More Russian snooping allegations

Summary

Brussels Playbook Podcast – Episode Summary

Date: March 24, 2026
Host: Zoya Sheftalovich
Special Guest: Ian Wishart (Senior Politics Editor)
Main Theme: Rising concerns over Russian and Chinese access to confidential EU documents, shifting political winds across Europe, and lighter fare with the Eurovision of Trees.

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Episode Overview

This brisk and insightful episode digs into intensifying concerns over EU security breaches via German and Hungarian political circles—specifically, leaks to Russia and China. The hosts break down the uniquely open German parliamentary systems that enable access to confidential EU documents, contemporary electoral developments in Denmark, Slovenia, and Italy, and to cap things off, the spirited and slightly chaotic “Eurovision of Trees.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. EU Document Leaks: A Widening Circle of Distrust

(00:15–05:43)

• Widening Focus: The ongoing atmosphere of suspicion in Brussels has now shifted from concerns about Hungary to Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), whose access to confidential EU documents is raising red flags about potential leaks to Russia and China.

  • “The vibe in town today is distrustful because Brussels is turning its attention away from Hungary to Germany's far right AfD party and its access to confidential EU documents.” (Zoya, 00:16)

• How it Works: Unlike other EU countries, Germany’s post-war transparency culture allows all Bundestag members and their aides access to “EU Docs,” a database that includes highly confidential material from ambassador meetings.

  • “All documents in this EU Docs database are available to any member of the Bundestag and their aides. That's not like that anywhere else in the EU.” (Zoya, 02:23)
  • “This is something that the AfD gets access to just because it's a party in the Bundestag.” (Ian, 02:06)

• Diplomatic Fallout: EU diplomats are now self-censoring, both in writing and in spoken meetings, wary of information winding up in Moscow or Beijing.

  • “There is a giant Putin shaped hole in our security measures because of these German rules.” (Zoya, 03:33)
  • “It makes it much more difficult to have free-flowing conversations between member states…” (Ian, 03:38)

• Concrete Allegations: The AfD has faced accusations of exploiting parliamentary questioning privileges to gather sensitive information—ostensibly for Russia.

  • “AfD lawmakers have been widely accused of using their right to submit parliamentary questions…specifically to disclose this information for the Kremlin.” (Zoya, 04:38)

• Reactions: Official comments are muted or non-existent from AfD, while the European Commission calls the allegations against Hungary “greatly concerning.”

  • “It's a classic no comment and they've consistently denied any sort of wrongdoing.” (Zoya, 04:54)
  • “The Commission responded and they said that it's greatly concerning this report and they want Budapest to clarify the allegations.” (Zoya, 05:32)

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2. Elections Across Europe: Denmark, Slovenia, Italy

(05:51–10:48)

Denmark’s General Election

• Incumbent on the Edge: Danish PM Mette Frederiksen faces a tight race for a third term, driven in part by her response to Donald Trump’s threats regarding Greenland.
  • “Meta Friedrichsen…suddenly riding a wave of popularity because she came out really strong in response to Donald Trump's saber rattling over Greenland.” (Zoya, 06:45)
• If she wins, Frederiksen would become one of the EU’s longest-serving leaders.

Slovenia: Down to the Wire

• Present PM Golob leads by less than 1% over right-wing rival Janez Janša.

  • “We don't know who's going to form a government yet…it could kind of go either way. There is a one seat margin in it, it looks like.” (Zoya, 07:34)

• Janša Factor: EU insiders appear less worried about Janša’s entry compared to Orban, suggesting a “workable” relationship.

  • “There is more of a relaxed feeling about Jansha than there has been about some of the others...If Orban particularly is gone, we might be all right.” (Zoya, 08:21)

Italy’s Constitutional Referendum:

• PM Giorgia Meloni suffers a defeat in her ambitious judicial reform referendum, aimed at overhauling the judicial appointment system by lottery.

  • “She ended up losing...The real kind of test was the test of Meloni's power because she has emerged as this very, very strong leader.” (Zoya, 09:10/09:50)

• Political Consequences: Calls for resignation from ex-PM Renzi; Meloni bruised but still standing.

  • “She conceded that she has lost and actually former Italian PM Matteo Renzi, he said that she should resign. As a result, when he lost his referendum he resigned. So he wants her to do likewise.” (Zoya, 10:16)

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3. Eurovision of Trees: Whimsy and War

(10:48–13:26)

• Overview: The annual “Europe’s Best Tree” contest features decades-old beech, oak, pine, and lime trees, with fierce and occasionally comedic national competition.

  • “If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?” — “Only if I'm there to hear it.” (Zoya/Ian, 10:48–10:51)

• Colorful Contest: Recent years have seen Polish trees dominating, thanks to meme campaigns by comedians. Charges of cheating abound—most recently from Spanish late-night TV.

  • “The last four winners of this contest…they've all come from Poland. And Dionis has told me it's not because they’ve rigged the contest, it’s because a couple of comedians...memeing...for Poland.” (Zoya, 12:13)
  • “There have been accusations of cheating…a comedy talk show in Spain...trashed the Polish arch rival. It's been really, really hot.” (Zoya, 12:49)

• Listener Engagement: Call for audience submissions on favorite tree types, tree smells, and armpit references.

  • “I would love to know A, what is the type of tree and B, specific trees you love.” (Zoya, 13:17)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There is a giant Putin shaped hole in our security measures because of these German rules.” (Zoya, 03:33)
• “If different countries can't talk to each other, then it makes it very difficult to operate.” (Ian, 03:38)
• “Meta Friedrichsen, she is suddenly riding a wave of popularity because she came out really strong in response to Donald Trump's saber rattling over Greenland…” (Zoya, 06:45)
• “If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?” – “Only if I'm there to hear it.” (Zoya/Ian, 10:48–10:51)
• “The comedian said that the Polish tree smells like armpits.” (Zoya, 13:07)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:15 – Episode introduction and atmosphere in Brussels
• 01:41–05:43 – German AfD’s access to confidential EU documents and potential Russian/Chinese leaks
• 05:51–10:48 – Election updates: Denmark, Slovenia, and Italy
• 10:48–13:26 – Eurovision of Trees and tree-related shenanigans

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In Closing

This episode artfully balances urgent EU security anxieties with lighter stories, all in a lively and personable style. Zoya and Ian combine original reporting, European political nuance, and humor, making even a tree contest feel like required listening for anyone following Brussels politics.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Good morning. It's Tuesday, March 24th, and this is the Brussels Playbook podcast. The vibe in town today is distrustful because Brussels is turning its attention away from Hungary to Germany's far right AfD party and its access to confidential EU documents. Also on the pod, the Danes are heading to the polls today. So we're seeing whether Mette Friedrichsen might be looking at a third term as prime minister. And finally, my absolute favorite story of the day, who's going to win the Eurovision of trees? Ian, do you have a favorite tree?

[C]

Oh, maybe a weeping willow.

[B]

I love a weeping. I love a birch, actually, my Ukrainian homeland. Anyway, I'm Zoya Sheftalovich. With me today is Ian Wishart. He's our senior politics editor. Hey, Ian.

[C]

Hi, Zoya. And there is some breaking news this morning connected with your country of birth. No, not birth, where you lived for a long time.

[B]

This is terrible. Yeah, there is some news, Ian. So just overnight, Ursula von der Leyen has been in Australia signing a big free trade agreement with that country. And it's a pretty big one because this was the one that fell apart back in 2023 over last minute disagreements. But Donald Trump is pushing Australia and Europe closer together.

[C]

Okay, well, I'm sure we'll talk about that much more in the days to come. But should we look at the main stories of the day? Now,

[B]

Our first story today, it's a bit of a continuation on the theme that we started yesterday about suspicion and distress trust among the European Council. TABLE. We spoke yesterday about how Hungary might be leaking EU secrets to Russia. But now there's a new story out today that I've been reporting out with our colleague Netta Noslinger, and it's about how potentially the AFD in Germany might be leaking to Russia and to China as well. Ian?

[C]

Yeah. So this centers on this database called EU docs and that contains thousands of EU documents, including confidential ones that are drawn up by ambassadors in their regular meetings. And this is something that the AfD gets access to just because it's a party in the Bundestag.

[B]

Yeah, that's right. So in Germany, because of its history with the Nazi party, there is this real feeling that there needs to be oversight over executive power. And so all documents in this EU Docs database are available to any member of the Bundestag and their aides. And that's not like that anywhere else in the eu. So we've had some diplomats who've been getting in touch with me and as we've been reporting out this Orban story and earlier when we were reporting on some of the other elements of Suspicion around the AfD, they've reached out and said, look, we're actually really concerned because all of the information, all of the notes from our co repair meetings, these are these meetings of EU ambassadors that all goes into this database. And we have no IDEA whether these AfD lawmakers who have close ties with Russia are actually taking them and giving them to the Kremlin or, or maybe taking them and giving them to Beijing.

[C]

So do you get a sense in Brussels that the diplomats here are sort of limiting what they say or limiting what they put down in writing because of these, these fears?

[B]

Absolutely. Not just in writing, but even what they're willing to say in these meetings where 27 EU ambassadors sit in on them. So one senior diplomat told me that they're taking all sorts of precautions to protect sensitive meetings and information. But the flip side is that there is a giant Putin shaped hole in our security measures because of these German

[C]

rules is very similar to what you and Nick were talking about yesterday morning in these allegations that Orban and the other members of the Hungarian government are leaking information from EU meetings and ambassador meetings in Brussels to Russia. All it does, it makes it much more difficult to have free flowing conversations between member states. And that's exactly what the EU and Brussels is for. Because if different countries can't talk to each other, then it makes it very difficult to operate.

[B]

Yeah, and this is something I was talking with a diplomat yesterday about and he was saying, look, the issue is we have these discussions at the water cooler. We all know what's happening. We know that there are certain people who are in on these meetings who have access to these documents, who might leak them to Russia or to Beijing. And like this isn't based on just speculation. We know that the AfD and its lawmakers have some pretty close links to the Kremlin and to Beijing. AfD lawmakers have been widely accused of using their right to submit parliamentary questions.

[C]

This was a scandal from last year,

[B]

I think it was. Yeah. And they've been gathering. So the idea is that they're asking questions about things like drones and defenses and that is specifically to disclose this information for the Kremlin.

[C]

That was the allegation. Are they making any comments to your story this morning?

[B]

I mean, it's, it's a classic no comment and they've consistently denied any sort of wrongdoing. But it is a particularly worrying thing for diplomats in town. That being said, you know, the diplomats I also spoke to said, look, this is something that we've been aware of for, for years and it's something that we bake into the process. It just means we're not having those really, really important discussions that are confidential and Frank in that 27 format. It's just like the 25 of us

[C]

are talking behind closed doors and that's inevitable, really. Speaking of no comments, the European Commission actually did give a comment yesterday, didn't they, to the allegations on, on Hungary leaking information?

[B]

Yeah, that's right. The Commission responded and they said that it's greatly concerning this report and they want Budapest to clarify the allegations.

[C]

But think anything's going to happen this side of the, this side of the Hungary election, is it?

[B]

Oh, I mean, it'll be as clear as muddian. Good. Right.

[C]

More election news today. Denmark heading to the polls for a general election. Should we talk about that first? And then we'll go on to talk about the referendum in Italy.

[B]

And let's not forget Slovenia.

[C]

After Slovenia.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Which was a really close run thing, wasn't it?

[B]

It was and that's why we weren't really talking about it yesterday, because it was so bloody close. We didn't want to get it wrong, call it one way or another. But yeah, let' talk Denmark first.

[C]

That's quite close as well, I think, according to the latest polls.

[B]

Yeah, it is looking very tight indeed for Meta Friedrichsen. She is the Danish Prime Minister now. She's running for her third term and if she wins, that would make her one of the longest serving leaders in the eu.

[C]

Wow. Has it been that long? Has it already?

[B]

Well, I mean, it's just a club of newcomers, apart from Auburn and Mackerel. Yeah, yeah, Macron. But look, it's, it's not yet a done deal. It is tight. But she has come from really well behind in the polls. And you know what the secret to her success is?

[C]

Greenland fending off Donald Trump.

[B]

Absolutely.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

That is what has happened. Metta Friedrichson, she is suddenly riding a wave of popularity because she came out really strong in response to Donald Trump's saber rattling over Greenland and basically We've had this kind of rallying around the flag effect in Denmark.

[C]

So she's probably quite grateful for him then.

[B]

Well, I think she might prefer it if he wasn't trying to take a chunk of the Danish empire with him. But sure.

[C]

Okay, so we'll look out for those results later and then let's talk about Slovenia then.

[B]

Yes. So Slovenia is super interesting.

[C]

It was Sunday. They went to the polls.

[B]

They went to the polls on Sunday. It has been very, very tight. There is the, the tightest of margins, less than a 1 percentage point difference between the current incumbent, Golob, who is in the lead. Yeah.

[C]

And he's the liberal.

[B]

He is the liberal. Slightly more liberal. And we've got Yanish. Yansha, who is the challenger, who is kind of a populist firebreak.

[C]

Always impressed me with your pronunciations of any language around Europe, Zoya.

[B]

Listen, I, I do what I can with my people from the central and eastern parts of this block. But yeah, so he is really kind of nipping at the heels of Golob and really we don't know who's going to form a government yet because it could kind of go either way. There is a one seat margin in it, it looks like.

[C]

Like. Right. Wow. Okay. And Yansa, I'm using the English pronunciation of that. Obviously, if, if he gets in, then that's another sort of hard liner lining up to be alongside or replace Orban as the big right wing firebrand in the European Council.

[B]

But that being said, you know, I've been speaking with people around town, people who are close to the office of the European Council president, Antonio Costa. And there is more of a relaxed feeling about Jansha than there has been about some of the others. And, you know, that's actually true also of even Fitzo and Babish. So there is a sense that, like with Orban there, he is the guy who's kind of leading the charge. He's taking all of the hits, he's out in front. But there is something of a sense of, okay, these other guys you can work with. If Orban particularly is gone, we might be all right. So I think a key question is whether Jansha is going to be one of four or one of three.

[C]

So briefly, Italy, because Giorgio Meloni has been sort of the star of the show for, for a couple of years now as sort of the, the big popular leader. But she's not infallible because she lost this referendum.

[B]

Yeah, this was a big one. She took a hit. And you know, at the beginning when the Voting started, the turnout was quite high and the prediction was that that would favor her side, but that was all for naught and she ended up losing. So this was this big referendum that she.

[C]

Judicial, Judiciary.

[B]

That's how you pronounce it. Ian, are you sure you speak English as your first language?

[C]

I just had a few brandies before coming.

[B]

Well, yes, so these were the change that she was proposing and it was basically a proposal to overhaul the body that governs judges careers. And what they wanted to do was instead of electing judges, they wanted to essentially choose members by a lottery.

[C]

And this has been sort of a fantasy of the conservatives and the right wing in Italy for, for a few decades actually.

[B]

I think that's right. But you know, that's all very technical. The real kind of test was the test of Meloni's power because she has emerged as this very, very strong leader

[C]

in Italy and in Europe actually. That's why this is so significant.

[B]

Totally. And you know, she kind of wasn' weren't expectations that she was going to be so strong and so powerful and so long lasting. I mean she has lasted in that post as Italian Prime Minister for way longer than her predecessors have. So.

[C]

Well, I think that was one of her, but probably still is ambitions to be sort of the longest serving Italian Prime Ministers.

[B]

Indeed. But now she has taken. She's got a black eye. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. So look, we'll see what happens with this. But she conceded that she has lost and actually former Italian PM Matteo Renzi, he said that she should resign. As a result, when he lost his referendum he resigned. So he wants her to do likewise. Ian, third story, best story. Trees.

[C]

Wonderful.

[B]

If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?

[C]

Only if I'm there to hear it.

[B]

It's very philosophical. Listen, the point of this is there is a phenomenal contest that is happening today, or rather the outcome is being announced today. It's basically a contest for like Europe's best tree.

[C]

Right.

[B]

It's voted by the people of Europe. It's been running for a couple of decades, but it really has heated up in recent years.

[C]

And I thought the notary story was boring.

[B]

How very dare you. Trees are my favorite. Do you know our producer Dionis earlier accused Australia of having no trees. And Dionis, this one, like I cannot believe you would say such things.

[C]

Did you know where in Australia there are no trees?

[B]

Go on.

[C]

Nullabar.

[B]

Yeah, that's true. The plain. Yeah.

[C]

It means no trees. Yeah, that's right, exactly.

[B]

But there are other parts of Australia that have planned plenty of eucalypts.

[C]

Okay. I don't think we should talk too much about Australia.

[B]

Yeah, all right, whatever.

[C]

In Brussels.

[B]

In Brussels.

[C]

200 year old beech trees in the Foret de Soir.

[B]

Amazing.

[C]

I think they're my favorite trees in Brussels.

[B]

Here's my question, Ian, as a representative of the British Empire, how did a British tree manage to make the short list of this competition? I thought you'd Brexited.

[C]

Well, we do everything very well. I mean, if Australia can be in Eurovision, then the UK can be in Europe's best tree.

[B]

Oh, good point. Anyway, so look, there are a few previous champions that are noteworthy. There's an Estonian oak tree that stands in the middle of a football pitch. That'd be a testing game of footy. Terrible. There was a pine tree, the one pine tree that survived flooding of a czech village.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

500 year old Romanian lime tree. Yeah, it's part of a folk legend.

[C]

People still listening now.

[B]

I've been unleashed. Yeah, look, they have been. But the last four winners of this contest, they've all come from Poland. And Dionis has told me it's not because they've rigged the contest, it's because a couple of comedians, they've been memeing basically to their 1.7 million supporters trying to get support for Poland. So it's pretty, pretty sound barking. Okay, well, guys, I'm sorry, Ian's fired now. Anyway, look, things have taken a bit of an ugly turn. There have been accusations of cheating. There's been a comedy talk show in Spain that launched a campaign that trashed the Polish arch rival. It's been really, really hot. I mean, they said during that we've

[C]

said all we can say about this competition.

[B]

I wanted to say that the, the comedian said that the Polish tree smells like armpits.

[C]

Nice.

[B]

What I would love is for our listeners to write in with their favorite trees.

[C]

Oh, that would be good.

[B]

I would love to know A, what is the type of tree and B, specific trees you love.

[C]

What does it smell of?

[B]

I. I would like to know some.

[C]

Any more Trees that smell of armpit

[B]

is WhatsApp is in the show notes. You tell us, folks, what do you love? What do you hate? I'm really looking forward to these results. Can't wait. That's about all we have time for. I mean, we've spoken more about trees than perhaps we should have, but here we are at the end of the show. Leave us a review. Rate us. Sign up. Tell your mom, tell your friends, tell your trees. Trees and subscriptions. That's it, folks. You know, I was gonna say weeping willow. You stole my favorite tree. About that, that's really rude.