The Europeans

How does a city of little more than 50,000 permanent residents deal with an annual stampede of 25 million tourists? Venice is an extreme example of the growing scourge of overtourism across Europe. We talk to one of the residents organising a fightback, Elena Riu of the Gruppo 25 aprile. Also this week: #ClimateStrike, Rammstein and skydiving in your nineties. Thanks as always to the amazing Patreon supporters keeping this show going: patreon.com/europeanspodcast Hit us up at our shiny new email address! hello@europeanspodcast.com Thanks for listening ❤️ Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | europeanspodcast.com

This week we’re heading into the belly of the EU beast to talk about who’s going to be running the show for the next five years. Alberto Alemmano, aka the busiest man in Europe, is here to unpick some controversial decisions by Ursula von der Leyen as she gets ready to take charge in November. Plus,  skeletons and Macron portraits. Send us ideas for new laws! hello@europeanspodcast.com Help us out by joining our amazingly generous Patreon squad! patreon.com/europeanspodcast  Twitter | Instagram | Facebook 

WE'RE BACK, with a new look for a new season. This week we're catching up on the summer's Italian drama and tackling the delicate question of Nazi relatives. And we're heading to Görlitz, on the German-Polish border, to find out why why so many voters in eastern Germany are putting their faith in the far-right AfD. Our guest is Emily Schultheis, a Berlin-based journalist covering right-wing populism, who spent a month in Görlitz getting into voters' heads. Read Emily's report for the Institute of Current World Affairs, where she is a fellow, here! Check out her latest piece for The Atlantic! And follow her on Twitter: @emilyrs. In other news, we have a beautiful new website: europeanspodcast.com. Help keep us running by joining our generous Patreon supporters: patreon.com/europeanspodcast. In Amsterdam on September 12? Get tickets for Cine Radio, the glorious international audio event hosted by our new producer Katz Laszlo. See you next week, it's good to be back. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |  europeanspodcast@gmail.com

 ... or 'hiphop' in Esperanto. This week we're talking about how the internet shook up the world's most idealistic language, with Federico Gobbo, professor of Esperanto at the University of Amsterdam. We're also talking about the furore over a rapper involved in a Swedish assault case, and the Dutch kid behind one of the most successful beats of all time.  We're taking August off to work on some special episodes, but we'll be back before you know it. Keep your eyes peeled in September for our brand new logo! As a final farewell to its iconic predecessor, we'll be sending out limited edition Angry Macron tote bags to our existing Patreon subscribers to say thanks for the amazing support. Not a member yet? Sign up for our new $20 subscription to get your hands on a piece of podcasting history.  See you in a few weeks! Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Patreon  europeanspodcast.com  europeanspodcast@gmail.com

Scotland now has the highest rate of drug-related deaths in Europe — even higher than the United States. The shocking statistics have prompted calls in Scotland for a move towards the decriminalisation of drug use, taking the lead from a radical change of approach in Portugal. Portugal went from a full-blown opioid crisis in the 1980s to having one of the lowest rates of drug deaths in Europe today. We called Andreia Alves, a social worker with the Lisbon NGO Crescer, to find how a more humane policy makes her work easier. Also: turtle doves, VIP tour guides, and the art of the Spanish compromise. Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Patreon  europeanspodcast@gmail.com  Thanks for listening. 

This week we’re talking about what happened when Actress, the electronic musician also known as Darren Cunningham, made British and Dutch politicians debate the meaning of love. We’re also talking about French extravagance, the gentrification of Berlin, and the magic of medicine.  You can find the article Dominic mentioned on the incredibly complex surgery that separated twins Safa and Marwa here.  Liked the show? Please give us five big gold stars! Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Patreon   Thanks for listening. 

We don't call it 'the migrant crisis' anymore. Yet, every day, people attempt the treacherous crossing to reach our shores, and more than 500 people have died trying this year alone. This week we're talking about the politics of fear and the laws of the sea with the Italian migration expert Matteo Villa. We're also talking about rockets, bees and Greece's return to the right.  Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Patreon Thanks for listening.  

 This week, the European women steering the ship. Katy and Dominic discuss the case of Carola Rackete, the rescue boat captain who has come to symbolize the moral divide over migration, as well as the nomination of Germany's Ursula von der Leyen and Christine Lagarde to two of the most powerful jobs on the continent. In the meantime, the biggest Czech protests since the fall of communism have been giving the populist billionaire PM Andrej Babiš a run for his money. We ring up Benjamin Roll, one of the young leaders of the growing protest movement. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Patreon Thanks for listening. 

What does it mean to be black in Europe? This week's guest Johny Pitts went on a five-month journey around the continent, interviewing black Europeans and exploring his own identity. The result is his brilliant new book, 'Afropean: Notes from Black Europe', which makes the case for a community that crosses borders. Also this week: the role of railways in the Holocaust; whether or not we should talk about Merkel; and a strange reward for good behaviour.  Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Patreon europeanspodcast@gmail.com Thanks for listening. 

This week, the strange and rather wonderful story of how the BBC tried (and failed, pretty badly) to create a European soap opera back in the 1990s. Former 'Eldorado' star Kai Maurer reflects on how his unlikely role playing a German beach bum kicked off his acting career and how the show was ahead of its time. Plus: a landmark Spanish court ruling and the ugly realities of European consensus politics.  Read the article that sparked Katy's El Dorado obsession here.  Should we launch a campaign to get the BBC to bring it back? Send us your thoughts:  europeanspodcast@gmail.com Twitter  Facebook  Instagram  Thanks to our supremely generous Patreon supporters. You can help us keep the show running by chipping in here. See you next week. 

This week, the increasingly worrying politics of a country with one of the most complicated governments in the world. We're talking to the Bosnian journalist Aleksandar Brezar about troubles that go ignored all too often in Europe and wartime scars that have yet to heal. We're also talking about European countries' varying approaches to regulating what women do with their bodies, and a transatlantic romance that has stood the test of time. Read Aleksandar's excellent piece in the Guardian and check out his podcast about Southeastern Europe, Sarajevo Calling. Rachel Kadish's superb piece about the humanity of Anne Frank can be found here, and France 24's in-depth reporting on abortion across Europe is here.  Thanks as always to the supremely generous Patreon donors who are keeping this show running. You can chip in as little as a dollar a month at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening.  Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com  

Hands up if you've got a better idea of what's happening in American politics than European politics, despite living on this side of the pond? This week André Wilkens, the new director of the European Cultural Foundation, argues that Europeans need to get better at telling their own story — whether it's in the form of a Hamilton-style hit musical or otherwise. Also: scooter wars, holograms, and when the left gets tough on immigration. You can read Katy's piece on the arrival of electric scooters in Paris last summer here in the Guardian, and see a holographic elephant here.  If you like the show, you can help us out by giving us five big gold stars on Apple Podcasts, or join our hugely generous Patreon supporters.  Thanks for listening. Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com  

We've just elected a bunch of people to represent 500 million of us. But when it comes to the results of the European elections, most of us have been preoccupied with what happened in our own countries. This week we're zooming out to take a look at the continent as a whole with Caroline de Gruyter, the Oslo-based Europe correspondent for the Dutch newspaper NRC. Plus: Ibizagate, part 2; rural PR stunts; and the importance of correctly-spelled tweets. Many thanks to our Patreon supporters!  Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com   Thanks for listening. 

Should machines have the power to decide whether a human on the battlefield lives or dies? Ulrike Franke spends her days imagining the wars of the future. We chatted to her about ‘killer robots’ and rogue drones. Plus: a far-right honey-trap and Germany in the age of the influencer. Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com Many thanks to our Patreon supporters! See you next week. 

Katy's never voted in a European election before. This week she tries to make amends by figuring out, finally, what the European parliament is and what MEPs actually do. The elections are May 23-26 depending on what country you're in. Please vote! This episode was made with support from the European Cultural Foundation. They support initatives which rethink Europe as an open and democratic space.  Thanks for listening. europeanspodcast.com