As NATO leaders prepare to endorse a dramatic defense spending hike, Europe faces a reckoning: Where will the money come from — and will new tanks mean cuts to pensions?
Host Sarah Wheaton speaks with Michelle Haas, a defense analyst at Ghent University and an associate fellow at the Egmont Institute, about how the proposed 5 percent target is landing acros ... Show More
Aug 22
EU's sweaty summer — what you missed (and what matters)
Just when we thought we could get a break for the summer, geopolitics had other plans. This week on EU Confidential, host Sarah Wheaton is joined by POLITICO colleagues Jordyn Dahl, Gabriel Gavin and Jan Cienski for a catch-up on what moved while the bubble was at the beach. From ... Show More
33m 18s
Aug 1
Escape the EU Bubble: Expert Summer Book Picks
This week, we’re taking a breath. EU Confidential is stepping away from summits, trade battles, and late-night trilogues — and turning to something more refreshing: books. Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by audio producer (and self-confessed book nerd) Dionisios Sturis for this spec ... Show More
35m 28s
Jun 24
Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space: A new era of defence readiness
James Copnall, presenter of BBC Newsday, speaks to Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, about the need for Europe to be able to defend itself.In an interview recorded before the Nato summit on 24/25 June 2025, Mr Kubilius, a former Prime Minister of Lithuania, ... Show More
22m 59s
May 6
Political Crisis in Germany as Merz Fails to Win First Vote as Chancellor
A.M. Edition for May 6. Germany enters a period of political uncertainty as Friedrich Merz, winner of the recent election, fails to secure enough support in a first-round vote in parliament to be confirmed as the country’s next chancellor. Plus, the WSJ s peaks to Harvard’s Presi ... Show More
13m 23s
Jun 25
NATO summit 2025: How Europe can secure its future
This week, Mark Leonard is joined by Camille Grand, former NATO assistant secretary general and ECFR distinguished policy fellow, for a 15-minute Emergency Room episode dissecting the high-stakes NATO summit in The Hague. Against a turbulent geopolitical backdrop, world leaders n ... Show More
11m 15s
Feb 2025
Former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace
For the past week, Donald Trump has publicly aligned the United States more with America's adversary, Vladimir Putin, than with its allies, Ukraine and the rest of the Europe. With the next German chancellor talking about having to seek security independence from the United State ... Show More
1 h
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