Brussels Playbook Podcast28 Feb 2025

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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Episoder(656)

Is the EU ready for the next pandemic?

Five years after the height of the Covid pandemic, how much better prepared is the EU for the next health crisis? Host Sarah Wheaton is joined by POLITICO health reporter Helen Collis and global heal...

9 Okt 33min

Can Europe finally get tough on China?

Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is kicking off his visit to China today — and the stakes are high. On today’s show, Zoya Sheftalovich and Sarah Wheaton discuss the most important topic on the agend...

8 Okt 16min

Behind closed doors, Europe braces for a deadly attack

Russia’s hybrid attacks across Europe — cyberattacks, sabotage, drone incursions — have been ramping up in recent months. But European governments are quietly preparing for something much worse. On t...

7 Okt 19min

How Spain's snap election could blow up Brussels

Spain’s snap election is poised to upend not just domestic politics ... but EU politics, too. On today’s show, Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart break down all the far-reaching impact the tumult in M...

6 Okt 16min

The race for the EU’s plum diplomatic jobs begins

The race for some of the EU’s most coveted diplomatic jobs is under way. Zoya Sheftalovich and Nick Vinocur unpack why this year’s routine EEAS rotation is attracting unusually strong interest from s...

5 Okt 16min

Russia's not-quite-war on Europe

Europe’s gray-zone war with Russia is getting harder to ignore. Sarah Wheaton speaks to security expert and author Elisabeth Braw about how Europe should respond as sabotage, arson, cyberattacks and ...

2 Okt 34min

The €865 billion brainstorming session

Ukraine’s prime minister is warning of a $20 billion defense funding gap as Russia intensifies its attacks and Kyiv struggles to protect its skies and keep the country running. Zoya Sheftalovich and S...

1 Okt 16min

Is Bardella too toxic for Le Pen’s campaign?

Ursula von der Leyen is heading on her annual tour of the Western Balkans to visit some of the countries in line to join the EU. But Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia, two accession hopefuls, are not on...

30 Sep 16min