As the winter chill sets in, throngs of Europeans are heading each week to the nearest pond, lake or coastline to dunk themselves voluntarily in freezing cold water. Cold swimming has centuries of history on this continent, but why do it? This week we're delving into the science of why it makes us feel good — but also why it helps so many people through difficult times, with the help of Katharina Smets, audio maker and proud member of Antwerp's biggest cold plunge club. We're also talking about the Vatican's Christmas tree drama and a festive inflation-busting policy in Greece.   This final episode of the year was recorded live in front of an audience of our supporters. Thank you for listening to The Europeans in 2024! If you enjoy our podcasts, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work into 2025. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (many currencies are available), and even gift a donation to a super fan of The Europeans here.    We're also crowdfunding our new series, 'Who Does It Best?', which will delve into the most imaginative policies around Europe. We're 80% of the way there! You can find out all about our plans for the series, and help us start making it, at https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast.    You can follow Katharina on Instagram here and learn more about the Deurnese IJsberen here.    The BBC article Dominic mentioned on the environmental impact of Christmas trees can be found here.   This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'The Bee Sting' by Paul Murray and Jazz Station in Brussels.   Listeners' other recommendations: 
- 'Opinci'. Irina says: 'A wonderful 20-minute animation about the story of a Romanian man who in 1910 attempted to circumnavigate the world on foot. It's beautiful and I think you would really enjoy it.' - Frederik recommends 'Schwarze Früchte' from Germany's ARD. 'It's about growing up queer and black.' - 'Somebody Somewhere' - 'Really worth watching,' says Juliette. - Owen recommends his new book of poetry, 'Nature Is Real And So Am I'. 'It’s about my relationship with the four seasons of natural landscape around me on the Isle of Man.'   Producer: Katy Lee  Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina   00:22 Winter tea and Swedish gnomes
04:40 Good Week: Greece's Christmas shopping basket
12:50 Bad Week: The Green Giant of Trentino
27:29 Interview: Katharina Smets' guide to cold swimming in Europe
49:42 The Inspiration Station: 'The Bee Sting' by Paul Murray and Jazz Station in Brussels
53:56 Happy Ending: The best Christmas market in Europe... or is it?   Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bluesky | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Twitter | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

We've got a heady mix of Romanian politics, online misogyny and animal-based chaos for you this week. Friend of the show Andrei Popoviciu joins us to explain why his dad and many other voters backed the TikTok-fuelled campaign of far-right Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu. And we ring up three young people from Greece, Ireland and Lithuania to ask: what's it like being part of a generation that's increasingly divided over whether feminism is a good thing? Plus, hamsters. Lots of hamsters.    This week's interview with Siloé Musoke, Goda Skiotytė and Chris Ntonis was produced in collaboration with the European Institute for Gender Equality. You can find out all about the Gender Equality Forum 2024, and sign up to attend online, here.   You can follow Andrei on Twitter here and Bluesky here.   Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider supporting our work. You can chip in to help us cover the weekly research and production of the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (many currencies are available), and even gift a donation to a super fan of The Europeans here! 

We're also crowdfunding our new series for 2025, 'Who Does It Best?', which will delve into the most imaginative policies around Europe. We're three-quarters of the way there! You can find out all about our plans for the series, and help us start making it, at https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast.

This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Nature Manifesto' by Björk and Aleph; lohikeitto.   Other resources for this episode    Anna Sale - 'Let's Talk About Hard Things   'Capturados hamsters que pararam avião da TAP' - Correio da Manhã, November 18, 2024 (video at the bottom)   Producers: Morgan Childs and Katz Laszlo  Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina
00:23 Which country's got quiet, boring politics right now?
02:42 Good Week, Romania, Bad Week, Romania
20:52 Interview: Siloé Musoke, Goda Skiotytė and Chris Ntonis on the rising divide over feminism in young Europeans
46:08 The Inspiration Station: 'Nature Manifesto' by Björk and Aleph at the Centre Pompidou; lohikeitto
50:53 Happy Ending: Hamsters on a plane   Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bluesky | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Twitter | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

It's been a year since Donald Tusk took power, filling liberals and progressives in Poland with hope as eight years of rightwing populist rule came to an end. But how much has Tusk's coalition really improved things? This week Dominika Lasota of Wschód, an increasingly influential force that has been holding Tusk's government to account, joins us to discuss what still needs to change. We're also talking about Ursula von der Leyen's new squad, and why you might no longer need your passport for trips to Romania or Bulgaria. 

It's seven years today since we published the first episode of The Europeans! If you'd like to send us a little birthday present, we'd love it if you'd consider funding our work. We're crowdfunding a new mini-series at https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast, and you can also support the weekly running of The Europeans via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/europeanspodcast. Thank you so much to everyone who makes our independent European journalism possible.    This week's Inspiration Station offerings: The World In Maps and My Voice, My Choice. 
Other resources for this episode:    David Gilmour - Rattle That Lock (Official Music Video)

'Schengen in Sights, EU and Frontex Overlook Violent Bulgarian Pushbacks' - Balkan Insight, February 26, 2024

00:22 Dominic's SNCF jingle trauma
04:02 Bad Week: The European left
15:09 Good Week: Romania and Bulgaria's Schengen bid
28:07 Interview: Dominika Lasota on one year of Donald Tusk's government in Poland
49:29 The Inspiration Station: The World In Maps and My Voice, My Choice
53:46 Happy Ending: Dominic's Barcelona metro challenge

Producers: Katz Laszlo and Wojciech Oleksiak  Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina   Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bluesky | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Twitter | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]  

From Turkey to France and the UK, Iranians who've challenged the regime at home have often sought safety in Europe. But how safe are these dissidents, really? This week we speak to Fariba Nawa, host of 'Lethal Dissent', a fascinating new podcast series that investigates Iran's efforts to silence those in exile on European soil and beyond. We're also talking about Denmark's remarkable mass rewilding plan, and Slovakia's nationalist crackdown on the use of Hungarian and other minority languages.    You can find 'Lethal Dissent' wherever you're listening to this. It was produced by the team at slow journalism podcast On Spec.    We're crowdfunding a new series! You can find out all about it in the special announcement on our feed, as well as on the crowdfunding page itself: https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast. You can also support the weekly running of The Europeans via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/europeanspodcast. Thank you so much to everyone who makes our independent European journalism possible.    This week's Inspiration Station offerings: Bluesky (here's the Sky Follower Bridge) and 'Metrokosmos' on Arte.   00:23 Hot and fresh in your ear canals
04:52 Good Week: Denmark's huge rewilding plan
11:28 Bad Week: Slovakia's Hungarian minority
24:15 Interview: Fariba Nawa on Iran's hunting of its citizens abroad
40:09 The Inspiration Station: Bluesky and 'Metrokosmos'
45:32 Happy Ending: Granny's revenge on the phone scammers   Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak  Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina   Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bluesky | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Twitter | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

Producers Katz and Wojciech join Katy and Dominic for a very special announcement from The Europeans. 

 

We’re incredibly excited to make this series for you. Please help us turn it into a reality! Sign up to support this project here: https://4fund.com/z/europeanspodcast 

 

Got ideas for places we need to go or people we need to interview for this series? Email us at [email protected]. 

 

Thank you, as always, for listening. 

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The world may be transfixed by the US election results, but this was a huge week for news on this side of the Atlantic too. This week we're trying to make sense of the cataclysmic floods in Spain, and talking about another presidential election with major consequences  — the one in Moldova. Plus, a much-needed palate-cleanser: we're delving into a fascinating report into what European children are watching, and what grown-up film producers can do to make better stuff for kids.
Anne Schultka is the project manager of KIDS Regio, which campaigns for the children's film industry in Europe. Rikke Flodin is a partner at PUBLIKUM. You can download the report, 'European Children's Film in Focus', here.   This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Kapsalon Romy' ('Romy’s Salon') and 'Leto kada sam naucila da letim' ('How I Learned To Fly').   Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠leaving us a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or giving us five stars on Spotify.        Other resources for this episode:    'Valencian president downplayed floods while Spain’s rivers rose' - Politico Europe, November 1, 2024 https://www.politico.eu/article/spain-valencia-floods-death-toll-carlos-mazon/

 

'Pumpkin paddling season: Kasterlee's giant pumpkin regatta' - DW News, October 28, 2024 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2701632486675304   00:22 A non-US election podcast
04:48 Bad Week: Spain's floods
24:39 Good Week: Maia Sandu
37:26 Interview: Anna Schultka and Rikke Flodin on what the kids of Europe are watching
55:00 The Inspiration Station: 'Romy's Salon' and 'How I Learned To Fly'
58:19 Happy Ending: Belgium's pumpkin kayak race   Producers: Morgan Childs and Katz Laszlo  Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina   Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

Georgia's pro-Russian ruling party claims to have won last weekend's election — a fraudulent election, according to a mounting pile of evidence. A country that was once on the path to EU membership is now veering much closer to the Kremlin. Is there any hope left? We ring Anna Gvarishvili, Tbilisi-based journalist and head of the Investigative Media Lab, to unpack what just happened and what might happen next. We're also discussing two suitably scary topics in this Halloween episode: France's money problems, and the noxious substances spewing out of your gas cooker. 

  This episode was recorded before Wednesday's devastating floods in Spain. You can donate to the Cruz Roja (Spanish Red Cross) relief efforts here.   Thanks for listening. If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (many currencies are available). If you're short on cash but still want to support us, it would be amazing if you could leave us five juicy stars, as Dominic put it, on Pocket Casts: https://pocketcasts.com/ratings.   This week's Inspiration Station picks: fave dei morti (recipe here) and the Swiss video game Mundaun.    Other resources for this episode   Search Engine: 'Why is it so hard to tax billionaires? (Part 1)', October 18, 2024 https://www.searchengine.show/listen/search-engine-1/why-is-it-so-hard-to-tax-billionaires-part-1    'They will protest ketchup': Hugh Vuillier's Europe Letter newsletter, October 3, 2024 https://hughvuillier.substack.com/p/french-budget-not-good    Universitat Jaume I's study on the health impact of gas stoves, October 28, 2024 https://repositori.uji.es/items/156fbd65-070d-4ca4-9856-9415513d505f    00:23 It's Halloween, but we won't be talking about He Who Must Not Be Named
02:15 Good Week: French efforts to tax the super-rich
16:42 Bad Week: Gas stove fans
24:55 Please rate us on Pocket Casts!
26:06 Interview: Anna Gvarishvili on Georgia's elections
43:26 The Inspiration Station: Fave dei morti and 'Mundaun'
46:08 Happy Ending (?): Norway's teen social media ban   Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak  Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina   Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

Wine fraud, migration policy and climate litigation: there's something for everyone this week. Back in April, Switzerland's government lost a groundbreaking European court case and was ordered to rewrite its climate policy. Has it actually done that? No, no it has not. We speak to Geneva-based climate lawyer Seb Duyck about whether Switzerland can be forced to change its tune. We're also talking about offshore migrant detention centres, a full-bodied fraud case and the latest sign that AI is coming for podcasters' jobs. 

  Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠leaving us a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or giving us five stars on Spotify.      Seb is a senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law. You can follow him on Twitter here.   You can listen to our award-winning 2023 episode about the KlimaSeniorinnen case, 'The Biggest Climate Case That Ever Was', here and find the follow-up interview with Molly Quell here.   This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'Swimming in the Dark' by Tomasz Jędrowski, translated by Robert Sudół; 'World Without End' by Christophe Blain and Jean-Marc Jancovici, translated by Edward Gauvin.   Other resources for this episode:    Ursula von der Leyen's letter to EU leaders on migration, October 14, 2024 https://www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/15/October-2024-EUCO-Migration-letter.pdf  'What is refugee rentierism? An explainer'. The New Humanitarian, August 14, 2024 https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2024/08/14/what-refugee-rentierism-explainer    00:22 Katy's parents made a podcast
06:18 Good Week: Pedro Sánchez
19:48 Bad Week: Rich wine-drinkers
29:14 Interview: Seb Duyck on Switzerland's failed response to the KlimaSeniorinnen ruling
46:26 Inspiration Station: 'Swimming In The Dark' and 'World Without End'
51:02 Happy Ending: Luka Modrić, an inspiration for all people in their late thirties   Producers: Katz Laszlo and Wojciech Oleksiak  Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina  

Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

Arson, vandalism, attacks on NATO vehicles: around Europe, mysterious acts of sabotage have been multiplying. And there's a pattern: the perpetrators were recruited on Telegram via accounts linked to Russian agencies. This week, we hear from Marta Vunš about how she and other journalists went undercover to figure out how this recruitment actually works. We're also asking whether Germany's nausea-inducing opera deserves its scandalised headlines, and why France has been low-key obsessed with a treasure hunt for the past three decades.    Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠leaving us a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or giving us five stars on Spotify.      "‘Make a Molotov Cocktail’: How Europeans Are Recruited Through Telegram to Commit Sabotage, Arson, and Murder". You can read the investigation by Delfi, Der Standard, Paper Trail Media and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project here.   This week's Inspiration Station offering, sponsored by the European Cultural Foundation: Liquid Becomings.    Other resources for this episode:  Trailer: SANCTA | Staatsoper Stuttgart Talk Eastern Europe: Spies, sabotage and Russia-West relations   00:22 The week EU politics got spicy
03:22 Bad Week: Unwell opera-goers
13:54 Good Week: France's mystery treasure-hunt winner
24:38 Interview: Marta Vunš on Russia's shady Telegram recruitment
38:46 The Inspiration Station - The European Cultural Foundation presents: Liquid Becomings
42:45 Happy Ending: Phew! Art saved from the garbage can  

Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak 
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina

Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

Why is it so hard to talk about climate change in a way that actually makes us... feel something? This week, our producer Katz Laszlo talks to an Icelandic writer who manages against the odds to do just that: Andri Snær Magnason, author of — among many other things — the hit memoir 'On Time And Water'. We're also talking about the German politician alleged to have hired Belarusian political prisoners, and the extraordinary bounceback of Mediterranean turtles.    Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠leaving us a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or giving us five stars on Spotify.      You can find out more about Andri's work here and watch Emergence Magazine's documentary, 'The Last Ice Age', here.   This week's Inspiration Station offerings: 'When I Lived In Modern Times' by Linda Grant and 'Kneecap'.   

Other resources for this episode

'Finance minister responds to book VAT backlash, cuts the rate on books' - The Slovak Spectator, 26/09/2024 

'«Onion is tasty». Political prisoners work on an onion plantation owned by AfD MP Jörg Dornau' - Reform News, 24/09/2024

'Hanna' - The Europeans, 02/06/2022

'Germany’s far right loves one migrant group: Russian Germans' - Politico Europe, 29/09/24

'Cruinniú na nÓg 2024 - The Spark' - Creative Ireland 

'How Germany outfitted half a million balconies with solar panels' - Canary Media, 27/09/2024   00:22 Good job, Slovakia!
02:42 Good Week: Mediterranean turtles
12:38 Bad Week: Jörg Dornau
24:03 Interview: Andri Snær Magnason on how to talk about climate change in a way that makes people Actually Feel Something 
44:12 The Inspiration Station: 'When I Lived In Modern Times' and 'Kneecap'
48:30 Happy Ending: Germany's mini solar panel bonanza

Producers: Morgan Childs and Katz Laszlo
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina

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Are European leaders living in a Barbie-like dreamworld? This week, the idealised fantasy of the EU versus its awkward reality. Far from being a continent of grateful europhiles, a lot of people feel apathetic about the European project at best. Paweł Zerka joins us to discuss why non-white, young and Eastern Europeans feel especially left out of the EU, and what we can do to fix this.   We're also joined by Deutsche Welle's Kate Laycock for a special guest edition of Good Week, Bad Week! We discuss how victory was snatched from the AfD in last weekend's state elections in Brandenburg, as well as the backlash against tax hikes on books in both Slovakia and the Netherlands.   Thanks for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, we'd love it if you'd consider chipping in a few bucks a month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (many currencies are available). You can also help new listeners find the show by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠leaving us a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or giving us five stars on Spotify.      You can read Paweł's report here. The European Sentiment Compass is a joint initiative of the European Council on Foreign Relations and the European Cultural Foundation.    Kate is the presenter of DW's Inside Europe. You'll be able to catch Katy and Dominic on the show next week!    Inspiration Station offerings: 'What language does your inner child speak?' - The First 1,000 Days  'How Libraries Thrive' - you can read the whole book online here    Other resources for this episode:  'German far-right AfD song calls for deporting millions - DW News 'Elderly Romanian woman used amber nugget worth over $1 million as a doorstop for decades' - El País   00:22 Insure yourselves, people!
04:07 Good Week: Dietmar Woidke (Special edition with Kate Laycock from Deutsche Welle)
12:24 Bad Week: Book-lovers in Slovakia and the Netherlands
22:00 Interview: Paweł Zerka on the Barbie-like European Union
39:13 The Inspiration Station: 'The First 1,000 Days' and 'How Libraries Thrive'
43:45 Happy Ending: The world's fanciest door-stop?  

Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak 
Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak
Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina

 

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