Brussels Playbook Podcast (April 1, 2026): Preparing for a Covid-style Crisis

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Zoya Sheftalovich and senior EU politics editor Ian Wishart break down three major stories gripping Brussels and the wider European Union:

• The mounting energy crisis and its echoes of pandemic-era policymaking
• The precarious Hungarian elections, where Viktor Orbán trails in polls but remains a formidable force
• MEP concern over skyrocketing FIFA World Cup ticket prices and the calls for an EU investigation

With clear, conversational exchanges laced with reporter insight and some dry humor, the episode brings clarity and context to rapidly developing EU stories.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Developing EU Energy Crisis: Pandemic Parallels

[01:19 – 05:26]

• Escalating Concerns:

  • Emergency Energy Ministers’ meeting acknowledges that the EU is moving beyond a simple energy price crisis to a critical supply issue.
  • Zoya: "We are staring down the barrel of a supply problem, which is a much bigger problem. Where the difficulty is there may not be fuel, oil, gas, et cetera, for EU countries to buy on the market." [01:48]

• Pandemic Era Lessons:

  • The crisis is being compared to the Covid-19 pandemic, especially regarding coordination and crisis management.
  • Ian: "This is all beginning to look a little bit reminiscent of COVID. That's right... pandemic era style planning." [02:11]

• Commission vs. Member States:

  • Echoes to early Covid vaccine procurement, where uncoordinated action worsened the crisis until the EU moved to collective buying and allocation.
  • Zoya: "They were buying up contracts of vaccine delivery doses... EU countries are competing against EU countries... then the commission stepped in and was like, okay, we're going to do this on an EU level... The fear now is that if there is some sort of energy supply problem... they're going to be competing against each other on price." [03:17]

• Possible Emergency EU Summit:

  • Rising urgency may necessitate an unscheduled EU leaders meeting before the next informal summit scheduled for late April in Cyprus.
  • Ian: "There might be a summit in the offing... This shows that... they might have to meet before then." [04:23]

• Demand Reduction and Political Dilemmas:

  • Governments may soon be forced to urge citizens to ration energy use, which is challenging with Easter holidays approaching.
  • Zoya: "Tell their people to drive less, tell people not to go on holidays if they don't need to, which is, of course, a difficult message to give just before Easter..." [04:55]

2. Hungarian Elections: Why Beating Orbán Is So Difficult

[05:26 – 08:14]

• Peter Magyar’s Surge vs. Orbán’s Machinery:

  • Orbán’s rival, Peter Magyar, leads in some polls by up to 15 points – yet no seasoned observer believes Orbán can be counted out.
  • Ian: "Polls show Magyar far ahead of Orban." [05:30]
  • Zoya: "His lead keeps expanding. Now it's up to 15 points." [05:43]

• Structural Advantages for Incumbents:

  • Discussion on how Orbán’s Fidesz party has shaped Hungary’s political landscape:
    • Gerrymandering and uneven constituencies
    • Media landscape overwhelmingly pro-government
    • Legalization of “voter re-registration” (dubbed “election tourism”)
  • Zoya: "Oban and his Fidesz party have essentially crafted the Hungarian political system to create an advantage for the incumbents, things like gerrymandering, changing districts and so forth." [06:19]
  • Ian: "He legalized voter re-registration across districts so voters could go into the ones where they could be used the best... It's like election tourism." [07:05]

• Cynical Optimism Among Experts and Politicians:

  • Despite the polling, skepticism about Orbán's actual vulnerability remains high.
  • Zoya: "No one expects Orban to be leaving that European Council table... No one is ready to count Orban out just yet." [06:04], [07:35]

• Recent Campaign Hits to Orbán:

  • The Hungarian Foreign Minister admitted to contact with Russia’s Sergey Lavrov, particularly in discussions around EU sanctions—an incident which reportedly damaged Orbán’s standing.
  • Zoya: "Admission by the Hungarian Foreign minister... that he called when he was wanting to talk about EU sanctions... pushing to ease those sanctions and opposing measures on the Russian shadow fleet... has hurt his campaign." [07:53]

3. EU Affairs Briefs and Quirky Sports Controversies

[08:14 – 10:10]

• EU Restricts AI in Official Communications:

  • New ban on the use of AI-generated videos and images for official comms, unlike some foreign governments.
  • Ian: "The EU's main institutions have banned staff from using artificially generated videos and images in official communications. That's obviously very different from some of the things that the White House has been doing." [08:14]

• French Foreign Minister Condemns Removal of EU Flags:

  • Backlash against far-right French mayors taking down EU flags from town halls.
  • Ian: "He said it's a betrayal of who we are." [08:32]

• FIFA World Cup Ticket Price Fiasco:

  • 23 MEPs urge the European Commission to investigate FIFA’s “dynamic pricing” mechanism for World Cup tickets—buyers don’t know the cost until purchase, with some tickets hitting $4,000.
  • Zoya: "23 MEPs have asked the European Commission to look into FIFA, essentially using Dynamic pricing... arguing that it violates EU competition and consumer protection rules." [09:15]
  • Zoya: "Some of these prices are insane. I mean, it's like US$4,000 for a ticket." [09:42]

• Personal Anecdote:

  • Ian: “I went to the World cup before in 2018 in Russia. Went to the quarterfinal... England versus Sweden.” [09:56]
  • Zoya: “The Russians have been listening into my phone calls ever since.” [10:05]

Memorable Quotes & Lighter Moments

• Energy Crisis as a Political Risk

  • Zoya: "Voters do not like it when they can't afford to heat their houses. That usually tends to lead to a big backlash in elections." [02:48]

• Skepticism about Polls in Hungary

  • Ian: "Which is crazy when he's 15, 16 points ahead in the opinion polls just two weeks out." [06:15]

• April Fool’s Banter

  • Zoya: "Hey, Ian, did you know today is April Fool's Day, which is my literal least favorite news day of the year? I cannot stand all of those stupid jokes." [10:10]
  • Ian: "We hate jokes, don't we? I hate jokes. Absolutely hate jokes." [10:24]
  • Zoya: "Don't come here for your laughs." [10:29]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Energy crisis and Covid-era comparisons: [01:19 – 05:26]
• Hungary elections and why Orbán is still considered the front-runner: [05:26 – 08:14]
• EU policies on AI, EU flags in France, and FIFA ticket outrage: [08:14 – 10:10]
• April Fool's and birthdays in EU politics: [10:10 – 11:13]

Final Notes

This episode delivers brisk, lucid coverage on critical EU issues, with the energy crisis commanding top billing and serving as a case study of whether the EU can learn from recent history in moments of profound collective stress. The discussion on Hungary is a must-listen for European democracy watchers, offering a reminder of why election polls do not always tell the full story.

In typical Brussels Playbook fashion, Zoya and Ian wrap serious reporting in a wry, conversational style—leaving listeners both better informed and more attuned to the power play shaping the day in Brussels and beyond.