Briefed - Your Daily European Podcast

Why should defence spending benefit from budget flexibility, but not energy crisis spending? That’s the question Giorgia Meloni is asking the European Commission. The Italian Prime Minister wants authorization to increase Italy’s public deficit in order to fund additional energy-related spending.What would that mean in practice? And is it a realistic option?Production: By Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network.Follow us on:LinkedIn• Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is incredibly difficult to link European capitals by train. That is the observation Enrico Letta made, while he presented his report on the EU Single market. Last week, the European Commission made proposals for easier cross-border transport with its passenger package.What is it, and can it really improve cross-border mobility?A podcast by Europod, in cooperation with ESPON, an EU-funded programme that bridges research with policiesLink to the ESPON Governance mechanisms for cross-border functional areas: https://www.espon.eu/projects/crossgov-governance-mechanisms-cross-border-functional-areas“This podcast series is cofunded by ESPON. However, the opinions and views expressed are solely those of the authors. ESPON can't be held responsible for them.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In France, the National Assembly will debate in June a new bill aimed at reducing the maximum cadmium content in phosphate fertilizers.In a previous episode of Briefed, I explained why the French are more exposed to cadmium than the rest of Europeans, why it is a public health issue, and how it can be addressed.Production: By Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world recorded its highest burned area ever for the period between January and April this year, according to compiled data. The area burned by wildfires literally doubled compared to the recent average for this period. Can we live on a planet with more and more burned areas?Production: By Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the heart of the European capital, Brussels, one hundred thousand protesters rallied in the streets in March to push back against the Belgian government’s austerity plan. We are seeing more and more reforms in EU Member States, like in Belgium, that directly cut public spending and therefore reduce social benefits for people. So in Belgium and across Europe, is austerity actually making a comeback? And at what cost?Production: By Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network. This episode was co-written with Emma Belmonte.Follow us on:LinkedIn• Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One by one, the flagship laws of the EU’s Green Deal aiming at climate neutrality are being put through a “simplification” process, which, more often than not, ends up looking a lot like deregulation.So, will the Green Deal survive the push for competitiveness?Production: By Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In May 6 last year, Friedrich Merz was elected chancelor in Germany, after more than 30 years in politics. One year in, what can we make of his record so far?Production: By Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network.Follow us on:LinkedIn •. Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Briefed is taking a break this week.In the meantime, I’m bringing you a German-themed segment featuring one of Europod’s award-winning series: My Question to Angela Merkel.Follow Emilia, a young journalist, as she searches for the perfect question to ask Angela Merkel before she leaves office.In this episode, Emilia looks back at Angela Merkel’s decision to welcome refugees to Germany in 2015.Follow us on:LinkedIn • Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Briefed is taking a break this week.In the meantime, I’m bringing you a German-themed segment featuring one of Europod’s award-winning series: My Question to Angela Merkel. Follow Emilia, a young journalist, as she searches for the perfect question to ask Angela Merkel before she leaves office. Today, I’m bringing you episode 6 of the series, which looks at Angela Merkel’s response to the 2008 financial crisis. You’ll hear, in particular, from former President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, and former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The EU has formally relaunched contact with Syria after years of frozen relations. But what does it mean for Syrians in Europe? What will be the impact on those who have sought refuge in Europe over the last two decades?Production: By Europod in co-production with the Sphera Network.This episode is based on an article published on Popaganda and is co-written with Hélène Pillon from Médianes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For years, public authorities have said they want to support faster and more affordable train travel. But in practice, not much has changed. So, is the EU actually capable of boosting rail?Production: By Europod, in co-production with the Sphera network.Follow us on:LinkedIn • Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Briefed presents: Journalism in War - Solidarity Beyond Borders (From Florence)What does it take to report the news from within a war zone?In this special episode recorded at the Voices - European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom, we explore how journalists continue working under extreme conditions - in Ukraine and in Gaza.Featuring testimonies from Sergiy Tomilenko (National Union of Journalists of Ukraine) and Yousef Khader Habache (Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate – Europe), this episode focuses on the creation of Journalists’ Solidarity Centres: support hubs designed to help reporters operate in conflict environments.From access to electricity and internet, to safety equipment and emergency funding, these hubs provide the basic infrastructure needed to sustain journalism in times of war.In Ukraine, they were developed in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion. In Gaza, the model has been adapted to function in an environment where infrastructure has largely collapsed.At the core of this episode: a simple question - how do you maintain journalism when the conditions to produce information no longer exist?This episode was produced with the support of Voices. Europod retains full editorial responsibility for its content.More information about Voices: https://voicesfestival.eu/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Europe Talks Back, we take a close look at working conditions across the EU. Are they evolving homogeneously? What are the obstacles to fair working conditions?To answer these questions, we welcome Agnes Parent-Thirion, Senior Research Manager at Eurofound.Production by Europod, in cooperation with ESPON, an EU-funded programme that bridges research and policy.“This podcast series is cofunded by ESPON. However, the opinions and views expressed are solely those of the authors. ESPON can't be held responsible for them.”Follow us on:LinkedIn • Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.