logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2022
28m 44s

From Tirana: Western Balkan bid — Author...

POLITICO
About this episode
This week's episode comes to you from the Albanian capital of Tirana where EU leaders met with Western Balkan hopefuls. And we dive into the fascinating world of spies operating in Brussels. Host Suzanne Lynch brings us up to speed on the EU's latest efforts to woo Western Balkan countries that want to become members of the bloc at a first-of-its-kind summit ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
Are fuel cuts back on the table?
Europe is facing another potential energy shock — and this time, Brussels is starting to float something politically tricky: using less fuel. Host Zoya Sheftalovich is joined by POLITICO’s senior EU politics editor Ian Wishart to break down a warning from Brussels that points to ... Show More
15m 13s
Mar 30
Why rich countries want to join the EU
For two decades, aspiring EU members wanted to join the bloc to get richer. Now, that’s changing. With conflicts raging at Europe’s doorstep and NATO shaky under Donald Trump, even rich countries want to join the bloc, hoping it’ll help them feel safer. Zoya and Nick unpack this ... Show More
17m 32s
Mar 27
A reckoning for Europe’s center left
The far right took some minor hits to its seemingly impenetrable armor this week, as people in Denmark, Italy, France and Slovenia headed to the polls. But those votes also told another, more existential story: the slow-motion collapse of the EU’s center left. To unpack what’s ai ... Show More
36m 30s
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
Will the Baltics be next?
Olaf Scholz visited the First German Brigade, which is stationed in Lithuania as part of Berlin’s new commitment to defend the Baltic states. But is Nato ready for Russia’s next move? We speak with Lithuania’s foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Marion Messmer of Chatham Ho ... Show More
33m 33s
Jun 2022
Is Hungary undermining the West’s resolve on Ukraine?
As the EU claims victory with a partial oil embargo on Russia, Ido Vock, Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard discuss whether Hungary’s right-wing populist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is weakening the West's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They also look at the signific ... Show More
31m 5s
Jun 2022
Ukraine's IT army
A quarter of a million people now participate in regular cyber attacks against Russia. We hear from one of the volunteers, Oleksandr Naumenko. And also from US-Russian cybersecurity expert Dmitri Alperovitch. BBC Ukrainian service reporter Olga Malchevska recalls a recent visit t ... Show More
36m 39s
Apr 2024
EU leaders head to Lithuania to show solidarity
Emmanuel Macron hosts Antony Blinken in Paris for talks on Ukraine and Gaza, and EU leaders head to Lithuania while Belarus conducts military drills near its border. Plus: we discuss Bassirou Diomaye Faye as he is sworn in as Senegal’s youngest president and explore the world of ... Show More
57m 24s
Jul 2023
Estonian PM Kaja Kallas
As the critical NATO summit wraps up, Ukrainian President Zelensky may not be walking away with membership to the alliance, but he is leaving with a huge boost in military support. US President Biden and G7 leaders are announcing a new package, Germany is pledging more Patriot mi ... Show More
56m 55s
May 2024
The Weekend Intelligence: Georgia... the day after tomorrow
<p>The introduction laws cracking down on supposed foreign agents has become a common tactic for autocratic leaders. Activists in Georgia, who oppose the introduction of such a law, refer to theirs as “the Russian law”. They see it as moving their country closer to Putin, and awa ... Show More
44m 59s
Jul 2023
On the frontlines of the NATO summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky got a rockstar welcome in Lithuania, as he arrives for the NATO summit in Vilnius. The president has expressed frustration about the lack of a timeline for his country's membership of the alliance, calling it absurd. This ahead of his meetin ... Show More
56m 36s
May 2024
The Weekend Intelligence: Georgia... the day after tomorrow
The introduction laws cracking down on supposed foreign agents has become a common tactic for autocratic leaders. Activists in Georgia, who oppose the introduction of such a law, refer to theirs as “the Russian law”. They see it as moving their country closer to Putin, and away f ... Show More
44m 59s