books herself in the face of the financial crisis, about...