This podcast has been produced in cooperation with Uranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news.

But this podcast would not be possible without the incredibly generous support of our amazing listeners who donate a little bit each month at patreon.com name is Katie Lee. I'm like Europe, people who live in Europe, and people who are just sort of vaguely interested in

what happens in Europe. My name is Katie Lee. I live in Paris. And my usual partner in crime,

Dominic Kramer, is away doing his actual job of singing today. So as a special treat, I have

with me a very good friend, someone who's actually stood in for me

in the past as a host of this podcast when I've been busy ejecting babies from my body.

So we're doing this for the first time together today. It is my good friend and favorite person

from Luxembourg, Nina Lamparski. Hi, Nina. Hi, Katie. So nice to have you here. It is so lovely to be back. And it is very strange because it is the very first time so that you and I are indeed recording together. I'm used to Dominic sitting opposite me or seeing him on the screen. And now here you are in flesh. Friends for what, 10, 12 years now, podcasting for the first time. Oh, Jesus, the show hasn't even started and you're really making me feel ancient.

Thanks, Katie.

It's quite funny, too, because when you put us together, we look like the French flag

because you've got a red top and I've got a dark blue and white outfit on.

Very appropriate for us to Parisians.

Yes, but yeah, I'm good otherwise. I'll just, you know, last time I was here, I had a massive elbow pain. Oh, yeah. How's that going? I was sharing my experience that day of my plasma injection. And I'm pleased to say that the injection did not help one bit. Oh, no. I'm still in agony and I'm actually getting surgery. So so I'm quite happy. Yeah, but you know, it's good. It means there's going to be a solution. So I'm very solutions focused. So yeah, so surgery next month, but nothing would obviously keep me from coming here and recording with you. And so, yeah, how have you been? I hope not in pain. I hope it all has been well. I'm fine. Yeah, thanks. Just sitting here with,

I'm actually drinking out of my toddler's sippy cup, which doesn't look professional. But that was all I was able to find to bring myself water. So very much feeling like a working parent this morning.

Is it water, though? Or are you just using a sippy cup to hide some gin?

Purevoka.

Before we get stuck into this week's episode, a public service announcement.

Next week, the entire team of the Europeans is descending upon Paris for our annual get-together.

It's the time of the year where I actually get to see how tall everyone is in real life at the Europeans, because they're not just little squares on my laptop screen. And they are crazy tall. Everyone's coming to do some brainstorming for the year ahead. And to see Nina, of course, you're all coming to my place for dinner. So I don't know if they're crazy tall or you're just very short. Not that short. I'm medium height. Anyway, when we're not having dinner and probably having a few too many glasses of wine, Dominic and Katz and Vojc and Morgan will be joining me in the studio to record a Q&A episode. It's a kind of behind-the-scenes episode of this podcast. We're going to be answering all of your questions about how we make the Europeans, where we see the show going in the future. You can ask

us serious questions, you can ask us silly questions. We will try to get through as many listener

questions as possible. So if there's anything you've ever wanted to ask us, now is the time. We would love to hear from you.

And we would especially love to hear your questions in voice memo form so that we can hear your

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