HAVE YOU HEARD?

This Is Europe: A different story about the EU

Published on September 25, 2021

Have You Heard? is where the Pod Bible team meet the people behind the podcasts you may not have heard of yet. While the Oh. My. Pod. section in the magazine gives a quick shout out to shows of that ilk, Have You Heard? aims to go deeper in an effort to spread awareness for shows that deserve more exposure! We recently heard from Eva Martínez and Linda Talve from This Is Europe, an Interreg podcast that shares stories of collaboration and cooperation from across the European Union.

Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

We are Eva Martínez and Linda Talve, the initiators of This is Europe, the Interreg podcast. This is Europe tells a different story about the EU, a story that is closer to our daily lives than to the corridors of the big buildings in Brussels. The protagonists are the Europeans whose lives have been transformed by Interreg, an EU initiative that supports cooperation across borders and is funded by the European Regional Development Fund. In the second series of This is Europe you’ll hear how the Interreg community works with everyone from refugees to reuse pioneers, musicians to doctors, forging stronger bonds across borders, tackling pressing issues such as food sustainability and green mobility.

Why did you decide to start podcasting?

The stories around the EU often involved people in suits making big decisions. We wanted to show a different angle. There is a very real, very tangible EU that is built daily by millions of anonymous citizens across the continent. We wanted them to tell us how they cooperate with other professionals in different countries to solve issues of our daily life that know no borders (climate change, food security, health…). This cooperation makes us Europeans. It nourishes the very foundations of the Union and we thought people should know more about it.

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

This American Life – It shows how compelling audio stories can be.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

Also This American Life. I love how they manage to plunge you in the stories.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

It would be great to speak with David Sassoli, the president of the European Parliament, about the importance of cooperation for the EU project.

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

‘Culture in crisis’ is a great one to start with. It tells how cooperation across borders has helped artists and workers throughout the cultural sector following the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a podcaster?

Make sure you have a good reason to podcast. The world is already a pretty noisy place, so before you start podcasting, be sure to have something special to add.