Europe's museums are facing growing calls to give back treasures stolen during the colonial era. But what about colonial hand-me-downs that can be found in ordinary households? Elliot Ross, who covers Everyday Colonialism for The Correspondent, is here to explain why this ugly part of our past is still very much a part of our present. We're also talking about a scandal that has been rocking Iceland and nuggets of good news for the planet.

This week we’re celebrating Europeans who refused to let boundaries get in the way of things. The historian Orlando Figes is here to talk about the continent-crossing lovers at the heart of his new book, the brilliantly-named ‘The Europeans’. The poet Christopher Hütmannsberger reads us a beautiful new work to mark 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Plus, wild borders and the Gentle Revolution.

This week, the fight for Romania's forests. Two of the country's forest rangers have been suffered brutal deaths since September. Who would do such a thing? The answer may lie in the lucrative illegal trade for wood in Romania, home to more than half of Europe's remaining primeval forests. Environmental activist Gabi Paun is here to explain why protecting trees has become so dangerous. We're also talking about Belgium's first female PM and wounded French pride.

Renia's diary spent decades locked in a bank vault. Like many teenagers, she had used it to vent about stupid fights with her friends and to record the thrill of her first kiss. And when the war came, she used it to document the relentless killing of Jews in the town where she lived. Ania Jakubek is on the line from Warsaw to tell us the extraordinary story of Renia Spiegel, and why it stayed unknown for so long. We're also talking about promising signs that Europeans are becoming less bigoted. Oh, and there's a dog.

This week, the female writers that Europe forgot. Carme Font Paz is leading a fascinating project aimed at uncovering the scribblings of European women from centuries ago and giving them their rightful place in the literary canon. Plus, Poland's election, posthumous comedy and why the EU won't be expanding east any time soon

This week, the fight for LGBT rights in Poland. A horrible pattern has been repeating itself in Polish cities: far-right thugs turning up to hurl eggs, bottles, blows and insults at Pride protesters. Our guest, the poet and novelist Jacek Dehnel, is on the line from Warsaw to reflect on what bishops and politicians have to do with it, as well as why there are reasons for hope. Plus, nitrogen and warm-hearted drug smugglers.

This week, the beauty of the Irish language. Our guest is Darach Ó Séaghdha, whose wonderful book and podcast are a celebration of a language that may only have about 74,000 daily speakers but is very much alive and kicking. Also: the right to be forgotten, the Ukrainian side of the Trump impeachment inquiry, and treasures hidden in plain sight.

How does a city of little more than 50,000 permanent residents deal with an annual stampede of 25 million tourists? Venice is an extreme example of the growing scourge of overtourism across Europe. We talk to one of the residents organising a fightback, Elena Riu of the Gruppo 25 aprile. Also this week: #ClimateStrike, Rammstein and skydiving in your nineties.

This week we’re heading into the belly of the EU beast to talk about who’s going to be running the show for the next five years. Alberto Alemmano, aka the busiest man in Europe, is here to unpick some controversial decisions by Ursula von der Leyen as she gets ready to take charge in November. Plus, skeletons and Macron portraits.

WE'RE BACK, with a new look for a new season. This week we're catching up on the summer's Italian drama and tackling the delicate question of Nazi relatives. And we're heading to Görlitz, on the German-Polish border, to find out why why so many voters in eastern Germany are putting their faith in the far-right AfD.

... or 'hiphop' in Esperanto. This week we're talking about how the internet shook up the world's most idealistic language, with Federico Gobbo, professor of Esperanto at the University of Amsterdam. We're also talking about the furore over a rapper involved in a Swedish assault case, and the Dutch kid behind one of the most successful beats of all time.

Scotland now has the highest rate of drug-related deaths in Europe — even higher than the United States. The shocking statistics have prompted calls in Scotland for a move towards the decriminalisation of drug use, taking the lead from a radical change of approach in Portugal. Portugal went from a full-blown opioid crisis in the 1980s to having one of the lowest rates of drug deaths in Europe today. We called Andreia Alves, a social worker with the Lisbon NGO Crescer, to find how a more humane policy makes her work easier. Also: turtle doves, VIP tour guides, and the art of the Spanish compromise.

This week we’re talking about what happened when Actress, the electronic musician also known as Darren Cunningham, made British and Dutch politicians debate the meaning of love. We’re also talking about French extravagance, the gentrification of Berlin, and the magic of medicine. 

We don't call it 'the migrant crisis' anymore. Yet, every day, people attempt the treacherous crossing to reach our shores, and more than 500 people have died trying this year alone. This week we're talking about the politics of fear and the laws of the sea with the Italian migration expert Matteo Villa. We're also talking about rockets, bees and Greece's return to the right. 

This week, the European women steering the ship. Katy and Dominic discuss the case of Carola Rackete, the rescue boat captain who has come to symbolize the moral divide over migration, as well as the nomination of Germany's Ursula von der Leyen and Christine Lagarde to two of the most powerful jobs on the continent. In the meantime, the biggest Czech protests since the fall of communism have been giving the populist billionaire PM Andrej Babiš a run for his money. We ring up Benjamin Roll, one of the young leaders of the growing protest movement.

What does it mean to be black in Europe? This week's guest Johny Pitts went on a five-month journey around the continent, interviewing black Europeans and exploring his own identity. The result is his brilliant new book, 'Afropean: Notes from Black Europe', which makes the case for a community that crosses borders. Also this week: the role of railways in the Holocaust; whether or not we should talk about Merkel; and a strange reward for good behaviour.

This week, the strange and rather wonderful story of how the BBC tried (and failed, pretty badly) to create a European soap opera back in the 1990s. Former 'Eldorado' star Kai Maurer reflects on how his unlikely role playing a German beach bum kicked off his acting career and how the show was ahead of its time. Plus: a landmark Spanish court ruling and the ugly realities of European consensus politics. Read the article that sparked Katy's El Dorado obsession here. Should we launch a campaign to get the BBC to bring it back?

This week, the increasingly worrying politics of a country with one of the most complicated governments in the world. We're talking to the Bosnian journalist Aleksandar Brezar about troubles that go ignored all too often in Europe and wartime scars that have yet to heal. We're also talking about European countries' varying approaches to regulating what women do with their bodies, and a transatlantic romance that has stood the test of time.

Hands up if you've got a better idea of what's happening in American politics than European politics, despite living on this side of the pond? This week André Wilkens, the new director of the European Cultural Foundation, argues that Europeans need to get better at telling their own story — whether it's in the form of a Hamilton-style hit musical or otherwise. Also: scooter wars, holograms, and when the left gets tough on immigration.