The Europeans | European news, politics and culture
The Europeans is a fresh and entertaining weekly podcast about European politics and culture, recorded each week between Paris and Amsterdam with fascinating guests joining from across Europe. This multiple award-winning podcast fills you in on the major European politics stories and other European news of the week, as well as fun and quirky nuggets that have been missed by most media outlets. Hosted by Katy Lee, a journalist based in Paris, and Dominic Kraemer, an opera singer in Amsterdam, The Europeans covers everything from elections and climate policy to the best new European films and TV shows. We also produce investigative podcasts about everything from the European farming lobby to oat milk. Yes, oat milk. Katy and Dominic are old friends, and the warmth and intimacy of their conversations will soon make you feel like you’ve known them a long time too. They approach topics with a light and humorous tone that makes The Europeans stand out from other European news podcasts, while remaining journalistically rigorous and meticulously fact-checked. The Europeans has been recommended by The New York Times, The Guardian, Buzzfeed, The Financial Times, and many other outlets. Katy Lee, a British-French reporter, has written for major outlets including The Guardian, Politico Europe, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Foreign Policy and The New Statesman for more than a decade, covering French and European politics and more recently, climate change. Dominic Kraemer, a British-German opera singer, performs across Europe when he is not co-hosting The Europeans, with roles recently at the Staatsoper in Berlin, the Dutch National Opera and the Münchener Biennale. The Europeans’ team is completed by producers Katz Laszlo in Amsterdam and Wojciech Oleksiak in Warsaw. You’ll hear them joining Katy and Dominic from time to time, particularly during investigative episodes like ‘The Oatly Chronicles’ and ‘The Big-Agri Bully Boys’. The Europeans’ breezy, informal approach to covering European news has won awards such as a Covering Climate Now award for an episode about the Swiss women who sued their government at the European Court of Human Rights demanding more climate action; Germany’s prestigious CIVIS Media Prize for ‘Mohamed’, an episode that explores the everyday life of a young undocumented man in Amsterdam; and best LGBTQIA+ short at the MiraBan UK Film Awards for ‘Josh and Franco’, the coming-of-age story of a father and son, both gay. Our guests have included everyone from major figures in European politics such as Alexander Stubb, now the President of Finland, and Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, to star chefs Asma Khan and Christian Puglisi, celebrated illustrator Christoph Niemann, and environmentalist George Monbiot. Since launching in 2017, we’ve talked about everything from elections in France, Italy and many more countries besides, to the politics of halloumi cheese in Cyprus, to why Donald Trump is so hard for TV interpreters to translate. We pride ourselves on covering European politics, European news and European culture from a pan-European perspective. You’ll often hear stories on The Europeans from parts of the continent that don’t usually receive enough attention from major international media outlets, especially Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. You might enjoy The Europeans if you also enjoy one of these other podcasts: The News Agents, On the Media, Today in Focus, Inside Europe, The Journal, EU Confidential, The Daily, The Globalist, Reasons to be Cheerful, The Media Show, Power Play, and The New Statesman. Whether you’re already a European news nerd, or simply someone who’d like to be better informed about what’s happening across Europe, The Europeans is the podcast for you.
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Episodes
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
Women are kicking ass in Belarus right now, and this week we're catching up with the journalist Hanna Liubakova about why — and where the protest movement is going. We're also talking about the fire at Greece's Moria refugee camp and the mess that is Europe's refugee policy. Plus: greener energy choices in Portugal and the French film behind the #CancelNetflix hashtag.
Follow Hanna on Twitter for essential updates on Belarus: https://twitter.com/HannaLiubakova
The Forum on European Culture runs in Amsterdam/online from September 17-20. Check out the line-up here: https://cultureforum.eu
Thanks for listening! If you'd like to help us keep making this show, please consider chipping in a couple of dollars or euros a month at https://patreon.com/europeanspodcast.
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Wednesday Sep 09, 2020
Wednesday Sep 09, 2020
We're back from our summer break and here to bring you all the European Things that have been missing from your life. This week, the Italian novelist Francesca Melandri on what happened when her beautiful Letter From The Future went viral; we also chat about how Italy deals (or doesn't) with the past. Also this week: theatrical freedom in Hungary, extremely slow music, and a fly-swatting disaster.
Francesca is speaking at the Forum on European Culture next week. Get the full programme here: https://cultureforum.eu
Thanks for listening! If you like our show and want to help us keep running, you can donate a couple of euros/dollars a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast.
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Wednesday Aug 19, 2020
Wednesday Aug 19, 2020
In this final installment of European love letters, we're travelling from Hungary to Germany, Germany to Russia, and across the border to Norway. We're celebrating the books that stay with us for a lifetime — and books that seem to have a life of their own. And we're heading to the Arctic with an extremely stubborn grandmother.
The Chain is presented by Mick ter Reehorst and is a collaboration with Are We Europe as part of the Summer of Solidarity, a pop-up collaborative journalism project. Find out more at https://www.summerofsolidarity.eu.
The stories you heard were written by Philip Pollak, Viola Theunissen and Nina Lamparski. Mixing and sound design was by Katz Laszlo, production by Dominic Kraemer, and editing by Katy Lee. Music and sound effects from Blue Dot Sessions and Freesound.org. You also heard the Fourth Movement of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 in B minor, and Divertimento from his Suite No.1, Op.43, via Musopen.https://europeanspodcast.com | https://www.areweeurope.com
Friday Aug 14, 2020
Friday Aug 14, 2020
We're hopping from Sweden to France, France to Spain, and Spain to Austria for part two of The Chain, a series of love-letters from Europeans to each other's countries. This week we're climbing a volcano, feasting on chocolate cake, and seeing Europe through a dog's eyes.
The Chain is presented by Mick ter Reehorst and is a collaboration with Are We Europe as part of the Summer of Solidarity, a pop-up collaborative journalism project. Find out more at https://www.summerofsolidarity.eu.
The stories you heard were written by Julie Lindahl, Sedera Ranaivoarinosy and Marta Santiváñez. Lisa Klevermark was the voice of Ellie. Mixing and sound design was by Katz Laszlo, production by Dominic Kraemer, and editing by Katy Lee. Music and sound effects from Blue Dot Sessions and Freesound.org. The final waltz was Johann Strauss' G’schichten aus dem Wienerwald, played by the Wiener Johann Strauss Orchester.
https://europeanspodcast.com | https://www.areweeurope.com
Thursday Aug 06, 2020
Thursday Aug 06, 2020
Introducing The Chain: a series of love-letters from Europeans to each other's countries.
This week we're hopping from Romania to the Netherlands, the Netherlands to Italy, Italy to Bosnia and Herzegovina. We'll hear about a mountain, a monument from a non-existent country, and a life-changing conversation in a soap shop.
The Chain is presented by Mick ter Reehorst and is a collaboration with Are We Europe as part of the Summer of Solidarity, a pop-up collaborative journalism project. Find out more at https://www.summerofsolidarity.eu.
The stories you heard were written and recorded by Andreea Sirbu, Thomas van Neerbos and Veronica Tosetti, and produced by Dominic Kraemer, Katz Laszlo and Katy Lee.
Music and sound effects from Blue Dot Sessions and Freesound (including Richard Laiepce, antigonia, genghis attenborough, and Katz' own field recordings).
https://europeanspodcast.com | https://www.areweeurope.com
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
In our last episode before a little summer break, we're zooming out and taking a look at the state of Europe with Natalie Nougayrède. The Guardian columnist and former Le Monde editor is spearheading Summer of Solidarity, a collaborative journalism project celebrating human stories across Europe. We chat about the 'othering' of Central and Eastern Europeans and the case for a pan-European media outlet. Also this week: Poland's election, problematic metro names, and the power of bison.
We want your stories for our special summer episodes! Find out more: https://europeanspodcast.com/the-chain
Explore the Summer of Solidarity, including some great Spotify playlists, at https://www.summerofsolidarity.eu
Thanks for listening! If you like the show and want to help us keep making it, you can chip in as little as $2 month at https://www.patreon.com/europeanspodcast.Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Wednesday Jul 08, 2020
Wednesday Jul 08, 2020
Why has George Soros inspired conspiracy theories involving everything from the Holocaust to Beyoncé? This week we're talking to Emily Tamkin, author of 'The Influence of Soros', about why the Hungarian-born billionaire is such a source of fascination and controversy. Also this week: Belgium faces its past; Latvia faces Russian 'propaganda' efforts; and Parisian jazz goes solo.
Thanks for listening! If you like our show and want to make sure we can keep making it, you can chip in a couple of dollars a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast.
Emily's book is out now: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062972637/the-influence-of-soros/
'Russia's RT Network: Is It More BBC or KGB?' - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/world/europe/russias-rt-network-is-it-more-bbc-or-kgb.html
'RT, Sputnik and Russia's New Theory of War' - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/13/magazine/rt-sputnik-and-russias-new-theory-of-war.html
Malin Broman x 8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWwLSsfdmNk
Floor Is Lava https://www.netflix.com/title/81006858
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Wednesday Jul 01, 2020
Wednesday Jul 01, 2020
Igor Levit, as the New Yorker put it, "Is Like No Other Pianist". This week we chatted to the German-Russian superstar about playing for 15 hours straight, why he staged 50 concerts from his living room, and Germany's ongoing struggle against systemic racism. We're also talking about France's "green wave" and Romania's very expensive super-church.
Thanks for listening! If you like the show, you can chip in a few dollars a month to help us keep running at patreon.com/europeanspodcast.
Follow Igor on Twitter and Instagram and watch his epic performance of Erik Satie's Vexations here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu_03mUPgHU
Eurovision Song Contest - The Story of Fire Saga: https://www.netflix.com/title/80244088
The Fog of Srebrenica: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/thefogofsrebrenica
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com
Wednesday Jun 24, 2020
Wednesday Jun 24, 2020
This week we're celebrating those moments when Europeans are actually nice to each other. Rafael Loss, data wizard at the European Council on Foreign Relations, is on the line from Berlin to explain why he built an online tool to track solidarity during the C-word crisis. We're also talking about Serbia's elections, Croatian bees, and awake brain surgery.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy the show, please consider a small monthly donation to help keep us running: https://patreon.com/europeanspodcast
The Silver Lining, the latest magazine from Are We Europe, is out now! Enter EUROPEANS at the checkout for 30% off: https://www.areweeurope.com/store/the-silver-lining
Summer of Solidarity - explore all kinds of European stories here: https://www.summerofsolidarity.eu
Check out Rafael's Solidarity Tracker: https://www.ecfr.eu/solidaritytracker
On Sweden's sexual consent law - The Local: https://www.thelocal.se/20200616/how-swedens-new-consent-law-led-to-a-75-rise-in-rape-convictions
Still Life On The Island: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg00VY78QdQ&app=desktop
Where's Simon? The London Symphony Orchestra: https://lso.co.uk/whats-on/alwaysplaying/digitalactivities/wheres-simon.html
Dominic's colleague having awake brain surgery: https://youtu.be/obiARnsKUAo
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Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
Communist Bulgaria was home to a furtive cooking craze on a massive scale: women swapping recipes on scraps of paper, with strangers on trams, even at funerals. The historian and writer Albena Shkodrova sees this fascinating phenomenon as a form of subversion; we called her up to ask why. Also this week: Happy Birthday Schengen, an accidental invasion, and an end to Sweden's longest-running murder mystery.
Thanks for listening! If you enjoy the show, you can chip in a couple of dollars a month to keep us running at https://patreon.com/europeanspodcast.
You can also leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-europeans/id1315776736
Find out more about Albena's forthcoming books, 'Communist Gourmet' and 'Rebellious Cooks': https://www.albenashkodrova.com
Who Killed The Prime Minister? - The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/may/16/olof-palme-sweden-prime-minister-unsolved-murder-new-evidence
On achève bien les gros - ARTE https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/086161-000-A/on-acheve-bien-les-gros
Lianne LaHavas - NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qso4MRfidrw
People of Europe - Susan Neiman https://www.facebook.com/debalie/videos/948520485598650 Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | hello@europeanspodcast.com