EU Confidential is a weekly European news and politics podcast published every Friday by POLITICO Europe. Each 30-minute episode features POLITICO’s analysis of...
A tariff storm was brewing — and then, just like that, the forecast changed. Donald Trump shocked everyone by pausing his planned tariffs for 90 days (for all countries except China), throwing global markets a lifeline and leaving the EU wondering what game he’s playing.
In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton unpacks the fallout from Trump’s trade U-turn with Josh Lipsky, senior director at the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center, and Doug Busvine, POLITICO’s editor for agriculture and trade. They dig into whether this is a moment of de-escalation in Trump’s trade war — or just the eye of the storm — as well as how Brussels might respond, and what it all means for the future of globalization and free trade.
As always, the situation is fluid. All information and figures were accurate at the time of recording.
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30:25
Beautiful beef: Le Pen, Varoufakis and the horseshoe theory of politics
What do Marine Le Pen, Yanis Varoufakis and Donald Trump have in common? More than you'd think.
In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton breaks down the court decision that could end Le Pen's political career as well as the fallout for France's far right. With POLITICO’s Clea Caulcutt giving us the latest from Paris, Yanis Varoufakis — the former Greek finance minister and leader of left-wing party Mera25 — joins to discuss his controversial defense of Le Pen, and why he believes Europe’s political future is on the line.
His stance got us thinking about the horseshoe theory of politics: Are the far left and far right really that different?
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42:52
Erdoğan, not Trump, is Europe's new best friend on security
Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul’s mayor and the main political rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been arrested. So what is Europe doing about it? Staying pretty quiet, it seems. Mass protests are breaking out across Turkey but Brussels is keeping its counsel.
In this episode Sarah Wheaton speaks with Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former journalist in Turkey, about what’s really driving Erdoğan’s shift toward authoritarianism and how Europe is responding — especially with a view to Turkey’s growing importance for European security.
But Europe’s focus isn’t all on defense. We also examine some of the EU’s overlooked policy changes, from food and textile waste to agriculture and medicine shortages. Sarah is joined by Politico’s experts on sustainability, agriculture and health — Marianne Gros, Bartosz Brzeziński and Rory O’Neill — for an insightful dive into what’s going on behind the scenes.
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36:58
Dirty games in Brussels and war games in Europe
A lobbying frenzy, secret perks, and now police raids. Huawei’s cozy ties in Brussels have exploded into a full-blown corruption scandal.
As the European Parliament tries to rehabilitate its image post Qatargate, lawmakers are once again at the center of allegations. With offices sealed and arrests made, there are serious questions about how deep Beijing’s influence really runs.
Host Sarah Wheaton breaks it all down with POLITICO's cybersecurity and intelligence reporter, Antoaneta Roussi, and Laurens Cerulus, POLITICO's cybersecurity editor.
Meanwhile, over in Berlin, the Bundestag made a historic move: voting to break from Germany’s long-standing fiscal conservatism. Get ready for unprecedented borrowing to bolster defense spending, aligning Germany with the EU's broader defense initiatives. POLITICO’s Chris Lunday joins us from Berlin to explain what it means for Germany and Europe.
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33:11
Can EU leaders handle a world on fire?
100 days in, Europe’s top leaders are facing a reality check.
Ursula von der Leyen talks about a new sense of urgency — but is she leading, or just firefighting? António Costa wants to unify the bloc — but can he keep Europe together on defense? Kaja Kallas vowed to sharpen EU foreign policy — but after a snub in Washington, is anyone listening?
With transatlantic ties fraying, host Sarah Wheaton sits down with Brussels top policy minds to assess whether Europe’s leadership is fit for purpose — or stuck in the past.
Joining her are Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe; Karel Lannoo, CEO of the Centre for European Policy Studies; and Heather Grabbe, senior fellow at Bruegel.
Later, Jacopo Barigazzi, POLITICO’s senior defense correspondent, introduces Andrius Kubilius, the EU’s first-ever defense commissioner, in our latest installment of Berlaymont Who’s Who.
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EU Confidential is a weekly European news and politics podcast published every Friday by POLITICO Europe. Each 30-minute episode features POLITICO’s analysis of the top stories driving EU politics, as well as notable guests shaping European policy and deep-dive stories from around the Continent. It’s hosted by Sarah Wheaton, POLITICO’s chief policy correspondent, who is joined by reporters from around Europe. Discover our show notes for EU Confidential here: https://www.politico.eu/eu-confidential-podcast/
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