Inside Europe
DW
The original European current affairs podcast from Germany’s international broadcaster. Bringing you expert analysis and on-the ground reporting from the European capitals and beyond. Join host Kate Laycock and DW’s network of seasoned correspondents for your weekly dose of euro-politics and culture. Published every Thursday.
Episodes
50 episodesAttacked without warning: what did the US know?
Will the US still warn Ukraine of Russian attacks? Why is Ukraine's Hungarian minority so influential? Life in prison for phone theft? Is Serbia's Vucic on the way out? Where can Ukrainian abuse survivors turn in Poland?
Pupils vs Police: Macron’s teaching moment?
Why students are protesting across France and scientists are sounding the alarm over EU pesticide rules. Plus, Spain’s wildfire damage and efforts to restore affected areas, and a UK special on Burnham’s bid for Britain.
Maricarmen vs the real estate vultures
Spain's octogenarian housing hero, Trump's shadow over Bosnian politics and a word with Norwegian Death. Then: all things Euro-Canadian, an unusual Czech voter-push and Rome's viral graffiti remover.
The trials and tribulations of Friedrich Merz
A punishing week for Germany’s chancellor, Istanbul’s shipyards pivot from cereals to salvage, the UK plans a parliamentary hearing to establish why it kind of sucks at Eurovision and Oulu's climate clock keeps ticking.
Russia's salsa-dancing spy handler
DW's investigation into disposable agents and why Russia won't let some of its own soldiers find rest. Then: could Berlin soon be governed by The Left? As well as Turkey's crackdown against the LGBTQ+ community—and more.
AfD debrief: after the election is before the election
Veteran journalist Hans Pfeifer on covering the AfD and what might be next. Then: from Norway's popular monarchy and Russia’s struggling coal industry to a macabre Berlin opera and the Women’s Basketball World Cup.
The divisions that outlived war criminal Mladic in the Balkans
The legacy of war criminal Ratko Mladic, and Icelanders reject EU entry talks. Also: Could the far-right AfD soon govern its first state? And why is an iconic moped part of its campaign? Plus, a data center special.
What's left of Russia's political opposition?
Ukraine marks 35 years of independence, the state of Russia's opposition ahead of elections, the debate about whether to ban the far-right Alternative for Germany party, and underground spaces in Rome to cool down. Then: Turkey's controversial regional ambitions, Belarusian students targeted abroad, how a French town inspired communism in China, and a dangerous plunge in Munich.
Is the European Commission a toxic golden cage?
Why a job at the European Commission is a dream for many, but a disappointment for some. Plus, why fast fashion audit reports often miss the reality of working conditions in factories. And a migration special starting with the Pope's remarkable stance and why that matters at a time when Europe is implementing more restrictive rules. ++ https://shorturl.at/YmTsY https://shorturl.at/Lazzj ++ ?maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss
Hungary's new president: reconciliation or revenge?
The controversy surrounding Hungary’s election of a new president and Turkey’s move to reintegrate Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants into society. Then, a brutal attack in Belgrade raises questions about political violence in Serbia. And a ratty special on why rodents are thriving in cities around the world. ++ https://shorturl.at/tJxGL ++?maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss
AfD: Anatomy of a takeover
Germany's far-right AfD believes itself to be on the cusp of power in Saxony-Anhalt. What would the AfD's manifesto look like if put into practice? Then: Why Reform UK's Nigel Farage is spending his summer battling a bin and how a tragedy in Ceuta became a crisis in Brussels. Plus, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino's latest scandal and Estonia's musical soft-power.
Fire-clouds and terror attacks: how safe are Europe's cities?
Europe's wildfires reach the outskirts of major cities, plans to curb Germany's Freedom of Information Act, and what police knew about Berlin's Pride killer. Then: a place for senior queer people in Lyon, an interview with the president of George Soros' Open Society Foundations, and statue squabbles: Prague's controversial colossus.
Gen Z vs. the general
A two-part look at the power of Ukrainian civil society: Part 1: The generational conflict which toppled a general. Part 2: How war is shaping Ukrainians’ relationship with the state. Plus, a German surrogacy scandal, France cashes in on the US academic exodus, the military history of carrier pigeons, AI music fakes and unwanted UNESCO status. ++https://matseilertsen.bandcamp.com/++?maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss
Could Europe's football union ditch FIFA?
Could the European football union step up its game and show FIFA the red card? Then: Inside Europe's correspondents pick their player of the World Cup, France legalizes assisted dying, Albania's Gen Z keep protesting, wildfires rage in Southern Europe, and a hidden Prague collection records disability in Europe. ++ https://tinyurl.com/4za5z2tc and https://tinyurl.com/rphv2khn ++ &maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss
Marine Le Pen: guilty but free to run
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen resumes her bid for president, the ongoing feud between Poland and Ukraine, FIFA's red card saga, and the world's first business for women-only football gear. Then: the German village that slashed its electricity bills by becoming energy self-sufficient.
Extended Interview: Glyn Morgan on 'The Rise and Fall of American Europe'
Inside Europe marks the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the American Declaration of Independence with an extended conversation with Glyn Morgan, author of "The Rise and Fall of American Europe." If Europe as we know it is an American creation, where does that leave us now, in this moment of rupture?
Albania's Edi Rama on Inside Europe
An exclusive DW interview with Albanian PM Edi Rama, a crackdown on Turkey's opposition ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, and a spat about who gets to lead the Czech delegation. The US celebrates 250 years of independence: two journalists detained at an event in Brussels and Glyn Morgan on the "Rise and Fall of American Europe". Plus: Ireland takes over the rotating Council presidency.
Why the UK can't keep calm and carry on
Keir Starmer resigns, 10 years of Brexit, postcards from a heatwave. Plus: Spanish corruption, DW's Freedom of Speech Award, Czech media strike and a banned Russian ballet.
Law or politics? Citizenship and Palestine Action
The removal of German citizenship and its history, the UK's Palestine Action ban, and an exclusive interview with the EU's Culture Commissioner. Then: a dark week for Norwegian royalty, Albania's flamingo protests, a check-in with post-election Hungary, Italy's depopulation issue, and Vienna's social housing. ++ Archive credits: Deulig Woche 370, Bundesarchiv, 79343.
Immigration debate, Swiss-style
Switzerland's knife-edge referendum, Kosovo's former president on the country's post-election malaise, and questions over Irish exports to Russia. Then: a night and dream special featuring a Berlin-based sleep doctor, Amsterdam’s night mayor, DW's sleep-deprived Kyiv correspondent, and a whole load of Norwegians drunk on the midnight sun. ++ https://tinyurl.com/4jswz8zs ++?maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss
Cory Doctorow's digital jail-break
As the EU publishes its digital sovereignty plans, we've come up with a little techno-utopian package of our own. Our guest throughout is tech and solar-punk author Cory Doctorow: join us as we explore queer social media take-backs, French AIs, Finish super-computers, Croatian Wikipedia and all the reasons why this might just be the moment in which things start to change for the better.
Turkish democracy – the endgame?
Another blow to Turkey's embattled democracy, the Czech kick-boxing champion turned anti-bullying activist, the inside story of Finland's gamer-industry boom, and the iconic moped disappearing from Italy's streets. Then: music in exile and what we got wrong about Pinocchio.
Who is Andy Burnham, the man with his eye on Britain's top job?
Who is Andy Burnham—and is he ready to challenge Keir Starmer? PBS' Alexander Heffner on the growing power of mayors. What’s at stake in Cyprus’ elections? Then—Turkey’s warning over French troop plans, social media bans for minors, red deer vs. Loch Lomond, and Spain’s renewable energy edge. https://www.pbs.org/show/open-mind/&maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss
Euro(di)vision: where glamour meets geopolitics
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hanging by a thread. An investigation uncovers troubling ties between a professor at Germany’s Federal Police Academy and the far right. And Eurovision returns, amid fresh controversy. Plus: a former pilot calls for a ban on private jets as Cannes gets underway, and how Ukraine is transforming its energy system under fire.++ https://shorturl.at/nAuU4 ++?maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss
The end of the two-party system in the UK?
What the UK local elections could mean for the country’s political system, how troop and tariff disputes are worsening relations between Germany and the US, and controversies surrounding a new report on France’s public media. Then: a deep dive into bioacoustics and how AI can support biodiversity research.
Of Trump and Europe whisperers
Trump whispering and attempts to save NATO, Giorgia Meloni's push to reassert political dominance, and a conversation with ECFR Director Mark Leonard on "Surviving Chaos". Then: German apprenticeships under strain, a new ban on communist symbols in Czechia, and a newspaper in Tromsø using AI to its advantage.
Is Palantir unstoppable?
Concerns about Palantir in the UK, Bulgaria's incoming prime minister, and the power of magic mushrooms. Then: DW's Delayland goes in search of Germany's lost mojo, women's role in Spain's progressive milestones, and Germany's handling of its colonial past.
Hungary: Who is Peter Magyar and what does he want?
How incoming prime minister Peter Magyar could change Hungary as well as the EU, and what a romantic liaison between France's far-right Jordan Bardella and an Italian princess could mean for the country's presidential elections. Then: a Greenlandic perspective on Greenland, Ireland's basic income scheme for artists, and a Berlin choir aiming to advance democracy.
Hungary’s election: Could JD Vance save Viktor Orban?
US Vice President JD Vance backs Viktor Orban in Hungary just days before elections that could have far-reaching ramifications — also across Central Europe. What’s next for NATO, and could the Iran war help resolve a long-standing conflict in the Caucasus? Plus: a high-protein environmental special.
How to "hack" women's underrepresentation in politics
Ukraine's Bucha massacre anniversary fuels push for justice, the Dutch organization with a voting hack to boost women's representation in politics, and the EU-Slovakia dispute over fuel. Then: a special investigation into chemical recycling and its limits.
Thwarted: What now for Meloni?
Italy's failed referendum, trial by jury at risk in the UK, and elections in Denmark and France. Then: what a mutiny at high sea tells us about (un)freedom, North Korea's forced labor program, Central Asian migrants' exodus from Russia, and FC Barcelona's labor violations. + https://shorturl.at/iUMhD +?maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss
Extendend interview: Dr Roham Alvandi on Iran, Britain, and the futures that might have been
From Cold War power games to the cultural aspirations of the Pahlavi era, this extended conversation pulls back the curtain on the global forces that continue to shape - and be shaped by - Iran today. Dr Roham Alvandi is Director of the Iranian History Initiative at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Iranian history and the future that might have been
How European intersections with Iran's past might help us understand our collective present and how Turkey might hold the key to an exit strategy from the Iran conflict. Then: European elections from Denmark and Slovenia to rural France. Plus: the intriguing story of one of the most controversial deaths in Czech political history. + https://shorturl.at/h7PDP + ?maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss
Sirens on Cyprus: how war is reawakening the island's past traumas
Cyprus on alert as Middle East tensions spill into Europe; Orban turns anti‑Ukrainian rhetoric into campaign fuel; and Paris heads to the polls in a tight left‑right showdown. Plus: Turkey’s AI‑driven protest surveillance, Spain’s weather reporters under attack, Tromso’s tourism troubles, and a taste of tradition from Bologna.
Trump-Sanchez spat tests European unity
European responses to the war in the Middle East, where Spain is the outlier once again; compulsory military service in Croatia, and home concerts in Prague. Then: an International Women’s Day special connecting past feminist milestones with the present.
President Erdogan, let our colleague go!
DW's investigative journalist Alican Uludag arrested in Turkey, four years of war in Ukraine, and Ukraine's freedom song. Then: what Quentin Deranque's killing might mean for the French Left, Turkey's earthquake anniversary, the Berlinale Teddy Award turns 40, and an art exhibition exposes Robert Fico's tightening grip on Slovak cultural institutions.
More trouble for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer?
A UK by-election that could spell trouble for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a wrap-up of the Munich Security Conference, a look at the Berlinale and whether it’s still political, and France’s last newspaper hawker. Then: efforts to rebuild Aghdam, US trans people seeking asylum in the Netherlands, and a pagan tradition seeing a revival — wassailing. + film.macht.kritisch https://shorturl.at/OTkz1 +?maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss
More trouble for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer?
A UK by-election that could spell trouble for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a wrap-up of the Munich Security Conference, a look at the Berlinale and whether it’s still political, and France’s last newspaper hawker. Then: efforts to rebuild Aghdam, US trans people seeking asylum in the Netherlands, and a pagan tradition seeing a revival — wassailing. + film.macht.kritisch https://shorturl.at/OTkz1 +?maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss
Why did 15 migrants die in Greece — again?
What happened off the Greek island of Chios, the war crime trial of former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci, and new Danish conscription rules. Then: the downfall of France's Jack Lang, Norway's ambitious agritech sector, Slovakia's embattled LGBTQ+ community, an inclusive swimming club in Madrid, and why British pubs are struggling — even after Dry January is over. + https://shorturl.at/pTbvF +?maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss
Epstein, the British lord and the Norwegian princess
The verdict against German anti-fascist Maja T, Epstein's connections across Europe, and repression of Islam in Russia. Then: high tensions in the High North, the human rights music project Daughters of Donbas – Songs of Stolen Children, and Slovenian ski jumpers in the Winter Olympics.
Are Greenlanders watching Trump's ICE raids?
How the US shifted from Greenland’s natural partner to its most feared would-be colonizer — and why the American far right is now a liability for Europe’s. Plus: pre-election Hungary, the retrial in the Ján Kuciak murder, Serbia’s oil troubles, and a portrait of Austro-Mexican artist Tamara Flores.
Trump’s U-turn: What happened in Davos?
All eyes on Davos: Inside Europe's security and business correspondents take you through what happened at the World Economic Forum and what it all means, followed by a talk with human rights lawyer Wayne Jordash KC on Ukraine. Then: VAT fraud in Slovakia, Norwegian robots fighting isolation in schools, Winter Olympics preparations in Italy, and France's unlikely Catholic revival.
Could EU membership help save Greenland?
The case for EU membership for Greenland, why the exodus of Syrians from Turkey is a headache for businesses, and religion versus modernity in the Western Isles. Then: Nokia's comeback, an all-female Renaissance ensemble, and a profile of the young disability advocate fighting for more rights in Poland. + EU membership for Greenland Op-ed https://shorturl.at/eCwRb + ?maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss
Anatomy of a black-out: five days that rocked Berlin
How is Europe handling Trump's renewed threats against Greenland and who is behind Berlin's five-day power outage? Then: A preview of Oulu's 2026 Capital of Culture program, the work of a young Ukrainian and member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, a visit to the new Byron museum in Italy, and the strange case of the Greek monks illegally occupying a mountain monastery.
Climate jokes and a world of transport
We’re still on our winter break, but whilst we’re away - here’s a treat we’ve been saving up for you: a Living Planet episode all about climate humour, plus a journey through the marvelous world of transportation, courtesy of our partners at GBH and PRX's The World podcast.
The magical world of fungi
This Living Planet takeover will take you on a magical journey into the world of fungi, the largely invisible organisms that are essential for our ecosystems but can also be dangerous. Then: How Norway has built a reputation as a climate leader while investing more than ever in its oil and gas industry.
How Gen Z toppled the Bulgarian government
How Gen Z-led protests toppled the Bulgarian government, a close look at Denmark's hardline asylum policies, and what should be done about the Dutch housing crisis. Then: A Scottish island castle for sale, Vilnius' bid to become Europe's biggest start-up hub, exhumations of political prisoners in Prague, and how the French Post Office tries to stay relevant.
European human rights under attack
The Netherlands honors international human rights defenders, whilst the Council of Europe moves to weaken the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights. Then: the Dayton Peace Agreement at 30, and the 22-year-old tackling medical inequality one skin-pic at a time. + skinforall.co.uk +
Spain's radically different migration approach
Spain's radically different approach to migration, how Norway is taking the fun out of gambling and a rare glimpse into an Italian prison amid a push to reform. Then: the brutal murder of journalist and environmental defender Hakan Tosun, NVIDIA's new AI hub in Armenia, and our first Age is Just a Number profile, featuring Lefteris Arapakis – a man on a mission to clean up the Mediterranean.
Talk of peace, preparation for war
Europe responds with caution to the latest peace-push in Ukraine. We’ll be looking at the EU’s military mobility plans and what Ukraine can teach Europe about total defence. Also on the show: Sir Nicholas Winton and the Kindertransport, the second coming of Milorad Dodik, Turkey's Balkans ambitions and fast-fashion vs wooly jumpers.
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