Listen: Could the UK really rejoin the EU?
With most Britons now saying Brexit was a mistake, any future bid to rejoin would still force the UK to swallow full free movement and EU rules again. Is that actually a realistic possibility?
Podcast
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Listen: Europe divided over migrant deportation centres
The Rwanda fiasco, Australia’s island camps and Italy’s controversial deal with Albania all haunt EU leaders as they gamble on return hubs as a controversial fix for irregular migration that could redefine Europe’s moral and political red lines.
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Listen: Can the EU really close the gender pay gap?
As member states scramble to transpose the Pay Transparency Directive, the biggest drivers of women’s lower earnings such as part-time work, motherhood penalties and male-dominated sectors, remain stubbornly untouched.
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Listen: W, the European social platform that wants to take on X
As W’s founders pitch a “bot-free” alternative to Elon Musk’s X, they now face the brutal test of proving their business model can actually hold up in the real world.
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Listen: Why Poland is tightening support for Ukrainian refugees
Two years after opening its doors to Ukrainians, Poland is now quietly rewriting the rules, leaving many refugees scrambling to understand why the help they relied on is suddenly disappearing.
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Listen: Why Europe keeps giving in to Trump’s tariff threats
As Trump piles on new tariff threats and breaks past promises, EU negotiators are quietly swallowing an uneven deal rather than risk another blow to already suffering European exporters.
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Listen: Will the EU be a player or a bystander in the post‑war US‑Iran negotiations?
Europe helped design the last Iran nuclear deal—yet this time, as ships, warplanes and diplomats converge around the Strait of Hormuz, the key decisions on sanctions, nukes and reparations may be taken in talks where the EU barely has a seat.
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Listen: The €2 trillion budget battle dividing Europe
The 27 EU heads of state or government will gather in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the future budget of the European Union. So what are the possible outcomes for the EU’s next long-term budget?
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Listen: Why does Europe suffer more than America from the same inflation?
In the US, inflation is just as high as it is in the European Union — if not higher. Yet it seems to be hurting the American economy much less. Why?
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Listen: France and the UK sanction Israeli ministers, but the EU doesn’t
Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich is now banned from entering France. These sanctions are largely symbolic, but they matter. Why aren’t other European Union countries sanctioning members of the Israeli government?
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Listen: The uncomfortable truth about green aviation
The aviation industry will probably miss its goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. What are the main reasons behind this shortfall, and what could it mean for consumers in terms of airfares, travel options, and environmental impact?
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Listen: Why is the EU negotiating with the Taliban?
For several weeks now in Brussels, one question keeps coming up at European Commission press briefings: are Taliban representatives really going to come to Brussels to meet EU officials? When? And why?
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Listen: How ‘associate membership’ could change EU enlargement for Ukraine and the Balkans
Germany and France believe that joining the European Union has become too slow, often taking decades. Their solution? A more gradual path to integration. But what do candidate countries think about it?
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Listen: How should European countries regulate sex work?
The French Parliament is examining a bill aimed at decriminalising sex work in the country. And for the first time, the text was co-drafted with sex workers. The move has reignited a debate that regularly resurfaces in many European countries. How to regulate sex work?
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Listen: Why is the EU sovereignty package making Americans angry?
In the tech sector, Europeans no longer want to be naïve. They are increasingly willing to restrict access for American tech giants in certain strategic areas. Why should Americans worry about the new EU tech sovereignty package?
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Listen: Is tap water in the EU becoming less safe?
French doctors are urging stricter action on PFAS, microplastics, and other water pollutants, while the EU considers easing water regulations to support critical-mineral mining. So what takes priority? Water quality, or battery production in Europe?
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Listen: Why don’t Europeans shoot down Russian drones entering their airspace?
Last week, the European Commission condemned Russia and expressed solidarity with Romania after a drone carrying explosives struck a residential building in the Romanian border city of Galați, injuring civilians. If this is not a red line, what is? Shouldn’t it trigger a stronger response?
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Listen: Why the EU’s next budget talks matter
There are seven months left for European countries to reach an agreement on the EU budget. But negotiations are moving very slowly. So what is at stake for Europeans?
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Listen: What are China’s strategic objectives towards Europe?
Today, European commissioners will hold a strategic debate on China. While the EU is still figuring out its position, what are China’s strategic objectives when it comes to the EU?
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Listen: How cuts to humanitarian aid are worsening the Ebola outbreak
The outbreak of Ebola currently hitting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is being fueled by armed conflict — but also, and perhaps above all, by the global decline in humanitarian aid.