Brussels Playbook Podcast

The European Parliament’s 719 lawmakers are about to head off on their six-week summer break. But that doesn’t mean an end to the political headaches.

That’s because as soon as they return on Aug. 31, lawmakers will dive straight back into backroom negotiations ahead of Parliament’s big midterm reshuffle. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart discuss the scheming already happening behind the scenes.

Next: Europe wants to restrict children’s use of social media — much like Australia. But does the implementation of Canberra’s ban serve as a warning or a trailblazer? Zoya speaks with the Aussie eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, to learn more.

And finally, it seems the EU’s new digital border system can’t tell identical twins apart. We dig deeper.

… And we talk about monkeys again. Do you have a monkey story? Send us a message or voice note to our WhatsApp Send us a message or voice note to our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.
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European allies are moving to help strengthen Ukraine as Kyiv ups the pressure in its war against Russia.

As a part of that push, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and a group of EU leaders are making a surprise trip to Kyiv to push through a string of new defense initiatives. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart discuss these packages set to be announced today.

Next: As of today you can walk from Spain into the British territory of Gibraltar and barely notice you’ve crossed a border. We take a look at one of the loose ends of Brexit that is finally being tied up.

Lastly, we all know Brussels is a political hub ... but could it become an academic one as well? French university Sciences Po is considering opening a campus in Brussels to help train the next generation of eurocrats.

Questions? Comments? Send us a message or voice note to our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.
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Enlargement is high on the list of priorities for the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU ... and Dublin is not wasting any time.

On the sidelines of the EU’s General Affairs Council happening today, there will be four separate accession conferences: for Ukraine, Moldova, Albania and Montenegro — to formally mark progress in their membership bids. Ireland’s Europe Minister Thomas Byrne said it’s the largest number of accession meetings held on a single day since 2002.

Next: The European Commission is undertaking its first major workplace overhaul in two decades. Piotr Serafin, the commissioner responsible for human resources, presented a first set of reforms on Monday. But not everyone is happy with how the EU executive is handling this shake-up.

Lastly, did you know that a baby born in the EU today can expect to live to roughly 81.5 years? A new report on demographics from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre released today reveals some surprising details about European demographic challenges.

Questions? Comments? Send us a message or voice note to our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.
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EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels as a growing group of countries push the European Commission to propose restrictions on trade with illegal Israeli settlements. Zoya Sheftalovich and Nick Vinocur explain why although the economic impact would be small, the legal and political stakes are far larger — and why critics accuse Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of dragging her feet.

Then, Ukraine’s Coalition of the Willing gathers in Paris the same day as Kyiv urges its allies to press their advantage over Russia before the winter.

And finally, von der Leyen receives expert recommendations on protecting children from social media — as Europe debates age limits, platform responsibility and whether bans would work at all.

Questions? Comments? Send us a message or voice note to our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.
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This week, NATO leaders gathered in Ankara — giving President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan a powerful stage at a moment when Turkey’s strategic value to Europe is rising.

Sarah Wheaton speaks to Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, about Erdoğan’s moment at this week’s NATO summit, Turkey’s complicated relationship with Europe and the United States, and whether the EU can build a serious partnership with Ankara while still confronting its crackdown on political opposition and free media.

Then, author and POLITICO contributor John Kampfner joins the show to discuss his new book, “Braver New World” — and what Europe can learn from places that have found unusually good answers to big problems, from Vienna’s housing model to Finland’s schools and Estonia’s digital state.

And since we’re book nerds, we’d love to hear your recommendations for summer reads; we’ll feature some of them in a future episode. Send us a voice note or message us on WhatsApp here, or at +32 491 05 06 29. You can also email us at podcast@politico.eu.
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