The Europeans | European news, politics and culture

When it comes to envisioning the future, what’s your type? The Positive? The Negative? The Uncertain? The Disconnected? No, these aren’t characters in a pop group or a teen movie – they’re the four ways of imagining a European future. So says Paweł Zerka of the European Council on Foreign Relations, a three-peat guest and true Friend of the Podcast. Paweł is back once more to walk us through this year’s European Sentiment Compass, “Future Nostalgia: Europe’s Unfinished Song”. Come for the Dua Lipa reference, stay because you’re a polling nerd like the rest of us. We’re also talking about British lawmakers’ quest to figure out why the UK does quite so badly at Eurovision and what the seizure of Nestlé and Auchan’s Russian assets says about the Kremlin’s finances.

You can read this year’s European Sentiment Compass – which is, like us, supported by the European Cultural Foundation – and have fun categorising yourself here.

FREE ON MONDAY NIGHT? Join Katy and Paweł for discussion and documentary-watching in Brussels on 28 September, or Dominic and Wojciech for a little post-truth democracy in The Hague. We have two tickets to give away to the event with Katy and Paweł, courtesy of our friends at Newframes. They’ll go to the first person who emails hello@europeanspodcast.com with TICKETS in the subject line, so get in there quick!

There’s plenty more to our excellent conversation with Paweł. Supporters of the show who are signed up to our private feed can hear the second half of our chat, including the revelation that Poland, of all places, is a surprisingly optimistic corner of Europe. Sign up over here.

Supporters also get lots of cool perks and the warm glow of supporting independent European journalism. So if you haven’t already, get in for the glow!

This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are Wojciech’s upcoming performance in The Hague(!) and Sorcha Richardson’s new album, “Draw the Outline”.

Resources for this episode:

Leave-Russia.org
"The Russian assets of Nestlé, Auchan and the former Leroy Merlin have been transferred to the management of a company led by an interior ministry general" – Novaya Gazeta, 17 September 2026
“Moose on the loose at Warsaw’s main station brings trains to a standstill” – Notes from Poland, 14 September 2026

Co-hosts: Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer
Senior producer: Katy Lee
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Intern: Inês Ruivo

The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.

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This week, we’re attempting to solve some tricky problems. How can the EU tackle the ballooning housing crisis? Can we revive a cinema industry on death’s door? And how on earth can we get bureaucrats to communicate like human people in order to really, truly get something done? We’re unpacking plans for a new Affordable Housing Act and Macron’s attempt to save le cinéma, and we’re also getting an exclusive from the EU’s Directorate General of Memes, Satire, and Sober Fun, a.k.a. Fabio Mauri, the meme-maker who loves nothing more than to poke fun at Europe’s policymakers on Twitter and Instagram. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, et cetera.

GET IN ON THE ACTION. Don’t just listen – get in on the fun! Did you know that just a small monthly donation to The Europeans helps us keep the good time rolling? AND… Did you know that that small monthly donation comes with cool perks? So much fun! Check us out at ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast and see what’s cookin’. You can also make a donation via our website.

This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the participatory art performance Make Noise taking place in Amsterdam this weekend (with thanks to the Belarusian poet Hanna Komar for calling it to our attention) and the European Citizens’ Initiative Right to Housing! Now and Forever.

Resources for this episode:
“Macron rallies to save the movies, imperiled by free platforms and generative AI” – Le Monde, 9 September 2026
“French Box Office Surges Nearly 20% in First Half of 2026 as Local Films and Hollywood Hits Drive Recovery” – Variety, 10 July 2026
“Malgré une année en demi-teinte avec près de 157 millions d’entrées dans ses salles de cinéma, la France demeure largement le premier marché européen” – Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, 30 December 2025
“The European Affordable Housing Plan” – The European Commission
“Affordable Housing Act: European hosts need legal certainty too” – Airbnb, 9 September 2026
Katz Laszlo’s reporting on Europe’s housing policies from our mini-series “Who Does It Best?”
“Swimming pigs draw tourists to Greek island” – France 24, 11 September 2026
Adorable swimming piglets via @trident_boats

Co-hosts: Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer
Producers: Katy Lee and Morgan Childs
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
Intern: Inês Ruivo

The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.

Substack | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bluesky | YouTube | hello@europeanspodcast.com

Last week, tech giant Meta reached a settlement in a lawsuit with nearly every state in the US over claims that it had knowingly harmed children with its addictive apps. It was a major turn of events in the growing movement to protect kids online – but what does it mean for those of us on this side of the Atlantic? This week, we’re bringing you a fascinating chat with Leanda Barrington-Leach, the executive director at 5Rights, an international NGO that seeks to protect children’s rights and wellbeing on the internet. We’re also unpicking the CIA chief’s visit to Moscow and the surprisingly effective tariff placed on small parcels from China.

This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the proposed euro banknote designs and the Polish HBO series Proud.

You can hear more of our conversation with Leanda over on Patreon.

Resources for this episode:
“China tightens grip on Europe’s car supply chain” – Financial Times, 11 August 2026
“Chinese imports plunge 30% to 40% after EU tax on small parcels” – Euronews, 27 August 2026
“CIA chief used Moscow visit to warn Russia against attacks on NATO allies, helping Iran” – Politico, 26 August 2026

GIVE A LITTLE, GET A LITTLE (OR A LOT). Did you know that just a small monthly donation to The Europeans makes a big difference to our team? Better yet: did you know that that small monthly donation comes with lots of nice perks? Visit us over at ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast and see what your pocket money can do for us – and for you. You can also make a donation via our website.

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Co-hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Wojciech Oleksiak
Senior producer: Wojciech Oleksiak
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Audio editing: Monika Proba
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.com

This weekend, Icelanders go to the polls to determine whether the nation should pick up its EU accession talks where they left off in 2013. Ahead of the big referendum, we caught up with Icelandic journalist Elias Thorsson and Finnish analyst Minna Ålander, to better understand what the vote means for Iceland and what it could mean for the Nordic countries and the greater European Union. Maybe you’re somebody who can prattle on about how the devaluation of the Icelandic króna benefits the country’s international exports…and maybe you’re someone who can’t exactly remember which Nordic countries are in the EU. No matter which type of person you are, we promise, this episode is for you.
Resources for this episode:
“Fear Of A European Iceland: A Nation At A Flashpoint Prepares For Referendum” – Elias Thorsson, The Reykjavik Grapevine, 8 May 2026
Minna Ålander’s Substack, Northern Flank Notes
“(Northern) European Integration” – Minna Ålander, Northern Flank Notes, 7 July 2026
“The Vote That Could Reshape Iceland | Prime Minister of Iceland, Kristrún Frostadóttir” – The Rest Is Politics, 27 July 2026

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CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF US? Understandable. Subscribe to our newsletter, Good Week Bad Week, and scratch that Europeans itch once more each week. It’s free!
Co-hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Wojciech Oleksiak
Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.com

Sally Hayden made a name for herself by documenting some of the worst human rights abuses of the 21st century. Now she’s written a new book… of love stories. This week we had the honour of sitting down with the decorated Irish journalist to discuss her latest release, This Is Also a Love Story, the (im)balance of good news and bad, and the oft-forgotten truth that, as Sally puts it, “humans exist at the center of geopolitics”. We’ve devoted the whole of this week’s episode to this challenging conversation, and we hope you’ll find it as thought-provoking as we did.
You can learn more about Sally on her website (we highly recommend reading her 2023 speech to the European Parliament). Don’t miss her first book, My Fourth Time, We Drowned, and her new release, This Is Also a Love Story.
This podcast would not be possible without our extraordinary Patreon family. If conversations like these inspire you, please consider joining them over at ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also, as always, make a donation via our website. Many, many thanks.
Co-hosts: Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer
Producers: Morgan Childs, Dominic Kraemer, and Wojciech Oleksiak
Audio editing: Morgan Childs
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne, Mariska Martina and Blue Dot Sessions
The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.
YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Substack | hello@europeanspodcast.com