VoiCEE - Podcast from Central and Eastern Europe

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 came to power in 1994.Temnycky tells us about Lukashenko, his close ties to Russia, and the Belarusian opposition — both inside and outside the country.Read “Thirty years of Lukashenka” and “The 2025 Belarusian presidential election” by Mark Temnycky, published by New Eastern Europe.In this podcast series, we look at the region from different angles and perspectives, attempting to capture its diversity and understand emerging trends. Above all, we want to give a voice to a region that is often talked to rather than listened to.The VoiCEE is brought to you by a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe: Reporting Democracy, VSquare, New Eastern Europe, Notes from Poland, Kafkadesk, Insight Hungary, Internews Ukraine, Transitions, Ukraine World.To not miss any news and insight from our network, sign up for our newsletter here and follow us on X.

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's inauguration as president of the United States. While the newly sworn in president promised a swift end to Russia's war with Ukraine, the fighting has only intensified in recent weeks. Whether or not the end of the conflict is in sight, the task of cleaning up the remnants of war is ongoing. The removal of unexploded ordnance is one such effort. Across Ukraine, the removal of unexploded shells, missiles and mines is underway and expected to take years. Read "Humanitarian Warriors" by Isabelle de Pommereau on Transitions. In this podcast series, we look at the region from different angles and perspectives, attempting to capture its diversity and understand emerging trends. Above all, we want to give a voice to a region that is often talked to rather than listened to. The VoiCEE is brought to you by a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe: Reporting Democracy, VSquare, New Eastern Europe, Notes from Poland, Kafkadesk, Insight Hungary, Internews Ukraine, Transitions, Ukraine World. To not miss any news and insight from our network, sign up for our newsletter here and follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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 department to spy on EU institutions. https://x.com/direkt36/status/1865028521816658259 In this podcast series, we look at the region from different angles and perspectives, attempting to capture its diversity and understand emerging trends. Above all, we want to give a voice to a region that is often talked to rather than listened to. The VoiCEE is brought to you by a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe: Reporting Democracy, VSquare, New Eastern Europe, Notes from Poland, Kafkadesk, Insight Hungary, Internews Ukraine, Transitions, Ukraine World. To not miss any news and insight from our network, sign up for our newsletter here and follow us on Twitter. Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

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 Poland, a fellow member of NATO. To understand what the region is saying about the return of Donald Trump to the White House. Host Joshua Coe speaks to two journalists, UkraineWorld's deputy editor-in-chief, Anastasiia Herasymchuk and Notes from Poland's editor-in-chief, Daniel Tilles. In this podcast series, we look at the region from different angles and perspectives, attempting to capture its diversity and understand emerging trends. Above all, we want to give a voice to a region that is often talked to rather than listened to. The VoiCEE is brought to you by a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe: Reporting Democracy, VSquare, New Eastern Europe, Notes from Poland, Kafkadesk, Insight Hungary, Internews Ukraine, Transitions, Ukraine World. To not miss any news and insight from our network, sign up for our newsletter here and follow us on Twitter. Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

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 battery manufacturers and how that would change with the planned EU regulations. They also speak about heated detabes the issue stirred during the recent New Mobility Congress in Łódź. In this podcast series, we look at the region from different angles and perspectives, attempting to capture its diversity and understand emerging trends. Above all, we want to give a voice to a region that is often talked to rather than listened to. The VoiCEE is brought to you by a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe: Reporting Democracy, VSquare, New Eastern Europe, Notes from Poland, Kafkadesk, Insight Hungary, Internews Ukraine, Transitions, Ukraine World. To not miss any news and insight from our network, sign up for our newsletter here and follow us on Twitter.

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 Summit. They also speak about the strategic narratives employed by Russian propaganda, the tools used to make these narratives effective, and the dangers posed by this powerful Kremlin weapon. In this podcast series, we look at the region from different angles and perspectives, attempting to capture its diversity and understand emerging trends. Above all, we want to give a voice to a region that is often talked to rather than listened to. The VoiCEE is brought to you by a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe: Reporting Democracy, VSquare, New Eastern Europe, Notes from Poland, Kafkadesk, Insight Hungary, Internews Ukraine, Transitions, Ukraine World. To not miss any news and insight from our network, sign up for our newsletter here and follow us on Twitter. Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support. https://notesfrompoland.com/donations/support-us/

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 Time of "Polycrisis", this year's report looks at the interplay of various crises, such as the climate emergency, migration, global economic turmoil, conflict in Europe and the Middle East and the lingering effects of the pandemic. It identifies and examines five trends in the region that BIRN believes will play out during the rest of this year: Regional Stability: Global Headwinds, Ahoy! Democracy and Democrats: Coming and Going Domestic and Foreign Policy: "Sovereignty" Makes a Comeback Media Freedom: EU Action Could Stop the Decline... For Some Poverty In the Region: No End in Sight In this podcast series, we look at the region from different angles and perspectives, attempting to capture its diversity and understand emerging trends. Above all, we want to give a voice to a region that is often talked to rather than listened to. The VoiCEE is brought to you by a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe: Reporting Democracy, VSquare, New Eastern Europe, Notes from Poland, Kafkadesk, Insight Hungary, Internews Ukraine, Transitions, Ukraine World. To not miss any news and insight from our network, sign up for our newsletter here and follow us on Twitter. Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

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 interview with Belarusian president in exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, which highlighted the disappearance of her husband in the country's prison system, as well as other political prisoners. In this podcast series, we look at the region from different angles and perspectives, attempting to capture its diversity and understand emerging trends. Above all, we want to give a voice to a region that is often talked to rather than listened to. The VoiCEE is brought to you by a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe: Reporting Democracy, VSquare, New Eastern Europe, Notes from Poland, Kafkadesk, Insight Hungary, Internews Ukraine, Transitions, Ukraine World. To not miss any news and insight from our network, sign up for our newsletter here and follow us on Twitter.

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 for the next parliamentary elections scheduled for 2025. Midway into the Czech Republic's five-party government's mandate, things are not looking bright for the prime minister, Petr Fiala, with record-breaking distrust among the population. After a series of crises in the first two years in office - the war in Ukraine, the influx of refugees, the energy crisis, and soaring inflation - the current ruling parties have plummeted to an all-time low in opinion polls, while the former prime minister and his ANO party are back on top. Our experts analyse the situation and attempt to determine if there will be a return of the populists in the Czech Republic, or if there is a chance for the government to regain citizens' confidence.

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 the stage of the EU accession negotiations - and look back at a year of rough relations between Tbilisi and Brussels as well as Georgia's ties with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. For more on Georgia's EU candidacy, see New Eastern Europe's latest analysis here. In this podcast series, we are looking at the region from different angles and perspectives, attempting to capture its diversity and understand emerging trends. Above all, we want to give a voice to a region that is often talked to rather than listened to. The VoiCEE is brought to you by a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe: Reporting Democracy, VSquare, New Eastern Europe, Notes from Poland, Kafkadesk, Insight Hungary, Internews Ukraine, Transitions, Ukraine World. To not miss any news and insight from our network, sign up for our newsletter here and follow us on Twitter.

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 losers, and look back over what was an intense, often bitter campaign. They also look ahead to what comes next with the imminent formation of a new government by the opposition and the challenges and obstacles it will face. Finally, they look at how the election will impact Poland's stand on supporting Ukraine and its relations with the European Union. Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We can't do what we do without your support. Every donation helps us to create new content – from breaking news stories to deeper insight pieces. By supporting our work, you'll be part of our mission to bring the full picture on Poland to the world. Thank you! (https://notesfrompoland.com/donations/support-us/)

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 return to power of former prime minister Robert Fico, who might take Slovakia down the Hungarian road towards illiberal democracy. Finally, they reflect on the success of pro-Russian narratives and on the elections' potential impact on EU and NATO help for Ukraine.

In this episode, we discuss a story that won the 2022 Czech Journalism Award in the solution journalism category.

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, including the deal signed last week to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Latushka also outlines Minsk's role in Russia's forced displacement of Ukrainian children. In this podcast series, we are looking at the region from different angles and perspectives, attempting to capture its diversity and understand emerging trends. Above all, we want to give a voice to a region that is often talked to rather than listened to. The VoiCEE is brought to you by a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe: Notes from Poland, Kafkadesk, Insight Hungary, Internews Ukraine, New Eastern Europe, Reporting Democracy, Transitions, Ukraine World, and VSquare.  

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 Belarus's entry into the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin pressure being exerted on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, as well as the current situation facing the civil society in the country and in exile.

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 Hungary. They discuss Russia's attempts to create friendly attitudes in CEE through financial support for fringe parties and pro-Russian NGOs, while also supporting or establishing media that can work as its mouthpiece.

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 Transition; Media Freedom: A Page Turner; Poverty In the Region: One Direction; Security on the Continent: Spending Their Way Out of Trouble; Visegrad Group: No Rekindling the Romance What all six trends in the Trends Report share is an overarching theme forged in the fires of the war in next-door Ukraine: and that's a new unity borne from Russia's invasion, which has concentrated the minds of governments, strategists, policymakers and business leaders across Central Europe, Southeast Europe and the rest of the EU. You can read the full “Trends Report 2023” here.

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 when it comes to foreign policy: the war in Ukraine, regional cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe, and relations with China.

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, with the near-total abortion ban still in place, and the symbolic importance and practical impact of the so-called heartbeat decree introduced by Viktor Orbán. They also talk about the influence of American anti-choice groups on global trends in myreproductive rights laws - including those in Central and Eastern Europe and the trial of a pro-choice activist facing up to three years in prison for giving abortion pills to a pregnant woman. In this podcast series we are looking at the region from different angles and perspectives, attempting to capture its diversity and understand emerging trends. Above all, we want to give voice to a region that is often talked to rather than listened to. The VoiCEE is brought to you by The VoiCEE - a network of independent English-language media in Central and Eastern Europe: Notes from Poland, Kafkadesk, Insight Hungary, Internews Ukraine, New Eastern Europe, Reporting Democracy, Transitions, Ukraine World, VSquare.

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 how some still remain off the grid. They analyse how much we know about Ukrainian migrants in Poland, how Poles perceive them, and the support they have been receiving. They also talk about the challenges created by the Belarus-orchestrated migration into Poland and how the "impenetrable wall" erected by the Polish government on the border might not be a solution to all the problems. Last but not least, they look at the region, and compare the various responses of Central and Eastern European countries to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the refugees seeking shelter, as well as if regional solidarity concerning migration challenges is possible or even needed.

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 or geopolitical events

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-organisation, the dynamism of social change, and a bottom-up understanding of politics.

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.

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 founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights…” In this, the EU seeks to distinguish the rule of law — where the law applies equally and everyone is subject to it — with its antithesis the rule by law — where those in power can arbitrarily create and apply the law as they choose, with no accountability. The EU Commission already had several arrows in its quiver to deal with rule of law infractions among member states, namely infringement procedures and – if there was no resolution – the triggering of Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union. But in the past couple of years, Brussels has been adding new arrows to its quiver as worries rise that the deterioration in the rule of law will spread to other member states. How effective these new measures will be and what the future holds for those in the EU's crosshairs ia discussed by guests: Piotr Buras – a journalist, author and expert on German and European politics who is the current head of the Warsaw office of the European Council on Foreign Relations; and Stanisław Burdziej, professor in the Department of Sociology at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, and co-founder and Member of the Board of Court Watch – a not-for-profit organization supporting positive changes in the Polish justice system through citizen court monitoring.

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 the characteristics of electoral alliances with Petr Just, political scientist and head of the political science department at the Metropolitan University in Prague. In the second part, we'll move to Hungary, where the general election is just a few days away and for the first time in over a decade, Prime Minister Viktor Orban is facing a united opposition coalition. Ivan Laszlo Nagy, Hungarian political journalist from HVG, will give us his take on what to expect, and discuss the possible outcomes of the election.

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.