Inside Europe
News & Politics
About
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
- Euro(di)vision: where glamour meets geopolitics
This episode of Inside Europe covers UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's precarious position, an investigation into a German professor's far-right connections, and controversy surrounding Eurovision. It also touches on calls to ban private je…
- The end of the two-party system in the UK?
This episode of Inside Europe examines the potential shifts in the UK's political landscape following local elections, explores deteriorating relations between Germany and the US over troop and tariff issues, and discusses controversies su…
- Of Trump and Europe whisperers
Inside Europe explores the political landscape, including Trump's impact on NATO and Giorgia Meloni's influence. The episode also features Mark Leonard discussing chaos, and touches on German apprenticeships, Czechia's symbol ban, and AI a…
- Is Palantir unstoppable?
The Inside Europe episode covers concerns about Palantir in the UK, Bulgaria's incoming prime minister, and the role of magic mushrooms. It also features segments on Germany's identity, women's impact on Spanish milestones, and the nation'…
- Hungary: Who is Peter Magyar and what does he want?
This episode discusses the potential impact of incoming prime minister Peter Magyar on Hungary and the EU. It also touches on the political significance of a relationship involving France's far-right figure Jordan Bardella and explores top…
- 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…
- 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 recyclin…
- 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, an…
- 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 Ir…
- 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. P…
- 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…
- 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 wi…
- 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…
- 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…
- 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…
- 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, a…
- 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 trou…
- 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 fr…
- 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…
- 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 Pa…
- 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…
- 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 l…
- 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 b…
- 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 m…
- 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,…
- 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, th…
- Ambitious climate targets, but what's the plan?
We zoom in on the EU's newly announced emissions reduction targets and two lithium mine projects in Serbia and Portugal facing tough resistance. Then: the battle of olive farmers against solar parks in Spain, the role of Greenland's glacie…
- Three stories at the intersection between defense and climate security
The sanctions loophole allowing EU countries to import Russian LNG, the climate knowledge gap left by war, and the EU’s largest rare-earth magnet factory… right on Estonia’s Russian border. Later: inter-European high-speed rail travel, red…
- One Young World Summit and the EU's Enlargement Report
Youth leaders meet in Munich for the One Young World Summit, the EU releases its annual Enlargement Report, and Serbia marks a year since the Novi Sad Railway Station disaster. Also: Italy's controversial Messina Bridge project, Spanish pa…
- Inside Europe 30 October 2025
General elections put the Netherlands back on a centrist course, Ireland elects a leftwing independent candidate as President, and why European leaders are keen to visit Turkey. Then: the world's largest dance music summit in Amsterdam, cl…
- Inside Europe 23 October 2025
In this special "Alternative Economies" edition, we take a break from the news to rethink business as usual. This episode features concrete examples of European business and budget experiments, ranging from the reformist to the downright r…
- Inside Europe 16 October 2025
All you need to know about Laszlo Krasznahorka: the Hungarian winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize for Literature, a gloriously anarchic celebration of an Italian children’s classic, an Icelandic murder mystery set on the Spanish island of Tener…
- Inside Europe 9 October 2025
Why France is stumbling from one political crisis to the next, a new report on homelessness across Europe, and a Housing First project in the UK. Then: Flotilla activists speak of abuse, what Czechia's political future holds, Dutch feminis…
- Inside Europe 2 October 2025
Elctions relief in Moldova, Czechia goes to the polls, and drone start-ups in Tallinn. Then: ex-French President Sarkozy's verdict, a deep dive into plastic waste exports and their deadly consequences, and how Croatian nationalism got onto…
- Inside Europe 25 September 2025
24 hours in the life of Emmanuel Macron in New York, how far NATO is prepared to go to defend its airspace, and why you should care about the Moldovan elections. Then: Russian training camps in Serbia, a message from the Global Sumud Floti…
- Inside Europe 18 September 2025
Donald Trump’s controversial state visit to the UK, a closer look at how Spain and the Netherlands are keeping Palestine in the spotlight, and a Swedish Spy Church. Then: new recruits join a military bootcamp outside Paris, an audio-tour o…
- Inside Europe 11 September 2025
Anger on the streets across France, the National Rally's Trump problem, and a Danish political scientist's plan to fix "democracy's back door." Then: Lithuania steps up its border controls and an island special on Corsican autonomy, the Ou…
- Inside Europe 4 September 2025
GPS jamming: how worried should Europe be? Pipeline wars: what does the bombing of Russian oil infrastructure mean for Hungary? Confidence vote in France: will this be the end of Bayrou’s government? Parliamentary elections in Norway: what…
- Inside Europe 28 August 2025
Chronicle of a death live-streamed, all aboard the Alpbach Express, fear and loathing in the British provinces, Turkey cashes in on the Syrian reconstruction bonanza and an Inside Europe Sports Special featuring Slovenian cycling legend Ta…
- Inside Europe 21 August 2025
EU leaders back Ukraine in DC, what the 39% tariffs mean for Switzerland and Norway’s Momentum festival focusses on sounds. Then: France's first incel to be charged with terrorism and a deep dive into the manosphere.
- Inside Europe 14 August 2025
EU diplomacy on behalf of Ukraine, rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia, and European reactions to Israel's war in Gaza. Then: wildfire devastation in southern Europe, a Schindler factory becomes a museum, sustainable aviation and Ital…
- Inside Europe 7 August 2025
Azerbaijan, Russia and Turkey… who’s allied with whom? Radical countryside – are innocuous sounding rural meetings hiding a darker agenda? Plus all the latest on Czechia’s hottest infrastructure debate. Then: welcome to a glorious European…
- Inside Europe 31 July 2025
In this special edition, we take a break from the news to explore grief as a lens for understanding global events and as a force for social change. Author Sarah Jaffe joins host Kate Laycock to unpack how personal and communal loss – from…
- Inside Europe 24 July 2025
A press freedom special with Georgian journalist Tamar Kintsurashvili on the worsening situation for media workers in the country gripped by protests. Also: Natalia Belikova, international lawyer at Press Club Belarus, on how Belarusian ex…
- Inside Europe 17 July 2025
30 years since Srebrenica, Hanno Hauenstein on why language matters when reporting on Gaza, Global Rights Compliance President, Wayne Jordash KC, on gathering war crimes evidence in Ukraine, PKK fighters disarm, and a personal account of K…
- Inside Europe 10 July 2025
More mayors under arrest in Turkey, and press freedom takes centre stage at the DW Global Media Forum. Later in the show: spotlight on journalists in the post-Soviet space, from pens to protest: a portrait of the Italian cartoonist Gianluc…
- Inside Europe 3 July 2025
A protest special as we look at recent events in Budapest and Belgrade - two cities experiencing mass-scale demonstrations in defiance of strongman leaders. And, as the UK parliament votes to proscribe Palestine Action, the UN’s Special Ra…
- Inside Europe 26 June 2025
A NATO Summit special with the view from Turkey, France, Spain and The Netherlands, Security Correspondent Teri Schultz answering listener questions from The Hague and Political Correspondent Thomas Sparrow on Friedrich Merz’s foreign poli…
- Inside Europe 19 June 2025
An “Alternative Economies” special, featuring concrete examples of European experiments with rethinking business as usual… ranging from the reformist, to the downright radical.
- Inside Europe 12 June 2025
“We took democracy for granted…. don’t make the same mistake!”: an interview with Klára Dobrev MEP, leader of Hungary’s Democratic Coalition Party and former Vice President of the European Parliament. Plus: the cost of climate change, Vale…