The jobs squeeze facing Europe

Brussels Playbook Podcast

POLITICO

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.4 • 204 Ratings

🗓️ 3 June 2026

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today the Commission will publish its European Semester Spring Package, a checkup on EU countries’ economies. But the news isn’t too good. The report warns that over a million jobs across Europe could be lost in the coming years as a result of high energy costs, competition from abroad and the green transition. On the pod, Zoya and Ian discuss these major labor market challenges. Also happening today, the European Commission is unveiling its long-awaited tech sovereignty package. Most of Europe’s cloud services, AI infrastructure, payment systems and government software relies on companies outside of the bloc. From a security perspective, this could be problem ... which the Commission hopes to help solve. And finally: An MEP had to seek medical assistance after visiting an unsanitary hotel in Strasbourg. Ian and Zoya share their hotel horror stories. Questions? Comments? Send us a message or a voice note on our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Some follow the noise.
0:03.3	Bloomberg follows the money.
0:05.4	Because behind every headline is a bottom line.
0:09.3	Whether it's the funds-fueling AI or crypto's trillion-dollar swings,
0:13.8	there's a money-side to every story.
0:16.5	And when you see the money-side, you understand what others miss.
0:20.9	Get the money-side of the story., you understand what others miss. Get the money side of the story.
0:22.9	Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com.
0:27.7	Good morning. It's Wednesday, June 3, and this is the Brussels Playbook podcast.
0:37.4	The vibe in Brussels today is worried as the EU warns that over a million jobs are at risk
0:43.0	across the block. Also on the pod, today's tech sovereignty package will attempt to do something
0:48.0	about the fact that most of the tech we use in Europe isn't European. And an MEP had to
0:53.0	seek medical assistance after sleeping in an unsanitary
0:56.1	hotel in Strasbourg. I'm Zoya Shestolovich and with me today finally back is Ian Wischart,
1:01.8	our senior politics editor. Hey. Hello Zoya. Nice to see you. Nice to see you too Ian. Hey,
1:06.1	you know the last time I stayed in a Strasbourg hotel for Plenary, I sat down on the bed and
1:10.8	it literally collapsed beneath me and poured me onto the ground.
1:15.1	That sounds like, uh, I was going to say something very rude and managed to stop myself.
1:23.5	I assure you it wasn't because I'd had too many kick-cats earlier in the day.
1:27.4	I said that and not me. It just collapsed because it had the... I assure you it wasn't because I'd had too many kick-cats earlier in the day.
1:28.5	I said that not me.
1:34.8	It just collapsed because it had the integrity of a terrible, terrible quality one-star hotel.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 25 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from POLITICO, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of POLITICO and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.