Is Bardella too toxic for Le Pen’s campaign?

Ursula von der Leyen is heading on her annual tour of the Western Balkans to visit some of the countries in line to join the EU. But Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia, two accession hopefuls, are not on the itinerary.

On the show, Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart discuss why EU membership talks are speeding ahead with certain Balkan countries, and stalling with others.

Next, investigative outlet Mediapart has uncovered antisemitic remarks allegedly made by French far-right politician Jordan Bardella in a private chat back in 2013. But is this news enough to make a dent in Marine Le Pen’s presidential campaign?

And finally, we take you inside Brussels’ surprisingly political sauna circuit.

Questions? Comments? Let us know on our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29.

This episode was produced by Dionis Sturis and Saga Ringmar.

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