EU Confidential

• Erdoğan, not Trump, is Europe's new best friend on security

  Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul’s mayor and the main political rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been arrested. So what is Europe doing about it? Staying pretty quiet, it seems. Mass protests are breaking out across Turkey but Brussels is keeping its counsel. In this episode Sarah Wheaton speaks with Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former journalist in Turkey, about what’s really driving Erdoğan’s shift toward authoritarianism and how Europe is responding — especially with a view to Turkey’s growing importance for European security. But Europe’s focus isn’t all on defense. We also examine some of the EU’s overlooked policy changes, from food and textile waste to agriculture and medicine shortages. Sarah is joined by Politico’s experts on sustainability, agriculture and health — Marianne Gros, Bartosz Brzeziński and Rory O’Neill — for an insightful dive into what’s going on behind the scenes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Dirty games in Brussels and war games in Europe

  A lobbying frenzy, secret perks, and now police raids. Huawei’s cozy ties in Brussels have exploded into a full-blown corruption scandal. As the European Parliament tries to rehabilitate its image post Qatargate, lawmakers are once again at the center of allegations. With offices sealed and arrests made, there are serious questions about how deep Beijing’s influence really runs. Host Sarah Wheaton breaks it all down with POLITICO's cybersecurity and intelligence reporter, Antoaneta Roussi, and Laurens Cerulus, POLITICO's cybersecurity editor.  Meanwhile, over in Berlin, the Bundestag made a historic move: ​voting to break from Germany’s long-standing fiscal conservatism. Get ready for unprecedented borrowing to bolster defense spending, aligning Germany with the EU's broader defense initiatives. POLITICO’s Chris Lunday joins us from Berlin to explain what it means for Germany and Europe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Can EU leaders handle a world on fire?

  100 days in, Europe’s top leaders are facing a reality check.  Ursula von der Leyen talks about a new sense of urgency — but is she leading, or just firefighting? António Costa wants to unify the bloc — but can he keep Europe together on defense? Kaja Kallas vowed to sharpen EU foreign policy — but after a snub in Washington, is anyone listening? With transatlantic ties fraying, host Sarah Wheaton sits down with Brussels top policy minds to assess whether Europe’s leadership is fit for purpose — or stuck in the past.  Joining her are Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe; Karel Lannoo, CEO of the Centre for European Policy Studies; and Heather Grabbe, senior fellow at Bruegel. Later, Jacopo Barigazzi, POLITICO’s senior defense correspondent, introduces Andrius Kubilius, the EU’s first-ever defense commissioner, in our latest installment of Berlaymont Who’s Who.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• The US-EU breakup—what does it mean for Ukraine, and for peace?

  This week’s episode of EU Confidential comes to you from Thursday’s emergency meeting of EU leaders — the political equivalent of sobbing into your pillow on a sleepless night. The reason for those tears: America and Europe just broke up.  POLITICO’s Clea Caulcutt gives us a quick update on European Council talks on how to bolster defense spending and further support Ukraine. We then step back for a more nuanced discussion: What does “peace” even mean, really, and how might Ukraine and Russia actually achieve it? Host Sarah Wheaton sat down with Mikko Patokallio, a Ukraine specialist at the Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, which helps mediate global conflicts.  Finally, Elisa Braun, author of the EU Influence newsletter, walks us through the growing ideological faultline over public funding for NGOs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Can Germany’s next chancellor help Europe deal with Trump?

  Germany has voted, and Friedrich Merz is now the chancellor-in-waiting. But can he rise to the occasion? With Donald Trump signaling a retreat from Europe and cozying up to Vladimir Putin, the continent faces its biggest security challenge in decades. Will Merz shake off Germany’s long-standing hesitation and step up? Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by James Angelos, POLITICO’s news editor in Berlin; Jana Puglierin, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations; and Nick Vinocur, POLITICO’s editor-at-large, to break down what the election results mean for Berlin, Brussels and beyond. We explore Merz’s complicated relationship with Ursula von der Leyen, his challenge in forming a coalition, and whether his hardline stance on migration will help or hurt him as he faces the surging far-right AfD, which came second in the election — a historic result that cements them as Germany’s biggest opposition party. Plus, we take you to Antwerp, where the European Commission unveiled its Clean Industrial Deal — a plan to keep Europe’s industries green and competitive. Sarah traveled there to speak with Wopke Hoekstra, the EU’s Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, and caught up with Belgium’s new Prime Minister Bart De Wever ahead of the upcoming emergency EU summit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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