Brussels Playbook Podcast

It’s three days until the Hungarian election, and opposition leader Péter Magyar appears poised to end PM Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule.

If that happens, some in the Brussels bubble hope Magyar will take steps to improve Hungary’s strained relationship with the EU. But on today’s episode, host Zoya Sheftalovich and EU Policy Editor Sarah Wheaton explain why that won’t be easy — with the chore of unblocking billions of euros in frozen EU funds representing just one example.

Then, the latest developments from the war in Iran suggest Europe may again be left footing the bill for controversial actions by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Last, the Commission’s DiscoverEU initiative is offering free train passes to 18-year-olds who correctly answer a short quiz. Sarah tests Zoya on one of last year’s questions.

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Donald Trump’s threats to wipe out Iran’s “whole civilization” shocked the world.

On the podcast today, host Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart, POLITICO’s senior EU politics editor, discuss the European reaction as the conflict in the Middle East spirals. Plus, NATO chief Mark Rutte is in Washington to meet the U.S. president, but what does he hope to achieve with so little consensus within the alliance?

Next, we obtained documents that reveal the extent to which Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán is deepening ties with Russia. An agreement signed between the two countries last year includes cooperation in a diverse range of areas from energy to circus arts. Zoya and Ian discuss what implications, if any, these revelations could have for the upcoming election in Hungary.

Finally, Australia has been trying to limit the use of social media for the under-16s — and it wants Brussels’ help to get Big Tech to comply.

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EU foreign policy runs on unanimity — and it’s starting to break down.

Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart unpack growing frustration with how the EU makes foreign policy, as divisions over Ukraine funding, Russia sanctions and the war in Iran expose the pitfalls of the veto. With calls — led by Germany and Sweden — mounting to scrap unanimity in foreign and security policy, the question is becoming harder to avoid: Can the EU still act together when it matters most?

They also discuss the fallout from the war in Iran, which is already landing in Europe. Energy prices are rising, jet fuel shortages are starting to bite, and countries like Italy are moving independently to secure supplies — raising fresh questions about coordination inside the EU.

And finally, Brussels faces a different kind of dilemma: What to do about fur. As the Commission prepares to respond to a citizens’ petition signed by more than 1.5 million people calling for an EU-wide ban, it looks set to stop short — despite a shrinking industry, mounting public pressure and warnings from its own scientific advisers.

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Despite the war in Iran and its economic consequences preoccupying London and Brussels, much work is going on behind the scenes to strike a closer relationship between the U.K. and the European Union.

Nearly a decade after Britain voted to leave the bloc, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has tasked his ministers with negotiating a post-Brexit reset that brings areas of the British economy in alignment with the EU in a bid to bring down prices and cut regulations on businesses.

In this interview episode of EU Confidential, host Anne McElvoy talks to one of Starmer's closest allies, Nick Thomas-Symonds. The U.K. Cabinet Office Minister has been notching up the Eurostar hours  back and forth to Brussels in a bid to strike a deal by the summer. Will he and his EU counterparts be able to agree a youth mobility scheme and alignment in key sectors of the economy or will their differences be too great to overcome?
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Bulgaria is heading towards another tight parliamentary election this month — and it wants the EU to help counter malign foreign interference.

Haunted by memories of coordinated social media campaigns targeting other countries in the region, the government is concerned that Russian misinformation could sway public opinion ahead of the vote. Host Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart, senior EU politics editor, discuss what tools Brussels has to counter foreign interference efforts. 

Also on the show, a Signal group chat with European Commission officials has been shut down over security concerns. But this isn’t an isolated case, it’s part of a series of cyberattacks targeting the EU executive branch.

Finally: We take a look at the Italian football fiasco that’s sparking a political row.

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