The Coronavirus is taking over the continent, but the EU isn't. Together with Italian political philosopher Federico Giovannini, we reveal Italy's and Europe's underlying political crisis and we listen to "La Bohème", Giacomo Puccini's opera about disease, solidarity and poverty. Why's the Netherlands making it particularly difficult for Southern Europe to survive this crisis? Where is the EU? What's wrong with Italy's healthcare system? And what does this mean for Europe's political future? Picture: "The Sick Child" (1907) by Edvard Munch

Speaking of Europe

The Virus, the Weak and the Dutch: Italy's Crisis Beyond Corona

Easter is long gone, and so is the long Biblical road of suffering. But the EU's political suffering has only started. In theory, Europe's exit strategy already exists. But in reality, EU leaders cannot agree on how to get out of the political crisis beyond the coronavirus. Today we talk, once again, with Spanish political scientist Martín Alberdi Rodriguez on the common understanding of how Europe's exit strategy should look and why, despite this consensus, there's no strategy.

Europe's Exit Strategy (or Lack Thereof)

Many European governments are experiencing a rise of popularity in the polls. Epidemics seem to make people support the status quo. But not in Spain. So what went wrong? Starting with a scene from 1869 opera "Les brigands" by Jacques Offenbach, where the fundamental questions of solidarity, poverty and trust come to the fore, we'll talk with Madrid-based economist and political scientist Martín Rodríguez Alberdi about the mistakes made by Spain's Sánchez-government and why the Northern European governments' reluctance to meet the South's financial demands is both logical and problematic. Picture: "Five of Coins - Solidarity in Poverty", by Pamela Colman Smith (1910)

Why Spain's Corona Crisis is Worse: Solidarity in Spain and Brussels

Italy has fallen in a governance crisis. Again. But this time it's different. Not the mainstream establishment, but the far right is losing its grip on power. Far right leader Matteo Salvini quickly may be the most popular European politician in terms of retweets, last week's attempt to call for snap election didn't turn out well for him. While his government has started to crumble, his political enemies are smelling his blood. What went wrong with the Far Right superstar? And what does this crisis mean for Italy and Europe? We talk about it with Italian political philosopher Federico Giovannini.

Italy's Next Governance Crisis: Is this Salvini's end?

How homophobic is Russia really? From the perspective of music history, you'd be surprised to see a very different image of Russia. In the European pop music of the last decades, Russia is not only a flourishing space of LGBT music; it's a trendsetter. Does Russia have a more dominant LGBT-scene than the rest of Europe? Or is it about something else? Something that's about Russia's peculiar relation with the rest of Europe? A relation that goes back way back into history? We are talking this episode with Roman Gerasimov, a Russian journalist and the most pop music-obsessed guy I've ever met. With him, we'll get into the story of two very different Russian music acts that shook Europe: T.A.T.u. and Pussy Riot. Speaking of Europe, there is more: Italy is getting ready for new elections, a failed terrorist attack took place in Norway, and Luxembourg legalises cannabis (and no, the Netherlands still doesn't). Photo by Victoria Borodinova from Pexels

Russia's LGBT Music: And why it's leading Europe

In July, Greece went to the voting ballot to vote for change. The far-left party Syriza has been voted out of office, and the old right-wing party, New Democracy, has formed the new government under prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Not the economic crisis, but the controversial name deal with Greece's northern neighboring country was the reason for Syriza to lose. Under Syriza, Greece has agreed to call the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) North Macedonia. Many Greeks are unhappy with the deal. In this episode, we will ask historian Giannis Mavrogenis: Why does the Macedonian issue matter so much to many Greeks? And why was the 'Macedonia question' a bigger issue in the Greek elections than the economic crisis?

Greek Elections: Why Macedonia mattered more than economic crisis

In this very first episode of Speaking of Europe, we dive into the messy politics of Italy with Federico Giovannini. Why did the Far Right take over Italian politics so quickly? And what happened to the Italian left? Is there anything left of the left? Speaking of Europe, there's more: Ukraine turned a Netflix series into an actual parliament, UK's new PM Boris Johnson really - really - loves Turkey, and Moscow people are hitting the streets.

Italy: Ideologies Fail, Far Right Prevails

Someone needs to tell you what's going on in Europe. That's why we made a podcast for you. The unlikely Tallinn-based duo of Jules (Netherlands) and Ceren (Turkey) will be your voice of reason and entertainment in understanding the continent's most important, awkward and interesting developments.

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The Virus, the Weak and the Dutch: Italy's Crisis Beyond Cor...

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