Politico's Eu Confidential

This week's special guest is Alexander Stubb, the former Finnish prime minister and ex-MEP who is now vice president of the European Investment Bank (EIB). Stubb talks about how the bank will handle Brexit and how it will play an increasing role as the EU tries to do "more with less" in its next long-term budget.The podcast panel discusses the Oxfam sex scandal, the controversial Spitzenkandidat system for picking the Commission president and the intriguing backstory of a notable MEP.Highlights from the show:Stubb on the EU budget after Brexit: "The basic idea is that you have to be realistic. That the EU budget is not going to grow, especially after Brexit, so then you're going to have to come up with different types of ideas of leveraging or getting more bang for the buck or for doing more with less."Stubb on the impact of Brexit on the EIB: "We will have less money to invest as the U.K. leaves the EU... but then again we'll also have less population and we'll have less member state

EU politics this week was all about shrinkage and enlargement.The shrinkage of course is Brexit, with the U.K. government again failing to set out its negotiating position and Michel Barnier sweeping through London to explain the EU's red lines. EU Confidential's featured guest this week is former U.K. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.The enlargement — or potential enlargement — comes from the Western Balkans. The European Commission Tuesday issued a strategy that opens the way for top-performing countries in the region to join the EU in 2025. There's a catch: the Commission all but said none of the Western Balkans countries will be ready by then, because of endemic corruption, organized crime and fragile democratic institutions.Highlights from the show:Nick Clegg says U.K. government is "a bunch of muppets": "I think it is impossible to exaggerate the level of a cluelessness and incompetence now at the heart of British government." He said the current government has torn up the U.K.'s rep

It's a bumper episode this week. We hear from POLITICO's man in Prague, Siegfried Mortkowitz, about the good cop-bad cop Euroskeptic routine coming out of the Czech capital, and we catch up with a prime minister, a bank chief and an MEP that Ryan Heath spoke to at the World Economic Forum in Davos.Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar tells us why he wants his country to be a home for progressive innovation. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development chief Suma Chakrabarti pitched the EBRD as "the most extreme pro-private sector business model there is" among public banks, and one that is able to cut through the EU's political baggage because it is independent from the Union.Marietje Schaake, MEP and a WEF Young Global Leader, wowed those who wanted to learn if "Europe is back," via a series of dinners, panels and reports. Schaake advocated "showing by doing" as a way to transfer that diversity to the broader Davos delegates list, which is 80 percent men. The best part of the

We've got the lowdown from Davos in another special edition from the World Economic Forum. The podcast features interviews with two prime ministers — the Netherlands' Mark Rutte and Poland's Mateusz Morawiecki — as well as U.S. investor Bill McGlashan, a champion of social impact investing.Ryan Heath is your host for a show that's both the final edition of our daily Davos Confidential podcasts and the latest weekly episode in our EU Confidential series.Rutte's red lines: The Dutch PM makes clear he's not up for turning the eurozone into a "transfer union." He says he's all for more European integration if it means completing the single market but "we have to be very careful about what we want to achieve. I'm against risk sharing... And if that is what some people mean, I will very much plead against it."Brexit blues: Hear why the Netherlands "hates" the fact Britain is leaving the EU and what Rutte wants from London now.POLITICO’s Matthew Kaminski speaks to new Polish Prime Minis

Ryan Heath and Matthew Kaminski look ahead to Theresa May’s appearance in Davos, hot on the heels of speeches by Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron.Also in the daily podcast, they discuss U.S. officials’ reception at the World Economic Forum, ahead of Donald Trump’s arrival.Ryan interviews Werner Hoyer, president of the European Investment Bank and talks to John Harris, POLITICO’s global editor-in-chief, who previews Trump’s speech to the forum on Friday.To get more from the POLITICO team at the WEF, sign up for the daily Davos Playbook at register.politico.eu/davosplaybook. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Direct from Davos in our daily podcast, POLITICO’s Ryan Heath, Florian Eder and Matthew Kaminski look forward to an unofficial Europe day at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, when Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron and Paolo Gentiloni will all be in action.In keeping with the Europe theme, Ryan and Florian chat to Belgian Deputy Prime Prime Minister Alexander De Croo about the EU’s future, post-rage politics and Brexit.Ryan speaks to Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, who explains why he always heads to Davos and also offers a brief history of his country — from farming to space mining.Ryan, Florian and Matthew look back at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appearance at the WEF and explain why he missed his moment.To get more from the POLITICO team at the WEF, sign up for the daily Davos Playbook at register.politico.eu/davosplaybook. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ryan Heath and Florian Eder bring you the latest from the World Economic Forum in Davos in POLITICO’s special daily pop-up podcast.Ryan talks to Arancha González, executive director of the International Trade Centre, who says the world needs to up its game when it comes to trade talks.He also catches up with Brett Solomon, a digital rights advocate who explains why he’s come to Davos this year.Ryan and Florian also discuss who’s battling for an audience with Donald Trump and share some behind-the-scenes gossip. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Davos Confidential: In the first of POLITICO’s daily pop-up podcasts from the World Economic Forum, Ryan Heath and Florian Eder preview this year’s gathering of the global elite.From the Crystal Awards to the Panda scale for speeches, Ryan and Florian have the inside track from the snow-covered slopes of the Swiss resort.They also unpack the decision by Germany’s Social Democrats to back coalition talks with Angela Merkel, who will be in Davos on Wednesday.As well as the daily podcast, Ryan and Florian will bring you a daily Davos Playbook email. Sign up for free at http://register.politico.eu/davosplaybook/. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week's show features an interview with Estonia's President Kersti Kaljulaid, the first head of state to appear on the podcast.Kaljulaid explains why Estonia wants to pay more to the EU, reveals a promise Jean-Claude Juncker made to her about the post-Brexit EU budget and talks about how Estonia is struggling with Russia's turn to militarism.POLITICO Managing Editor Florian Eder joins us to preview the World Economic Forum in Davos January 22-26.Sign up to POLITICO's daily Davos Playbook coming out next week. And listen out for our daily pop-up Davos Confidential podcasts, which will be on the same feed as EU Confidential.With our podcast panel, we launch a new feature: MEP of the Week. We draw MEP names out of a box and see whether the panel knows who they are or what they've achieved.Some more highlights from our interview with Kaljulaid...Estonia ready to pay more to EU budget: "I'm hoping for a lot of change because we have lots of common, supranational goals which we need to develop," Kalju

Host Ryan Heath interviews Daniel Ek, the CEO of global music pioneer Spotify.The music world was a notorious graveyard for online entrepreneurs: until Spotify. In this episode, Ek explains why he thinks Stockholm-based Spotify is different to Silicon Valley companies, what he wants from EU regulators, and becomes the first major tech CEO to give his full support to the #metoo movement.Ek also spills the beans on his favorite politician, his first 2018 resolution, and how firing 20 staff as a 17-year-old shaped his approach to building companies.Upbeat on Europe: Ek says "Europe has made tremendous progress just over the last 10 years" in closing its funding gap with Silicon Valley. He nominated fintech as the tech niche where Europe is achieving global leadership.EU regulators on right track but too slow: The development of an EU digital single market would be "very useful" because it would give "easy ways for people to be able to scale up" their companies before having to deal

Kaja Tael, Estonia's ambassador to the EU, reviews her country's six months running the bloc's rotating presidency. Host Ryan Heath also talks to POLITICO's Christian Oliver about the challenges for Bulgaria's 2018 EU presidency, from domestic infighting to far-right ministers.Estonia is northern, not eastern, European: Tael says Estonia is a bridge between different camps in the EU, but sees itself primarily as closer to a northern or Baltic bloc rather than a central or eastern European one.Revolution: Looking back on the past six months, Tael says progress in EU defense cooperation has been "nothing but revolutionary." She also outlines the tasks Bulgaria will face during its six months in the hot seat.Budget drama: While Tael says there is "no need to despair" about the state of the EU, debates over the next EU budget will certainly "stir up the most drama" in coming months.Bulgarian dilemma: Bulgarians will face conflicting emotions during the presidency, Christian Oliver sa

Episode 27 of POLITICO's EU Confidential podcast features a review of the year from POLITICO reporters and an interview with NATO's Deputy Assistant Secretary General Jamie Shea, a Brussels veteran of almost 40 years.With regular host Ryan Heath on holiday, news editor Andrew Gray talks to Shea about the alliance's future challenges, the EU's new defense pact and his role as frontman when NATO went to war for the first time, over Kosovo in 1999.Looking back: POLITICO policy reporters pick out the biggest stories on their beats this year and tell us why they matter. A couple of big names crop up — and one isn't even European. From tech to trade, and from fisheries to the environment, our journalists have everything you need to impress friends and family with your policy knowledge over the holidays.Looking forward: Jamie Shea is NATO's deputy assistant secretary general for emerging security challenges. In an interview in his office at the alliance's headquarters, he talks about those challenges in detail — Rus

Episode 26 of POLITICO's EU Confidential podcast has just been released, featuring a deep dive into the EU's capital city. We discuss how to improve Brussels as a city with regional minister Pascal Smet and debate the thorny topic of racial diversity in the EU bubble.Brussels the "whore": There's no doubt Smet has a way with words. He compares Brussels, a city and region he hopes to transform, "with a whore, with a prostitute." He says the city is "attractive and at the same time unattractive. It's nice in its ugliness and ugly in its niceness.”Battle for Brussels: Smet casts governance reform in the city as a generational fight. The current leadership class are “dinosaurs” and act like a “junta.” He wants to transform Brussels into a place where things get done quickly. "We could do so much better [but] everything is fragmented.” Hear his plan to overhaul how the city is run.Smet’s city role models: Hamburg, Berlin and Vienna.Big picture = no cars: Smet want to get rid of all pr

Former European Council President Herman Van Rompuy talks to host Ryan Heath about the future of the EU in this week's episode.EU reform and Brexit haiku: Since leaving office, Van Rompuy has been shepherding a major report on the future of the EU, the New Pact for Europe, in the name of several leading foundations and think tanks.In a challenge almost as daunting, he has composed a haiku about Brexit especially for EU Confidential listeners. Hear the haiku — in English and in Dutch — in this week's podcast.A hopeful multi-speed Europe: Van Rompuy's political goal with the report is to create the practical steps that can "turn fear into hope" across Europe. It's a modest, Belgian approach to healing some serious wounds in the EU body politic. He says multi-speed Europe can work in certain circumstances and that “the countries who want to make progress on some issues have all the instruments they need” already.We also talk to the lead author of the report, Janis A. Emmanouilidis.EU WTF moment of the

This week's show features back-to-back interviews with the European commissioner for health, Vytenis Andriukaitis, who is also a heart surgeon, and Bernhard Uhl, the head of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).Glyphosate politics: Speaking just after the EU reapproved the use of glyphosate, Uhl, whose EFSA agency concluded there is no health risk associated with agricultural use of the weedkiller, said it's nevertheless legitimate to discuss what kind of value system should support our agriculture. He wants critics of his agency though to admit that those values debates are “not about science,” while conceding that the intersection of science and values is “always a difficult interface.”“Safest food in the world”: This month the EU celebrated 15 years of its landmark food safety law. Uhl insisted the law sets Europe apart and above other countries and regions which it comes to food “transparency,” “traceability” and “crisis preparedness.” The law was born out of the 1990s BSE crisis and “a real breakdow

Episode 23 of POLITICO's EU Confidential podcast features Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee.This week, we've got two feature interviews for you. As well as Bach, there's Adecco Group board member Stephan Howeg. We also talked to POLITICO's Florian Eder about the recent political developments in Germany.German twists and turns: Florian Eder gives us a recap of what happened last week when the liberal FDP party quit the German coalition talks after weeks of exploratory talks. Together with our news editor Andrew Gray, Florian talks us through the options that are left for Chancellor Angela Merkel.Career coach: Stephan Howeg went from mechanic to board member of the Adecco Group, a Fortune 500 company. He now is an ambassador for the EU Skills Week and explains how Adecco is a career coach for millions of people.Olympics and the EU: Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is up next. He was in Brussels recently and was the first IOC president to ad

Episode 22 of POLITICO's EU Confidential podcast features Eldar Sætre, the CEO of Norway's oil and gas company Statoil.We spoke to Sætre on November 9, after the COP23 global climate conference had kicked off in Bonn, Germany, but before Norway's $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund proposed dropping investments in oil and gas stocks. We also chatted with POLITICO's Sara Stefanini, who has spent the week in Bonn reporting on the climate conference.Paging Rex Tillerson: Sætre says the future of his business is green, but that it won't give up oil and gas anytime soon. Would he call U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson — a former oil and gas CEO himself — to push a green message? “You know I could call Rex, but I think the U.S. politics is more complex than that. So I don't know ... I'm very open about this when I go to Washington.”Beating the dependency on subsidies: Scaling up the use of renewable energies such as wind and solar power has tended to require big upfront public investments or tax incentives. That

Host Ryan Heath interviews Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the head of Greece's New Democracy party and opposition leader in parliament.The outsider and the Mitsotakis dynasty: The opposition leader is the son of a former Greek prime minister, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, yet ran for the party leadership with virtually no support from fellow MPs. Instead, he won in an open primary thanks to support from ordinary Greek center-right voters rather than party elites. “My career is not the typical career of a professional politician," he said. "I was educated in the U.S. and I spent 10 years working in the private sector before I entered politics. At the same time, I'm also considered a reformer within my own party. So I am changing my own party and this sometimes, I'll be very honest with you, is causing friction.”Mitsotakis claims Tsipras has been costly: The New Democracy leader says the price of electing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in 2015 can be counted by Greeks in cash. “If you just look at the projections of

Ryan Heath interviews Rolf Falter, a historian who has worked across the Belgian and EU political landscapes: from adviser, to journalist, to get-out-the-vote advocate, to author of a new book on Europe.The dangers of absolute identity: Falter argues that one of the good things about fragmented Belgian identities is that they show how difficult and dangerous it can be to identify 100 percent with one region, one party, one identity."None of us is a hundred percent British, or 100 percent German," he says. The result of that mindset in Belgium is the nation is adept at "subtle democracy" and the art of compromising in order to keep the country running, he said.Using Brussels to solve national political problems: Falter laments that compared to the era in which the European Union emerged from the ashes and rubble of World War II, politicians no longer use Brussels to solve domestic problems, but instead pin blame for those problems on Brussels.In the past “you could solve national political

Episode 19 of EU Confidential features a special discussion on the issue of sexual harassment and assault in the EU Brussels bubble.The podcast also includes an interview with European Commission Vice President for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič, in which we discuss everything from batteries to Brexit.Harassment allegations: Joanna Maycock from the European Women's Lobby explains why she thinks the wave of recent allegations can lead to positive change. Host Ryan Heath and panelist Ailbhe Finn talk about the times they experienced sexual harassment and assault. Together with Lina Aburous, they discuss an alleged rape case involving two European Parliament staff, resulting in the alleged perpetrator leaving their job.Point of no return: “It's not just in Brussels, right? It's everywhere.” Maycock said, after decades of trying to “shine a light” on the problem that she calls a “massive structural issue.” She hopes “the outpouring of testimony means that it's a wake-up call that it's a kind of point of no return, t