Europe’s political center is wobbling. Again.
In Germany, a dramatic Bundestag vote leaves new Chancellor Friedrich Merz bruised before he’s even begun. In Romania, the first round of the presidential election wipes out the mainstream — and puts a Trump-admiring provocateur on top.
EU Confidential breaks down a week of shaken coalitions, rising populists, ... Show More
Oct 3
Humiliating Europe: Trump’s culture war and the EU’s response
What do Donald Trump’s culture war, Moldova’s EU ambitions, and Czechia’s upcoming parliamentary election have in common? They all reveal how Europe is being tested — and sometimes humiliated. In this episode of EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton speaks with Paweł Zerka, senior ... Show More
37m 33s
Jan 2025
Election countdown: New Germany, new Europe, new podcast
With just five weeks remaining until the German federal election, Friedrich Merz's CDU is leading in the polls. But significant shifts in geopolitics—and opinion—can occur in weeks and days: and this election will take place in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s inauguration and ami ... Show More
32m 36s
May 2025
Liberal tides, populist currents: Elections in Poland and Romania
This week, Mark Leonard is joined by Piotr Buras, head of ECFR’s Warsaw office, for an emergency room episode dissecting Sunday’s pivotal elections in Poland and Romania. Their discussion, which was recorded after high-stakes voting had taken place across Portugal, Poland and Rom ... Show More
15m 43s
Jul 2024
Why the far right is winning in Europe, with Yanis Varoufakis
In the recent European elections, the far right won unprecedented gains. From the success of the AfD in Germany, to Le Pen’s National Rally in France, the elections saw nationalist and eurosceptic parties sweep up nearly a quarter of the seats in the European parliament. In the U ... Show More
42m 42s
Sep 2024
Germany, France, and the rise of Euroscepticism
It has been a momentous few weeks in German and French politics. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) won its first state election – and achieved the German far-right’s best result since the second world war – in Thuringia with 33% of the vote; in Saxony, it came a close second to t ... Show More
38m 41s
Feb 2025
[Le monde devant soi] Élections législatives en Allemagne: soutenue par Elon Musk, l'AfD en embuscade
Cette semaine, pas de nouvel épisode de New Deal. À la place, nous vous proposons d'écouter le dernier épisode de notre autre podcast politique, Le monde devant soi. Bonne écoute.
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Le dimanche 23 février, les Allemands vont voter pour élire leurs nouveaux députés. Ces é ... Show More
19m 37s