{"podcast":{"title":"Brussels Playbook Podcast","slug":"brussels-playbook-podcast-730322","podcast_index_feed_id":730322,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ASD6061651607","website_url":"https://www.politico.eu/eu-confidential-podcast/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/457b396e-5e02-11ef-9ea9-13174c9e6348/image/51c7306a884c9c73a7da2290ebca2b8d.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"POLITICO","episode_count":640,"summary":"POLITICO’s daily audio briefing on what’s moving Brussels — and why it matters. The Brussels Playbook Podcast is the audio extension of the Brussels Playbook newsletter. Hosted by POLITICO's chief EU correspondent, Zoya Sheftalovich, the podcast runs Monday through Thursday, offering a clear, reporting-driven guide to EU politics in under 15 minutes. It’s a perfect companion for your morning coffee. Each episode takes listeners inside the decisions, power shifts and debates shaping the day in Brussels — and explains how they connect to national capitals across Europe. Clear, conversational and shaped by reporting from the heart of the EU, the Brussels Playbook Podcast brings context to EU politics as your day begins. On Fridays, the same feed features a longer episode that goes deeper into the week’s biggest themes, offering context and analysis beyond the daily news cycle — with Sarah Wheaton behind the mic.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-18T10:19:02.663938+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/brussels-playbook-podcast-730322"},"episode":{"title":"Kaja Kallas takes another hit","slug":"kaja-kallas-takes-another-hit","published_at":"2026-09-08T04:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/brussels-playbook-podcast-730322/kaja-kallas-takes-another-hit","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/brussels-playbook-podcast-730322","url":"https://www.politico.eu/podcast/brussels-playbook-podcast/","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL8207980400.mp3","summary":"The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, wanted a group of heavyweight former leaders to come up with fresh ideas to address Europe’s defense gaps. Instead, the initiative was killed before it even launched. Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart look at why some capitals pushed back — and what the episode says about Kallas’ authority and the battle over who drives European defense policy. Then, European Council President Antonio Costa continues his tour of European capitals as negotiations over the EU’s next long-term budget get more concrete. And finally: could Ukraine and Poland make a joint bid to host the football World Cup? Plus: We’re going live again on September 22. We’ll be recording the podcast in front of an audience as part of POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook Live event. You can register to attend here. Question? Comment? Get in touch on WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29. This episode was produced by Dionis Sturis and Saga Ringmar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, wanted a group of heavyweight former leaders to come up with fresh ideas to address Europe’s defense gaps. Instead, th…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":977,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/brussels-playbook-podcast-730322/episodes/kaja-kallas-takes-another-hit/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/brussels-playbook-podcast-730322/kaja-kallas-takes-another-hit.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}