We're taking the Schadenfreude approach to the chaos that Trump's tariffs have unleashed upon Europe (and the rest of the world). This week, our favourite Luxembourger Nina Lamparski joins Dominic to explain why sales of Elon Musk's Tesla cars have already plunged in Europe and could now fare even worse thanks to his best bud's trade policies. We're also joined by Turkish political scientist Ezgi Başaran to discuss why President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is feeling liberated in a time that's been dubbed 'springtime for autocrats' — and whether the huge protests against him could change that. Plus, is Spain's clever new food waste law as good as it sounds?
This episode was recorded on Tuesday night, before the EU's announcement of retaliatory tariffs... and before the White House's announcement of a 90-day pause on higher tariffs for dozens of countries. At any rate, at the time of publication the world economy is still looking decidedly chaotic, so we hope you still find this an enjoyable and useful listen.
Thanks for listening. After some rather troubling financial news, this independent podcast needs your support more than ever. If you enjoy our work, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting us. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast!
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'Criminal Record' and 'Rural Fictions', an essay in The Dial by Bartolomeo Sala. Nina's bonus recommendations: 'Inspector Ellis' and 'The Bay'.
00:33 Moien, a wëllkomm bei den Europäer
05:09 Bad Week: Tesla in Europe
19:28 Good Week: Spain's new food waste law
33:03 Interview: Ezgi Başaran on Turkey's protests
49:25 The Inspiration Station: Criminal record and Bartolemo Sala's essay on farming in European fiction
54:33 Happy Ending: Hooray for shingles vaccines
Producers: Katy Lee and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | [email protected]
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56:46
Rockets, recipes and Le Pen(itentiary)
Marine Le Pen has been banned from running for the French presidency after this week's bombshell court ruling finding her guilty in a huge embezzlement case. But does she have any chance of a comeback? And could the far-right win the presidency without her? This week we're discussing the earthquake in French politics, as well as Europe's space ambitions. Plus, a delightful interview with Greek podcaster and hungry man Thom Ntinas, about what ancient Europeans ate.
Thom is the host of The Delicious Legacy podcast. Find it here, or wherever you're listening to this.
Thanks for listening. After some rather troubling financial news this week, this independent podcast needs your support more than ever. If you enjoy our work, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting us. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast!
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: @forkranger on Instagram and 'How Stockholm Stuck' from Radiolab.
00:33 Damn clocks
03:43 Good Week: Marine Le Pen's enemies
20:36 Bad Week (?): The Spectrum rocket launch
33:59 Interview: Thom Ntinas on what the Ancients ate
46:27 The Inspiration Station: @forkranger and 'How Stockholm Stuck'
49:55 Happy Ending: The best place to lose your wallet
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | [email protected]
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53:30
How would Europe's €800 billion defence plan actually work?
Europe is set to spend an eye-wateringly huge amount of money on building up its militaries over the next few years, after That Guy In The White House signalled he's no longer that interested in helping us defend ourselves against Russia. But where is all this money supposed to come from? And does it matter if some countries are more enthusiastic about this plan than others? This week we call defence expert Marina Henke to figure out what this spending bonanza actually involves. We're also talking about a Czech-led plan to save Radio Free Europe from Trump's cuts, and why ChatGPT falsely accused a Norwegian man of murder.
Marina is a professor of international Relations at the Hertie School in Berlin and director of the Centre for International Security. You can watch the full version of her interview here on our YouTube channel and follow her on Bluesky here.
Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast!
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'And Then We Danced' and The Bittersweet Life.
Other resources for this week's episode
'Trump’s decision to cut Radio Free Europe comes at a great cost to democracy' - Muhammad Tahir, editorial for MSNBC, March 24, 2025 https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-voice-of-america-radio-free-europe-rcna197367
'Malfunction: the Hungarian Radio (Silence) on Chernobyl' - Archivum, April 26, 2021 https://www.archivum.org/entries/blog/malfunction-the-hungarian-radio-silence-on-chernobyl
'EU privacy body weighs in on some tricky GenAI lawfulness questions' - TechCrunch, December 18, 2024 https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/18/eu-privacy-body-weighs-in-on-some-tricky-genai-lawfulness-questions/
The EU's White Paper for European Defence: Readiness 2030 - March 19, 2025 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_793
00:34 Deep breath: it's time for another episode of The Europeans
04:47 Good Week: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
18:41 Bad Week: The Norwegian man who ChatGPT falsely accused of murder
31:41 Interview: Marina Henke on Europe's huge new defence plan
56:23 The Inspiration Station: 'And Then We Danced' and 'The Bittersweet Life'
59:45 Happy Ending: Petko Gantsjev Is Very Much Alive
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | [email protected]
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1:02:47
Should Canada join the EU?
Europe and Canada have a lot in common, from their headaches over Donald Trump to a shared belief in welfare states. If Australia can be a part of Eurovision, is there anything stopping us from welcoming our Canadian friends into the EU?! This week we talk to Stanley Pignal, The Economist's semi-Canadian Brussels bureau chief, about what would be in it for both sides. We're also looking at the escalating political crisis in Bosnia, and the places in Europe where you're likely to live the longest.
You can read Stanley's article about the case for Canadian EU membership here and find his Charlemagne column on European politics here. He posts on Bluesky here.
Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast!
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: 'The Agency' and writing a letter to a Russian political prisoner via OVD-Info (an initiative discovered via this essay in The Dial by Francesca Mastruzzo).
Other resources for this week's episode
'The Economics Show' podcast by the Financial Times: 'Can societies age gracefully?' - January 13, 2025 https://www.ft.com/content/8ce0571d-06f0-40de-8579-4446d1fb07f3
'The EU needs a proactive approach in Bosnia' - editorial in Politico Europe by Arminka Helić, March 17, 2025 https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-bosnia-western-balkans-europe-war-bih-crisis-serbia/
00:34 Spring Is Real
02:50 Good Week: Europeans are living longer
15:00 Bad Week: Bosnia and Herzegovina
28:54 Interview: Stanley Pignal on the case for Canadian EU membership
45:38 The Inspiration Station: The Agency and letters to Russian political prisoners
50:46 Happy Ending: Germany's economy could be wurst
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | [email protected]
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53:36
Putin's African antics, the death of Skype, and a Eurovision c-bomb
Thousands of kilometres from the devastating war it's been waging in Ukraine, Russia has involved itself in a swathe of other conflicts that attract much less attention: in Africa. Why? This week we speak to Beverly Ochieng, a self-described Wagner Group stalker, about what Russia is playing at. We're also talking about a foul-mouthed (?) Eurovision controversy, and why none of the world's big bad tech giants come from Europe.
Beverly is a senior analyst for francophone Africa at Control Risks and a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. You can follow her here on Bluesky and here on Mastodon. Check out our full conversation with Beverly on our YouTube channel.
Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of The Europeans at patreon.com/europeanspodcast (many currencies are available), or gift a donation to a super fan here. We'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast!
This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news.
This week's Inspiration Station recommendations: Codenames and The Economist's Glass Ceiling Index.
Other resources for this week's episode
European Alternatives - euro-companies making all kinds of digital products: https://european-alternatives.eu/
Jitsi, the great Zoom alternative created by a swing-dancing Erasmus student: https://jitsi.org/
'The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World' by Anu Bradford: https://academic.oup.com/book/36491
Fact-check: Does the EU really buy 80% of its weapons from overseas? (No, no it doesn't.) Bluesky thread by The Economist's Stanley Pignal, March 9, 2025: https://bsky.app/profile/spignal.bsky.social/post/3ljxd4r4cos25
Miriana Conte - Kant (‘Singing’); National Final Performance, Eurovision Song Contest 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qNK1tt6L5k
00:33 Smellovision and feminist babies
03:32 Bad Week: Skype
25:19 Good Week: Language prudes
37:39 Interview: Beverly Ochieng on Russia's African antics
53:40 The Inspiration Station: Codenames and The Economist's Glass Ceiling Index
56:44 Happy Ending: Easier breathing for Londoners
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon | [email protected]
O The Europeans | European news, politics and culture
The Europeans is a fresh and entertaining weekly podcast about European politics and culture, recorded each week between Paris and Amsterdam with fascinating guests joining from across Europe. This multiple award-winning podcast fills you in on the major European politics stories and other European news of the week, as well as fun and quirky nuggets that have been missed by most media outlets.
Hosted by Katy Lee, a journalist based in Paris, and Dominic Kraemer, an opera singer in Amsterdam, The Europeans covers everything from elections and climate policy to the best new European films and TV shows. We also produce investigative podcasts about everything from the European farming lobby to oat milk. Yes, oat milk.
Katy and Dominic are old friends, and the warmth and intimacy of their conversations will soon make you feel like you’ve known them a long time too. They approach topics with a light and humorous tone that makes The Europeans stand out from other European news podcasts, while remaining journalistically rigorous and meticulously fact-checked. The Europeans has been recommended by The New York Times, The Guardian, Buzzfeed, The Financial Times, and many other outlets.
Katy Lee, a British-French reporter, has written for major outlets including The Guardian, Politico Europe, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Foreign Policy and The New Statesman for more than a decade, covering French and European politics and more recently, climate change. Dominic Kraemer, a British-German opera singer, performs across Europe when he is not co-hosting The Europeans, with roles recently at the Staatsoper in Berlin, the Dutch National Opera and the Münchener Biennale. The Europeans’ team is completed by producers Katz Laszlo in Amsterdam and Wojciech Oleksiak in Warsaw. You’ll hear them joining Katy and Dominic from time to time, particularly during investigative episodes like ‘The Oatly Chronicles’ and ‘The Big-Agri Bully Boys’.
The Europeans’ breezy, informal approach to covering European news has won awards such as a Covering Climate Now award for an episode about the Swiss women who sued their government at the European Court of Human Rights demanding more climate action; Germany’s prestigious CIVIS Media Prize for ‘Mohamed’, an episode that explores the everyday life of a young undocumented man in Amsterdam; and best LGBTQIA+ short at the MiraBan UK Film Awards for ‘Josh and Franco’, the coming-of-age story of a father and son, both gay.
Our guests have included everyone from major figures in European politics such as Alexander Stubb, now the President of Finland, and Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, to star chefs Asma Khan and Christian Puglisi, celebrated illustrator Christoph Niemann, and environmentalist George Monbiot. Since launching in 2017, we’ve talked about everything from elections in France, Italy and many more countries besides, to the politics of halloumi cheese in Cyprus, to why Donald Trump is so hard for TV interpreters to translate.
We pride ourselves on covering European politics, European news and European culture from a pan-European perspective. You’ll often hear stories on The Europeans from parts of the continent that don’t usually receive enough attention from major international media outlets, especially Central, Eastern and Southern Europe.
You might enjoy The Europeans if you also enjoy one of these other podcasts: The News Agents, On the Media, Today in Focus, Inside Europe, The Journal, EU Confidential, The Daily, The Globalist, Reasons to be Cheerful, The Media Show, Power Play, and The New Statesman. Whether you’re already a European news nerd, or simply someone who’d like to be better informed about what’s happening across Europe, The Europeans is the podcast for you.
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