Serbia shows us how it's done

Last weekend was a delicious reminder that sometimes, in spite of everything, things go right. As Serbians went to the polls to determine the fate of president Aleksandar Vučić and the future of the country’s momentous student movement, our reporter Wojciech Oleksiak spent a heady few days in Belgrade capturing the Student List victory in real time. Wojciech takes us through his pulse-quickening weekend and answers our questions about where the country goes from here – and what this extraordinary victory might mean for other protest movements around the world.For more on Wojciech’s trip, check out his videos on our Instagram.Special thanks this week go to Filip Djordjevic, Matija, Vladimir Radinović, Milica Mihajlović, Marko Kordulup, and Daniela Vancić.Resources for this episode:Our episode featuring Matija from last summer, “Is real change coming to Serbia?”Wojciech’s “Report from Novi Sad”, recorded on the first anniversary of the train station disaster“Insider Blows Lid on Serbian Ruling Party’s Use of Hired Thugs” – Balkan Insight, 14 October 2026Vladimir Radinović’s podcast aggregator Podcast.rs and production company VisionsHQNaša posla, Vladimir’s narrative podcast about the BalkansDnevnik jedne mladosti, Milica Mihajlović’s award-winning podcast about life as a young person in SerbiaDon’t forget to get reading! The next installment of our book club with the European Review of Books is coming up on 10 December. You can join in on the fun by picking up a copy of Ece Temelkuran’s Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century. If you’ve read the book and want to share your thoughts, send in your comments via voice memo to [email protected] Europeans is part of Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. However, our work is only possible thanks to support from listeners like you. Yes, YOU! If you want to help us keep making episodes like this one, you can join us on Patreon or make a donation via our website. Thank you! You’re the best!Co-hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Katy LeeReporter: Wojciech OleksiakSenior producer: Morgan ChildsEditing: Morgan Childs and Katy LeeEditorial support: Dominic KraemerMixing and mastering: Wojciech OleksiakMusic: Blue Dot SessionsIntern: Inês RuivoThe Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.Substack | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | YouTube | [email protected]

Europe is getting bigger, and so, it seems, are its problems. This week, Katy gives us a report from her home country of France, which for weeks has been embroiled in protests, some of which have brought significant destruction to French buildings and businesses. What began as a series of student demonstrations in early September has grown into a movement that has captured France’s growing anger over its government and the cost of living – grievances that are being echoed in similar protests across many other European countries as well. Amidst the chaos, some of us have wondered: would a bigger EU be a better EU? To think through the implications of EU expansion, we’re joined this week by Tinatin Akhvlediani, head of the EU Enlargement Programme at the Centre for European Policy Studies. There’s no better person to unpack what EU enlargement would mean for candidate countries and potential candidates, and for the bloc more broadly. (You don’t become known as Tina Enlargement for nothing.)Have questions about housing and energy policy? We’re taking Qs for EU commissioner Dan Jørgensen! All of our supporters are invited to pitch in to help shape our upcoming episode. To get in on the fun, you can join us over here. We’re gearing up for the second installment of our book club, co-hosted with our friends over at the European Review of Books. Our next pick is Ece Temelkuran’s book Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century. We’ll be discussing it on 10 December, and if you’ve read the book and have thoughts to share, you’re warmly welcomed to send in your comments via voice memo to [email protected]. Resources for this episode:“Hungary After Orbán” – The BBC’s Documentary Podcast, 13 October 2026Tina’s latest policy brief for CEPSTina on LinkedInTina on InstagramVideo of Finnish chef Tomi Kotilainen breaking the soda-chugging record“Chef chugs 500 ml of his favourite orange soda in just a few seconds to claim record” – Guinness World Records, 14 October 2026Want more cheeky analysis of the week’s news? Join us over on our Substack, Good Week Bad Week! New dispatches of the newsletter appear on the platform and in your inbox every Friday.Co-hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Katy Lee Producers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech OleksiakSenior producer: Katy LeeMixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Intern: Inês RuivoThe Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.Substack | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | YouTube | [email protected]

Europe is in chaos, but we’re here to talk about it all, as long as the wifi holds out! This week, we’re chatting about Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s call for a snap election in light of his country’s recent housing demonstrations and a host of other controversies roiling Madrid. Please note: this podcast was recorded before news broke on Wednesday night of the death of Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old whose eviction sparked Spain’s massive housing protests.We’re also discussing Russia’s decision to cancel Kanye West’s sold-out concerts in St Petersburg – and various scripts you can borrow if a racist antisemite wants to play a concert in YOUR country. And ahead of Friday’s announcement of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, we’re joined by Haakon Gjerløw, acting director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, to try to make sense of this controversial prize and who deserves to win it in 2026. Honestly, now feels like a really great time to give peace a chance.Speaking of reasons to get the wifi sorted… we’re looking forward to our next online listener hangout! If you want to shoot the breeze/commiserate about the state of things with Katy and Wojciech, you’re most very welcome to join us at 6pm CET on Sunday, 18 October. We’ll post a link to join the call on all our social channels an hour before we kick off.This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are Carys Davies’ book Clear and Dix pour cent, le film (Call My Agent! The Movie).Resources for this episode:“Conflict trends: A global overview, 1946–2025” – the Peace Research Institute OsloHaakon’s 2026 Nobel Peace Prize list“Donald Trump? Please no. Here’s who actually deserves this year’s Nobel peace prize” – The Guardian, 28 September 2026“‘Like caring for a pet’: the app that lets you know if your neighbourhood tree is thirsty” – The Guardian, 2 October 2026DID YOU KNOW… we have a newsletter with all the goofiness and good intentions of this podcast? It’s called GOOD WEEK BAD WEEK, it’s free, and thousands of people are lapping it up every Friday morning over on Substack. Come and join them!Co-hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Katy LeeReporter: Inês RuivoProducer: Morgan ChildsSenior producer: Katy LeeMixing and mastering: Wojciech OleksiakMusic: Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaIntern: Inês RuivoThe Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.Substack | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | YouTube | Bluesky | [email protected]

When it comes to the future of AI, we – like seemingly everyone else – have way more questions than answers. Could European legislation do anything to protect us from job losses and “rogue” models? Can the chatbots created on this continent compete with those being developed by the US and China? What would it mean to win (or lose) the “AI race”? And most importantly: how doomed are we?We put those questions and more to Aleksandra Przegalińska, a Polish AI researcher and philosopher and a fellow at the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School. Aleksandra is one of the most engaging and entertaining voices we know on this topic, and we walked away from this conversation feeling… dare we say… hopeful? We hope you’ll feel the same.For most of a decade, small donations from listeners like you have made it possible for us to continue making this fully independent weekly podcast. You can help us ring in our 10-year anniversary next year – and support another decade of non-boring news – by joining us over on Patreon or by donating via our website. Did you know we have a weekly newsletter, Good Week Bad Week? It often draws on the super fun themes (tech sovereignty, humanity’s demise, etc etc) you heard about in today’s podcast. Sign up here! Resources for this episode:Aleksandra on Instagram“AI Optimism Globally Widespread Despite Uneven Use” – Gallup, 22 September 2026Aleksandra on Microsoft–Gallup’s AI adoption survey“Arthur Mensch, CEO of French start-up Mistral AI: 'AI is software. It can be controlled'” – Le Monde, 24 September 2026“Data Centre Silence” – Lighthouse Reports, 30 September 2026Co-hosts: Katy Lee and Dominic KraemerSenior producer: Katy LeeProducers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech OleksiakMixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Intern: Inês RuivoThe Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.Substack | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | YouTube | Bluesky | [email protected]

When it comes to envisioning the future, what’s your type? The Positive? The Negative? The Uncertain? The Disconnected? No, these aren’t characters in a pop group or a teen movie – they’re the four ways of imagining a European future. So says Paweł Zerka of the European Council on Foreign Relations, a three-peat guest and true Friend of the Podcast. Paweł is back once more to walk us through this year’s European Sentiment Compass, “Future Nostalgia: Europe’s Unfinished Song”. Come for the Dua Lipa reference, stay because you’re a polling nerd like the rest of us. We’re also talking about British lawmakers’ quest to figure out why the UK does quite so badly at Eurovision and what the seizure of Nestlé and Auchan’s Russian assets says about the Kremlin’s finances. You can read this year’s European Sentiment Compass – which is, like us, supported by the European Cultural Foundation – and have fun categorising yourself here.FREE ON MONDAY NIGHT? Join Katy and Paweł for discussion and documentary-watching in Brussels on 28 September, or Dominic and Wojciech for a little post-truth democracy in The Hague. We have two tickets to give away to the event with Katy and Paweł, courtesy of our friends at Newframes. They’ll go to the first person who emails [email protected] with TICKETS in the subject line, so get in there quick! There’s plenty more to our excellent conversation with Paweł. Supporters of the show who are signed up to our private feed can hear the second half of our chat, including the revelation that Poland, of all places, is a surprisingly optimistic corner of Europe. Sign up over here. Supporters also get lots of cool perks and the warm glow of supporting independent European journalism. So if you haven’t already, get in for the glow!This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are Wojciech’s upcoming performance in The Hague(!) and Sorcha Richardson’s new album, “Draw the Outline”.Resources for this episode:Leave-Russia.org"The Russian assets of Nestlé, Auchan and the former Leroy Merlin have been transferred to the management of a company led by an interior ministry general" – Novaya Gazeta, 17 September 2026“Moose on the loose at Warsaw’s main station brings trains to a standstill” – Notes from Poland, 14 September 2026Co-hosts: Katy Lee and Dominic KraemerSenior producer: Katy LeeProducers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech OleksiakMixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina Intern: Inês RuivoThe Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.Substack | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | YouTube | Bluesky | [email protected]

This week, we’re attempting to solve some tricky problems. How can the EU tackle the ballooning housing crisis? Can we revive a cinema industry on death’s door? And how on earth can we get bureaucrats to communicate like human people in order to really, truly get something done? We’re unpacking plans for a new Affordable Housing Act and Macron’s attempt to save le cinéma, and we’re also getting an exclusive from the EU’s Directorate General of Memes, Satire, and Sober Fun, a.k.a. Fabio Mauri, the meme-maker who loves nothing more than to poke fun at Europe’s policymakers on Twitter and Instagram. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, et cetera.GET IN ON THE ACTION. Don’t just listen – get in on the fun! Did you know that just a small monthly donation to The Europeans helps us keep the good time rolling? AND… Did you know that that small monthly donation comes with cool perks? So much fun! Check us out at ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast and see what’s cookin’. You can also make a donation via our website.This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the participatory art performance Make Noise taking place in Amsterdam this weekend (with thanks to the Belarusian poet Hanna Komar for calling it to our attention) and the European Citizens’ Initiative Right to Housing! Now and Forever.Resources for this episode:“Macron rallies to save the movies, imperiled by free platforms and generative AI” – Le Monde, 9 September 2026“French Box Office Surges Nearly 20% in First Half of 2026 as Local Films and Hollywood Hits Drive Recovery” – Variety, 10 July 2026“Malgré une année en demi-teinte avec près de 157 millions d’entrées dans ses salles de cinéma, la France demeure largement le premier marché européen” – Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, 30 December 2025“The European Affordable Housing Plan” – The European Commission“Affordable Housing Act: European hosts need legal certainty too” – Airbnb, 9 September 2026Katz Laszlo’s reporting on Europe’s housing policies from our mini-series “Who Does It Best?”“Swimming pigs draw tourists to Greek island” – France 24, 11 September 2026Adorable swimming piglets via @trident_boatsCo-hosts: Katy Lee and Dominic KraemerProducers: Katy Lee and Morgan ChildsMixing and mastering: Wojciech OleksiakMusic: Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaIntern: Inês RuivoThe Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.Substack | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Bluesky | YouTube | [email protected]

Last week, tech giant Meta reached a settlement in a lawsuit with nearly every state in the US over claims that it had knowingly harmed children with its addictive apps. It was a major turn of events in the growing movement to protect kids online – but what does it mean for those of us on this side of the Atlantic? This week, we’re bringing you a fascinating chat with Leanda Barrington-Leach, the executive director at 5Rights, an international NGO that seeks to protect children’s rights and wellbeing on the internet. We’re also unpicking the CIA chief’s visit to Moscow and the surprisingly effective tariff placed on small parcels from China.This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the proposed euro banknote designs and the Polish HBO series Proud.You can hear more of our conversation with Leanda over on Patreon.Resources for this episode:“China tightens grip on Europe’s car supply chain” – Financial Times, 11 August 2026“Chinese imports plunge 30% to 40% after EU tax on small parcels” – Euronews, 27 August 2026“CIA chief used Moscow visit to warn Russia against attacks on NATO allies, helping Iran” – Politico, 26 August 2026GIVE A LITTLE, GET A LITTLE (OR A LOT). Did you know that just a small monthly donation to The Europeans makes a big difference to our team? Better yet: did you know that that small monthly donation comes with lots of nice perks? Visit us over at ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast and see what your pocket money can do for us – and for you. You can also make a donation via our website.STILL WANT MORE? Subscribe to our newsletter, Good Week Bad Week, and get more European news, culture, and general goofiness in your inbox each Friday. It’s free!Co-hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Wojciech OleksiakSenior producer: Wojciech OleksiakProducers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech OleksiakAudio editing: Monika ProbaMixing and mastering: Wojciech OleksiakMusic: Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaThe Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Substack | [email protected]

This weekend, Icelanders go to the polls to determine whether the nation should pick up its EU accession talks where they left off in 2013. Ahead of the big referendum, we caught up with Icelandic journalist Elias Thorsson and Finnish analyst Minna Ålander, to better understand what the vote means for Iceland and what it could mean for the Nordic countries and the greater European Union. Maybe you’re somebody who can prattle on about how the devaluation of the Icelandic króna benefits the country’s international exports…and maybe you’re someone who can’t exactly remember which Nordic countries are in the EU. No matter which type of person you are, we promise, this episode is for you.Resources for this episode:“Fear Of A European Iceland: A Nation At A Flashpoint Prepares For Referendum” – Elias Thorsson, The Reykjavik Grapevine, 8 May 2026Minna Ålander’s Substack, Northern Flank Notes“(Northern) European Integration” – Minna Ålander, Northern Flank Notes, 7 July 2026“The Vote That Could Reshape Iceland | Prime Minister of Iceland, Kristrún Frostadóttir” – The Rest Is Politics, 27 July 2026DID YOU EVER KNOW THAT YOU’RE MY HERO? Patreon supporters, you are the wind beneath our wings. Everyone else, please consider joining them over at ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also make a donation via our website. CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF US? Understandable. Subscribe to our newsletter, Good Week Bad Week, and scratch that Europeans itch once more each week. It’s free!Co-hosts: Dominic Kraemer and Wojciech OleksiakProducers: Morgan Childs and Wojciech OleksiakMixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina The Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Substack | [email protected]

Sally Hayden made a name for herself by documenting some of the worst human rights abuses of the 21st century. Now she’s written a new book… of love stories. This week we had the honour of sitting down with the decorated Irish journalist to discuss her latest release, This Is Also a Love Story, the (im)balance of good news and bad, and the oft-forgotten truth that, as Sally puts it, “humans exist at the center of geopolitics”. We’ve devoted the whole of this week’s episode to this challenging conversation, and we hope you’ll find it as thought-provoking as we did.You can learn more about Sally on her website (we highly recommend reading her 2023 speech to the European Parliament). Don’t miss her first book, My Fourth Time, We Drowned, and her new release, This Is Also a Love Story.This podcast would not be possible without our extraordinary Patreon family. If conversations like these inspire you, please consider joining them over at ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast. You can also, as always, make a donation via our website. Many, many thanks.Co-hosts: Katy Lee and Dominic KraemerProducers: Morgan Childs, Dominic Kraemer, and Wojciech OleksiakAudio editing: Morgan ChildsMixing and mastering: Wojciech OleksiakMusic: Jim Barne, Mariska Martina and Blue Dot SessionsThe Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Substack | [email protected]

It’s not even August yet, and it’s been a long, hot summer. As temperatures climb and France and Spain fight to keep wildfires contained, we’re devoting the whole of this week’s episode to one of 2026’s most contentious debates: should Europe be using more air conditioning? With help from three experts, we’re picking apart the pros and cons of artificial cooling technology – and grappling with a handful of guilty feelings along the way.You can learn more about the wondrous upsides and significant costs of air conditioning from our guests: Eva Horn, a professor of cultural history at the University of Vienna; Diána Ürge-Vorsatz, a professor at Central European University and Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; and Blanca Paniello Castillo, researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.Other resources for this episode:Eva Horn’s essay in Avery Review, “Air Conditioning: Taming the Climate as a Dream of Civilization”Eva’s book Klima: Eine Wahrnehmungsgeschichte“Europeans should learn to love the air-conditioner” – Stanley Pignal, The Economist, 18 June 2026“Energy demand and decarbonization in 2025 and beyond” – Diana Ürge-Vorsatz and Felix Creutzig, Nature, 20 January 2026“Air Conditioning Has Reduced Mortality Due to High Temperatures in Spain by One Third” (PDF) – The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), 2023Redditer paints his Parisian roof whiteWant more of that sunny, summery vibe in your weekly news diet? Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter, Good Week Bad Week!BE A PART OF THE EUROPEANS’ FUTURE: In case you missed it, we’ve made some changes to our Patreon memberships and are giving members new perks for supporting our work. Visit ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ to take a look at what’s on offer. You can also, as always, make a donation via our website. Massive thanks to everyone who’s joined us already – you really do make this show possible ❤️Unsung: Cleaners is a documentary podcast bringing together the voices of cleaners across Europe, telling their stories in their own words. From invisible labour and night shifts to dignity and organising for change, the five-part series explores the human stories behind one of the world’s most essential – and most overlooked – jobs: cleaning. In the first episode, Hayat Elhore, a cleaner at the European Parliament in Brussels, shares what it’s like to clean a building that symbolises democracy – while often being treated as invisible. She pulls back the curtain on a typical day in the life of a cleaner.Co-hosts: Katy Lee and Dominic KraemerSenior producer: Katy LeeProducers: Morgan Childs, Dominic KraemerAudio editing: Morgan ChildsMixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak and Monika ProbaMusic: Jim Barne, Mariska Martina and Blue Dot SessionsThe Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Substack | [email protected]