A guide to EPRS podcasts

Written by Richard Freedman,

Since July 2015, the European Parliamentary Research Service has been producing informative, timely and varied podcasts. The podcasts fall into three categories:

• Plenary Podcasts
• Policy Podcasts and
• Science and Technology Podcasts.

Each month, on the Thursday before the European Parliament’s plenary session, five podcasts are published on various platforms (see below). Two podcasts are linked to the plenary agenda and are based on the ‘Plenary at a Glance’ notes. Two are based on policy related issues, either a topical issue or relating to ‘President Juncker’s Political Guidelines’. And one podcast per month based on a scientific and/or technological issue.

Plenary Podcasts

Since July 2015, two plenary podcasts are produced per month. These are an opportunity to listen to a selection of briefing material on the key issues in each month’s European Parliament plenary session. Crafted for Members and their staff by expert policy analysts, these podcasts capture the essence of upcoming business in a few minutes of listening. Their duration is short and snappy (around 2-4 minutes), and are an easy way to listen and find out some key themes on the plenary agenda.

Policy Podcasts

Since November 2015, two Policy podcasts are produced per month. They take an in-depth look at different topical EU policy areas based on objective authoritative and independent research. They are focussed on topical issues and/or are related to ‘President Juncker’s Political Guidelines’. These Policy podcasts are broad in nature and take an in-depth approach to the topic. They examine the current situation, stakeholder positions, criticisms and steps forward and always highlight the role of the European Parliament. These podcasts aim to have a long ‘shelf-life’ and can be turned to in order to listen to a well-rounded analysis of a particular EU topic. They last between 7-11 minutes and range from topics from the European Semester to the Schengen area or the situation in Ukraine to name just a few topics.

Science and Technology Podcasts

Since May 2016, one Science and Technology podcast is produced per month. These podcasts are an opportunity to listen to a selection of podcasts reporting on the latest science & technology developments, looking into the impact they will have on our lives and capturing their policy implications. The duration is about 3-5 minutes each. They focus on punchy topics and so far have focus on the ‘What if’ series of publications.

Together these five monthly podcasts highlight some of the work of EPRS in a different, easy to listen to format. Whether you are on the move, at home, or perhaps working out, these podcasts are a great way to find out the latest information and to gain an in-depth understanding into EU policies in an informative, objective and independent manner.

In addition to the EPRS blog, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts, it is possible to listen to EPRS podcasts on a range of platforms. Below are some of the main platforms available to download and/or subscribe.

Happy listening!