Strona Główna Podcasty VoiCEE - Podcast from Central and Eastern Europe

VoiCEE - Podcast from Central and Eastern Europe

Notes From Poland 26 episodes Latest Feb 28, 2025

This podcast series explores Central and Eastern Europe from various angles, aiming to capture the region's diversity and emerging trends. It gives voice to a region often talked to rather than listened to. The podcast is produced by a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe, including Notes from Poland, Kafkadesk, Insight Hungary, Internews Ukraine, New Eastern Europe, Reporting Democracy, Transitions, Ukraine World, and Vsquare.

Episodes

The VoiCEE podcast: what Belarus's "sham" elections mean for the country and the region Feb 28, 2025 00:24:10 In this episode, our host Joshua Coe speaks with journalist Mark Temnycky, who wrote for New Eastern Europe about the recent re-election of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.Nicknamed “Europe’s last dictator”, Lukashenko won another term in office last month with a proclaimed 87% of the vote. But election observers say there has not been a free and fair election in the country since he cam

The VoiCEE podcast: humanitarian demining training for Ukrainian women Jan 30, 2025 00:25:45 In this episode, our host Joshua Coe speaks with journalist Isabelle de Pommereau about her story "Humanitarian Warriors" written for Transitions magazine. In Kosovo, De Pommereau met Ukrainian women learning to clear the mines and unexploded ordnance littered across their country amid its ongoing war with Russia. More recently, De Pommereau was in Ukraine for the week of Donald Trump&#3

The VoiCEE podcast: investigating Hungary's spying on EU anti-fraud officials Dec 30, 2024 00:26:48 In this episode, our host Joshua Coe speaks with Szabolcs Panyi, an investigative journalist with Direkt36 and VSquare, about his recent cross-border investigation shedding light on how Hungary reportedly surveilled EU anti-fraud investigators probing the company of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s son-in-law. His findings indicate that Hungary’s foreign intelligence services even created an entire d

The VoiCEE podcast: what does Trump's return to the White House mean for Ukraine and Poland Dec 2, 2024 00:55:05 In this episode we're looking into the biggest topic of the past month, the president-elect of the United States, Donald J. Trump. Central and Eastern Europe have been a major focus of the current US administration, following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and Trump has repeatedly said that he could quickly end this war. The region is also home to key US allies at Russia's doorstep, like Pol

The VoiCEE podcast: Poland’s booming battery industry threatened by proposed EU emission rules Oct 7, 2024 00:18:14 In this episode, Agnieszka Wądołowska, deputy editor-in-chief at Notes from Poland, speaks with the outlet's senior editor, Alicja Ptak, about her newly published report on how Poland's position as Europe's leading producer of lithium-ion batteries is being threatened by proposed new EU emissions rules. They discuss what has made Poland and the Central and Eastern Europe region so attractive to

The VoiCEE podcast: decoding Russia's information war in Central and Eastern Europe Jun 27, 2024 00:41:37 In this episode, Anastasiia Herasymchuk, deputy editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, interviews Jakub Kalensky, deputy director of the hybrid influence team at the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats. They discuss how the Russian propaganda machine has attempted to influence recent regional and global events, such as elections to the European Parliament and the Ukraine Peace

The VoiCEE pocast: five trends to shape CEE in 2024 Apr 12, 2024 00:48:05 In this episode of the VoiCEE podcast, Nicholas Watson, editor of Reporting Democracy, part of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, discusses BIRN’s latest “Trends Report” with Claudia Ciobanu, BIRN’s Warsaw correspondent; Edit Inotai, its Budapest correspondent; Jules Eisenchteter, its Prague correspondent; and Gyula Csak, its editor for investigative international projects. Titled Life in

The VoiCEE podcast: are CEE countries doing enough to help those facing repression in Belarus? Feb 29, 2024 00:29:23 In this episode, Transitions' editor-in-chief Jeremy Druker interviews Ondřej Kundra, a leading Czech investigative journalist and deputy editor-in-chief of Respekt, about his latest reporting on Belarus, the Czech Republic's special relationship with the country, and whether Central European countries should be doing more to help those facing repression. They also speak about Kundra's

The VoiCEE podcast: Embattled Czech government faces resurgent populist threat Jan 22, 2024 00:36:59 In this episode, Kafkadesk contributor Adrien Beauduin interviews political scientist Jiří Koubek of Charles University in Prague about the roots of nationwide social discontent in the Czech Republic. They also speak about the successes and failures of the government; the reasons for the high popularity of ANO, the party of the former prime minister and billionaire Andrej Babiš; and the prospects

The VoiCEE podcast: Georgia's progress towards EU membership and how it affects the region Nov 30, 2023 00:43:59 In this episode, Adam Reichardt, Giorgi Beroshvili and Soso Chachanidze of New Eastern Europe magazine discuss the European Commission's recent recommendation to officially grant EU membership candidate status to Georgia as well as the EU's latest recommendations for the country. They assess the chances of Georgia catching up with countries like Moldova and Ukraine - which are already at t

The VoiCEE podcast: what Poland's elections mean for the country and the region Oct 31, 2023 00:41:58 In this episode, Agnieszka Wądołowska, deputy editor of Notes from Poland, speaks with Stanley Bill, the founder and editor-at-large of Notes from Poland and professor in Polish Studies and director of the Polish Studies Programme at the University of Cambridge. They analyse the results of the parliamentary elections that took place on 15 October in Poland, discuss who were the biggest winners and

The VoiCEE podcast: Slovak parliamentary elections and how it will impact CEE and support for Ukraine Sep 22, 2023 00:35:43 In this episode, Kafkadesk contributor Adrien Beauduin interviews political sociologist Michal Vašečka, president of the Bratislava Policy Institute, about the Slovak parliamentary elections taking place on 30 September. They analyse the political turmoil of the last years; explain the success of nationalist and conservative parties; and sketch possible future coalitions, including the possible re

The VoiCEE podcast: New system in Czech town prevents teachers from dropping out Jun 29, 2023 00:35:02 In this episode, we discuss a story that won the 2022 Czech Journalism Award in the solution journalism category.

The VoiCEE podcast: hosting Russian nukes "destroys our sovereignty," says Belarus opposition leader Jun 1, 2023 00:38:32 In this episode, Alicja Ptak, senior editor at Notes from Poland, speaks with Pavel Latushka, a former Belarusian minister and ambassador to Poland but now a leading opposition figure in exile, who was recently sentenced in absentia to 18 years in prison. They discuss the increasingly close cooperation between Belarus and Russia amid the war in Ukraine and its consequences for the region, includ

The VoiCEE podcast: Belarus's role in Russia’s war against Ukraine Apr 28, 2023 00:31:40 In this episode - produced in partnership with Talk Eastern Europe, the official podcast of the New Eastern Europe magazine - Adam Reichardt, the editor-in-chief of NEE, speaks with Victoria Leukavets, a researcher at the Stockholm Centre for Eastern Europeans Studies and expert on Belarus and other Eastern Partnership countries. They look at recent developments around Belarus, the probability of

The VoiCEE podcast: Russia’s playbook for influencing Central and Eastern Europe Mar 31, 2023 00:28:53 In this episode of The VoiCEE podcast Anna Gielewska, editor-in-chief of Vsquare.org – a cross-border network in Central Europe – speaks with Szabolcs Panyi, a leading investigative journalist at Direkt36, about what he and his colleagues have uncovered about Russia’s playbook for gaining influence in Central and Eastern Europe as well as the discrepancy in how effectively it works in Poland and

The VoiCEE podcast: Six trends to shape CEE in 2023 Mar 6, 2023 00:41:03 In this episode of The VoiCEE podcast, the team from Reporting Democracy discusses their just-released “Trends Report 2023: War in Ukraine Focuses Minds”, which identifies and examines the trends in the region that will play out over the rest of this year. The trends are: State of Democracy: Belief Returns but New Social Contract Needed; The Future of Energy: Picking Up the Pace of the T

The VoiCEE podcast: What Petr Pavel's election means for the Czech Republic and the region Feb 1, 2023 00:30:25 In this episode, Kafkadesk contributor Adrien Beauduin interviews political scientist Jiří Pehe, director of New York University Prague, about the recently concluded Czech presidential elections. They analyse the long campaign and its stormy finish; look back on departing president Miloš Zeman's legacy; and try to predict how his successor, former NATO general Petr Pavel, will govern, especially w

The VoiCEE podcast. Abortion laws in CEE: heartbeat rule in Budapest, an activist on trial in Warsaw Dec 28, 2022 00:21:54 In this episode of The VoiCEE podcast, Agnieszka Wądołowska, deputy editor of Notes from Poland, speaks with Andrea Pető, professor in the department of Gender Studies at Central European University, Vienna, and a doctor of science of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. They discuss support among the Polish public for allowing access to abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy,

The VoiCEE podcast: how Poland and the region are coping eight months into the Ukraine refugee crisis Oct 21, 2022 00:35:54 In this episode of The VoiCEE podcast, Agnieszka Wądołowska, deputy editor of Notes from Poland, speaks with Maciej Duszyczk, a professor at the University of Warsaw's Centre of Migration Research. They discuss the situation of Ukrainian refugees in Poland and how it has changed in the last eight months - how some have found their place on the job market and in the education system and

The VoiCEE podcast: Is a European Green Deal still on the table? Sep 28, 2022 00:34:26 In this episode of the VoiCEE podcast, Marek Józefiak, media and policy officer for Greenpeace Poland, discusses with BIRN's Nicholas Watson the fate of the European Green Deal in the context of the war in Ukraine. At its most basic, the war highlights how countries that pursue net-zero strategies will have to continually contend with "greenwalls" - energy transition deterrents created by crises o

Who are the Ukrainians, and what do they want? Aug 11, 2022 00:51:12 In this episode, Volodymyr Yermolenko - a Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, and chief editor of UkraineWorld.org - and Tetyana Ogarkova - a Ukrainian scholar and journalist in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - analyse the key features of Ukrainian civic and political identity. They discuss the long history of fighting against tyranny, a culture of self-orga

The VoiCEE Podcast: Media independence in Central and Eastern Europe Jul 1, 2022 00:49:07 In this episode of The VoiCEE podcast, Jeremy Druker, executive director and editor-in-chief of Transitions, speaks with Marius Dragomir, director of the Center for Media, Data, & Society. They discuss the dire state of media independence in the region, but also some bright spots of hope and recommendations on how to turn things around.

The VoiCEE podcast: The rule of law versus the rule by law Apr 6, 2022 00:45:05 In this episode, Reporting Democracy editor and host Nicholas Watson discusses the issue surrounding the deterioration of the rule of law in the region, the condition of which the European Union is becoming increasingly worried, especially in Poland and Hungary. The rule of law is mentioned twice in the preamble to the Treaty on European Union. In Article 2, it stipulates that: “The Union is found

Are electoral coalitions the only path against Central Europe’s populist strongmen? Mar 29, 2022 00:46:18 In this episode, Kafkadesk writer and host Karolína Boháčová will be discussing the trend of electoral coalitions in Central Europe and analyse whether they can prove a successful strategy against Central European strongmen and political heavyweights across the CEE region. In the first half of this episode, we will look at the success story of the Czech electoral coalition in late 2021 and study t

Migration trends in Central and Eastern Europe #1 Mar 7, 2022 00:41:26 In the very first episode of VoiCEE podcast Agnieszka Wądołowska, managing editor of Notes from Poland, talks with Pawel Kaczmarczyk, director of the Centre of migration research at the University of Warsaw. They discuss one of the key issues reshaping the region - migration.