- 2 days ago
Italy and Germany, Europe's two leading manufacturing economies, are proactively reshaping the European Union's internal balance of power to navigate shifting global politics and economic turbulence.
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00:01Europe.
00:03I would not want to miss this.
00:07Rich in history and culture.
00:11Absolutely beautiful.
00:12For centuries, this continent has played a central role on the world stage.
00:18Look at that!
00:20But this is Europe's most perilous moment since the Second World War.
00:26This is the bunker.
00:27It faces an aggressive Russia.
00:31An ambitious China.
00:33It's quite shocking to hear you say that it is much closer right now to Beijing than it is to
00:38Washington.
00:39And Europe's most powerful ally can no longer be fully relied on.
00:44I said, if you're not going to pay your bills, we're not going to defend you.
00:51I'm Katja Adler, and after years of living and working in Italy, France, Spain and Germany, I've got to know
00:59them really well.
01:01You said that Germans don't have an excellent sense of humour.
01:04So how are these four countries, with mainland Europe's biggest economies, responding to this turbulent new world?
01:13There are a lot of police vans behind us.
01:16What strengthens them?
01:18Oh wow, it looks like a shark.
01:20And what weakens them?
01:24In this episode, I'll begin my journey in Italy.
01:30This is not a face of Italy for its government.
01:33We want people to see.
01:35Before continuing on to Germany.
01:39This country is having a bit of an identity crisis.
01:56Italy.
01:58It's a country really close to my heart.
02:03It feels so good to be back in Italy.
02:06It makes me happy.
02:08My mum's best friend is Italian.
02:10And over the years, I have spent a lot of time living, working and visiting here.
02:18I'm in Siena, in the middle of the country.
02:23Its stunning architecture and rich history draw millions of tourists every year.
02:29And there's one age-old tradition that pulls in the crowds more than any other.
02:36Paleo time in Siena.
02:37And they're off.
02:38And so will half the jockeys be soon.
02:40It's the first horse home that wins.
02:42For more than 300 years, twice every year, the city's central square has been turned into a racetrack.
02:51The different neighbourhoods of the city compete fiercely against each other in a bareback horse race called the Paleo.
02:58The Porcupine has won.
03:00His district supporters go wild with joy.
03:04This is where the Paleo, the horse race, takes place.
03:08And now's the best time to come here actually.
03:10I have seen the Paleo many times.
03:13It is so packed for the 90 seconds the race lasts, you cannot see a thing.
03:20And that's why, this time, it's not the actual race I've come to see.
03:27It's the build-up when the passion for the Paleo can really be understood.
03:33Since medieval times, Siena has been divided into 17 miniscule neighbourhoods called Contrade.
03:41It's these areas, sometimes made up of just a few streets, that compete against each other during the Paleo.
03:48Rivalries are so fierce that teams keep their horses closely guarded in the days leading up to the race.
03:56This is Dragon territory.
03:58But I've been allowed to sneak peek at the horse from the Dragon Contrada.
04:05Laura Bonelli is one of the leaders here.
04:12And there's been a guard with the horse.
04:22And that's as far as I'm allowed to go, so as not to spook the horse.
04:28It's almost impossible to overstate how seriously each Contrada takes this event, and how much a Contrada matters to its
04:37members.
04:38The Contrada is much more than the Paleo. Can you explain to us what it means in your life?
04:56Each Contrada has its own colours, with which they deeply identify.
05:03It's the first thing that is given to a child when he is born.
05:08And often, when a person dies, he accompanies all the things that we have.
05:17It's the most intimate thing.
05:25In the days leading up to the race, the horses leave their stables for various rituals, chaperoned by members of
05:32the Contrada.
05:34Here comes the horse.
05:39There he goes.
05:41So the Contrada will all follow behind.
05:54Sometimes, different Contrada and their horses come face to face.
06:07Ten Contrada are competing.
06:11And each one is just bringing their horse out for show.
06:14And singing the song of their Contrada.
06:17So there are these guys over here.
06:19And they are singing against another Contrada over here.
06:26There are police here, because later tonight, it can come to fisticuffs.
06:40Each Contrada is so desperate to win the Paleo, that some even call on higher powers for help.
06:47So this is a very sombre moment.
06:49We're going to have a blessing of the horse.
06:56The Paleo is colourful and intense.
06:59But it also reveals so much about this country.
07:03And that is the real reason I'm here.
07:06So much about the Paleo is about ritual and tradition.
07:09It is peculiar to Siena.
07:11But the divisions that you have here, the strong bonds between very small groups,
07:17that tells you a lot about Italy and Italians,
07:20that you need to know if you really want to understand this country.
07:30On the evening before the race, I've been invited to the highlight of the preparations.
07:36A grand feast in celebration of the Dragon Contrada.
07:42Wow.
07:43This is quite something.
07:48And you know what? It's really rare for outsiders to be let in.
07:54The whole Contrada is here.
07:56Around 900 people.
07:59And across this city, other Contrada will be having similar celebrations.
08:07It's the first time I'm at dinner with a Contrada.
08:12Which, for us, is an important occasion,
08:15because most of us are also our parents.
08:18One thing that is difficult to understand,
08:20but it's a strong sense of identity.
08:22But the Contrada, for you, is like a family?
08:28For us, yes.
08:28Yes, I would say that the most similar to Contrada,
08:34the most similar to a family.
08:38In some ways, it's even more than family,
08:41stepping in where the Italian state doesn't.
08:45There's often been a sense here that the authorities are absent,
08:49not looking out for the welfare of their citizens.
08:52So Italians have learnt to build their own local networks of support.
08:56The Contrada is looking for me to know how I am.
08:59The Contrada is certainly more than the state.
09:02The state is looking for me only if I have to pay taxes.
09:08Can you imagine life without your Contrada?
09:12No, it's possible.
09:13It's possible.
09:15It's possible.
09:18It's possible.
09:20It's possible.
09:20Well, that was quite something, wasn't it?
09:24And that's the reason I wanted to come here to Siena,
09:26not just because that is spectacular,
09:30but because it is a vibrant illustration of what Italy is all about.
09:36This is not a strong, united country.
09:40It's actually made up of self-contained units of trust,
09:44just like the Contrada.
09:51I'm leaving Siena now and heading south to Calabria.
09:58Calabria is the toe of Italy's boot
10:00and the only region in Italy I've never visited before.
10:06It feels a long way from Siena and the wealthier north.
10:11It reminds me of how Italy was when I was a little kid.
10:15It's just delicious.
10:18Even by many Italian standards, Calabria is off the beaten track.
10:23So much so that even my sat-nav can't help me with directions.
10:35It's great they're going to lead us the way.
10:37Oh, really?
10:37It's too complicated.
10:42Gracias, señor.
10:44Ciao, ciao.
10:47We're being shown the way by this fantastic vehicle.
10:52Listen to that motor.
10:55It's too good.
10:57This is what I love.
10:58I love, I love, I love, I love.
10:59I love that I get lost and then these guys just go,
11:02oh, I'll show you the way.
11:04Brilliant.
11:12You're a hero.
11:17Ciao, ciao.
11:20That is the best tourist guide I have ever had.
11:23Fantastic.
11:27Calabria's coastline is stunning.
11:30But it has far fewer tourists than most other regions in Italy.
11:39I'm not going to stay dry for very long.
11:44I have always wanted to come to Calabria.
11:47The thing is, most Italians haven't been to Calabria either and you'd think with beaches like this, it would be
11:54stacked with visitors.
12:01Oh my God.
12:03Oh my God.
12:09There are good reasons why fewer tourists come here.
12:17It's less accessible for one, but also for generations, this part of Italy has been dominated by the mafia.
12:27You see a lot of poverty in Italy's south.
12:30You always have done a lot of neglect.
12:33And historically, that has opened the door to mafia clans to come in here and form states within the state.
12:41They offer protection or justice, maybe a bank loan for a new home, but always at a really high price.
12:53Italy has four major mafia clans.
12:57The one that's active in Calabria is the Ndrangheta.
13:02It's one of the most powerful criminal organisations in the world.
13:07And its control over local politics and business has made Calabria hugely corrupt.
13:15Before coming here, I was told very clearly by locals there were certain areas I shouldn't go and definitely should
13:23not film.
13:26I've come to a courthouse where there's a mafia trial involving the Ndrangheta.
13:41In 2016, Maria Kindamo was murdered.
13:46A man is on trial accused of disposing of her body.
13:52Antonio Cozza is the lawyer acting for Maria's family.
13:56So how did it go in there?
13:58Processes are always delicate, any kind of process.
14:01But absolutely, when we talk about mafia, when we talk about Ndrangheta,
14:06we have to make sure that it's a more difficult process.
14:11Because Ndrangheta imposes the case of Maria Kindamo.
14:16It's not a testimony.
14:18We say that there was an absolute silence.
14:26The mafia has a reputation for violent retribution against those who speak out.
14:33But Maria's brother, Vincenzo, wants to tell me about his sister and what the mafia are alleged to have done.
14:39He's asked to meet me at the farm she ran with her husband and where she disappeared.
14:45It feels strange for me doing interviews like this because I know I'm going to be poking at somebody's wound.
14:54But Vincenzo said he wants to speak.
14:57The more we talk about the mafia, he says, the easier it is to beat them.
15:06Hello, Vincenzo.
15:07Hello.
15:09What are you doing?
15:10Let's adjust the finger that fell.
15:14This is Maria, your sister?
15:15Yes.
15:16There she is.
15:17One.
15:19One.
15:21One.
15:21I think Maria, I think her smile, and I think her strength, her determination.
15:30And here, Maria, one.
15:31She's so gorgeous.
15:34How many dreams, how many hope.
15:35She looks so happy.
15:44Maria had three children with her husband, Nando.
15:47They ran his farm together.
15:49But they separated.
15:51And soon after, Nando took his own life.
15:56His family has been linked to the mafia.
15:59And after his death, the mafia allegedly wanted revenge, as well as the farm.
16:06Maria wouldn't give it up.
16:07And on the 6th of May 2016, a farm worker called Vincenzo to tell him his sister had been attacked.
16:28Do you remember what was going through your head?
16:40You found her car with blood on it.
16:42But you didn't find her body?
16:51Oh my God.
17:08The idea of destroying a body,
17:12and feeding it to the pigs,
17:14it just sounds to me unimaginable.
17:17Uccidere e fare scomparire le persone,
17:20si chiama lupara brosa.
17:22E' per cancellare,
17:24per punire,
17:26non solo la persona scomparsa,
17:29ma punire anche tutti gli altri che rimangono.
17:33E serve per terrorizzare tutta una comunità.
17:41It's now ten years since Maria disappeared,
17:44and so far, no one has been convicted of her murder.
17:47The trial continues.
17:58I still can't quite believe that there are chunks of Italy that still live in the world of the Godfather
18:06films,
18:06and Calabria is fighting back.
18:09But in the meantime, the mafia has infiltrated politics in Italy and absolutely the economy.
18:17And yet this is a G7 nation, a big power in the EU and in NATO.
18:24It's an astonishing weakness in a major European country,
18:28and ultimately it leaves many Italians feeling vulnerable,
18:32like the authorities just can't look after them.
18:42My next stop is Venice.
18:46For many, this is the most beautiful city in the world.
18:53I love the crumbling grandeur of Venice,
18:58and especially that in all the faded glory,
19:02you have your knickers hanging out on a line.
19:08Like so many of Italy's great cities,
19:11Venice used to be a powerful city-state.
19:14At one point, an empire in its own right.
19:17It only became part of Italy in the 1860s.
19:21It's days like today,
19:23I feel like the luckiest person alive to be doing my job.
19:35But I'm not here just to see the sights.
19:38I'm here to see how Italy's unique character shapes its outlook
19:42and its role on the European stage.
19:49Grazie.
19:51Murano is a little corner of Venice
19:54that's famous worldwide for its glassware.
19:59Luciano Gambaro runs one of the more than 60 glassblowing workshops here.
20:05La tradizione del vetro di Murano
20:07è una tradizione secolare.
20:10E noi tuttora siamo riconosciuti
20:13come la patria mondiale del vetro artistico.
20:18But glassblowing is an energy-hungry industry.
20:23Ecco, vedi.
20:26Qua, come senti, fa molto…
20:27Oh, yeah.
20:28Molto caro.
20:29It's like a hot wind hitting you in the face.
20:32Ci sono attualmente mille cento e dieci gradi.
20:36The furnaces need to stay on 24-7.
20:39And that means they use a lot of gas.
20:43Much of that used to come from Russia,
20:45because it was cheap.
20:47But when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022,
20:50sanctions against Moscow cut off that Russian gas.
20:54Energy prices spiralled, along with Luciano's bills.
21:00Noi lo pagavamo 20 centesimi al metro cubo.
21:04Questo succedeva a settembre 2021.
21:08Agosto 2022 siamo arrivati a 2,80 euro al metro cubo.
21:1414 times more expensive.
21:16Esattamente.
21:17Oh, my God.
21:17Quindi un periodo in cui si rischiava di mettere in gioco
21:23filiera produttiva del vetro di Muranos.
21:26Ecco perché tante volte noi ci carichiamo…
21:29Oltre… la preoccupazione non è dovuta solo a quello che succede a noi,
21:33ma anche a quello che succede, può succedere anche a chi collabora
21:36e lavora con noi e le loro famiglie.
21:39So in the end, what's more important?
21:41Where the gas comes from?
21:43Or the fact that you get gas that you can afford?
21:45Per noi non è importante tanto da dove prendiamo il gas.
21:51Non importa che il prezzo sia un prezzo che ci permetta di lavorare.
22:05Alla fine.
22:08Alla fine.
22:11Alla fine.
22:25Alla fine.
22:28wayne.
22:39Alla fine.
22:40A parta del REM stitching, lì, le lavorazioni per divda nuiescarterà,
22:43lì, le
22:54being pushed to prepare. I'm in Tuscany to join an Italian special forces unit, the Elite
23:01Volgore paratroopers, on a NATO exercise. Captain Giannaro Angrisano is keeping me out of trouble.
23:17How many people are taking part in this exercise?
23:34Soldiers from seven different countries, including the UK, are taking part in this exercise.
23:40And once we get off the helicopter, we have to be careful not to show their positions.
23:51Okay, sit deep. You can be quiet.
23:56I'm not usually described as discipline, but I'll try.
24:07The Italian paratroopers are landing in the forest.
24:12And we need to find them.
24:17The exercise lasts for three weeks. The paratroopers have to gather information
24:22about the other soldiers operating in the area.
24:28I can see them.
24:30This unit is made up of paratroopers from Italy and Japan, a NATO partner country.
24:36It's seen as crucial to get NATO allies used to working together.
24:53In case you have to do it for real.
25:05In case you have to do it for real.
25:08Right, we've got to switch to infrared now so that we are not responsible for this unit being discovered, right?
25:16Okay.
25:20Our lights could give away the unit's location, but with infrared, we can film in total darkness.
25:31In order to keep scouting without being spotted by other units, the team are staying put by day and moving
25:38by night.
25:42This is the reason why we are trying to keep the maximum silence and to make a plan,
25:48just to not reveal their position, which could compromise the entire operation.
25:57So we're having to move speedily now.
26:01The paras have to get to their next objective.
26:04They've only got a certain amount of nighttime hours with which they can move.
26:11Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO's been conducting more and bigger
26:18training exercises in order to prepare to defend itself against a Russian attack.
26:23But now Europe faces another huge challenge posed by what's supposed to be its greatest ally.
26:32The US.
26:36This kind of exercises, they are increasing in their frequency, but also their importance, basically, for decades.
26:44NATO has been bankrolled by the United States, which has secured peace in Europe, essentially.
26:52But with Donald Trump, all of that has changed.
26:55He said he's demanded that European countries pay more and do a lot more for their own defence.
27:03If they don't, he's threatened to walk away from NATO altogether.
27:08While these paratroopers continue to their objective, NATO's future seems a lot less certain.
27:15After decades of having its security subsidised by the US, Europe now feels it can no longer fully rely on
27:22what's supposed to be its most powerful ally.
27:31What you might be surprised to know is that suspicion of the US is deep-rooted in parts of Italian
27:37society.
27:39I've come to a town called Varese, and I'm heading to a party.
27:43I can hear the murmuring, the bustle.
27:47Sounds like the party started.
27:57That's so good!
27:59This is a Festa dell'Unità, a festival of unity.
28:10These events happen across the country, and they used to be fundraisers for Italy's Communist Party,
28:16which was once the biggest and most influential in Western Europe.
28:20Nowadays, it's more about cheap food and a lot of fun.
28:25It was really bad, but that was really fun.
28:29Although hardline communism is no longer mainstream in Italy at all,
28:34its legacy here means many Italians view Russia and the US very differently to how they're seen in the UK.
28:41Are you from this part of Italy?
28:43I was born and bred here, yeah.
28:45Is it right that Italy, along with other European countries, sends weapons to Ukraine?
28:51I think that's definitely wrong.
28:53I mean, you want to make peace, and you keep selling weapons, they should stop doing that.
28:59You want it to stop?
29:00Yeah, I would want them to stop, yes, immediately.
29:07What do you think of NATO?
29:21What do you think about Italy's decision with other European countries to spend a lot more on defense?
29:28In fact, I would say no. I wouldn't agree.
29:31What about Russia? Can you see having relations with Russia again?
29:36No, I believe that we are more close to Russia than what we think of it.
29:43Because many companies in our region, in general, have relations with the Russians.
29:52At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine,
29:56only just over 50% of Italians blamed Moscow for it.
30:01In stark contrast to most of Western Europe, there's a lot of understanding in Italy for the Russian perspective.
30:09That doesn't normally translate into direct support for Vladimir Putin,
30:14with one very notable exception.
30:18Italy's longest-serving modern-day Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, had a soft spot for so-called strongman politicians.
30:26And he was famously friendly with Russia's president.
30:30Even after leaving office, Berlusconi visited Putin in what had been Ukrainian Crimea, after Russia grabbed it in 2014.
30:42So, I followed Berlusconi right from the start when he first became Prime Minister, back in the mid-90s.
30:50And, essentially, he was a showy, wealthy businessman who said,
30:56I made a huge success of myself, I'll now make a success of our country.
31:01He was strongly anti-immigration, pro what he called Christian values.
31:07And, he was the first Italian Prime Minister to jump into bed with the post-fascist far-right since the
31:14Second World War.
31:16And that opened the door in Europe to making those kind of parties more acceptable to voters.
31:27Attitudes once labelled far-right, like being anti-immigration, are now more widespread across Europe.
31:34So, what it means to be far-right is being re-examined.
31:40There are huge differences between Europe's now very popular nationalist parties.
31:45Germany's AFD has been classified by German intelligence as extremist.
31:52While in Italy, Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni leads a government that's managed to woo both the EU and Donald Trump.
32:00The goal for me is to make the West great again.
32:06One big reason for Meloni's success in Italy is public concern about immigration.
32:16I've travelled to Italy's north-east, to a small town on the border with Slovenia.
32:24I think it's fair to say this country is one of a lot of fast drivers.
32:29And it always tickles me when I look at the traffic lights.
32:32The red is red. It's bigger than the other colours.
32:35So it tells you to stop.
32:43Mon Falcone has grown around one of Europe's biggest shipyards.
32:49Vast cruise liners are built here, mainly by migrant workers who've come here legally,
32:54to fill jobs Italians no longer want.
32:59Almost one in three people here come from abroad.
33:07I'm going to have to pretend I understand cricket.
33:15A lot of these players work at the shipyard.
33:19Sani Bouyan has lived and worked here legally for two decades.
33:24Hi Sani.
33:25Hello, nice to meet you.
33:26Would you like to try?
33:27I'll have a go. I'll always have a go.
33:34This team are the Mon Falcone Tigers.
33:37But they have to train outside Mon Falcone.
33:42The situation is very ridiculous in Mon Falcone because cricket is banned in the village where we live.
33:49Cricket is banned in Mon Falcone?
33:51Yes.
33:55In 2023, the local authorities made playing cricket in Mon Falcone punishable by a fine.
34:04So Sani, do you feel that the banning of cricket in Mon Falcone is a form of discrimination, racial discrimination?
34:10I think so.
34:11But you've been there 20 years, so why is it now recently?
34:14Because when the right wings come to administrate this city, the situation is day by day getting worse.
34:22The authorities argue that cricket needed to be banned because it's dangerous.
34:27And it's not just cricket that's being clamped down on.
34:31There's no official mosque in Mon Falcone, and the local government has effectively stopped people
34:36from praying in the two Islamic centres in town. Because of planning regulations, they say.
34:44So where do you pray?
34:46Everyone praying in their home. Some going to the neighbourhood city,
34:51and some going to Slovenia to pray sometimes.
34:54Over the border?
34:54Over the border to pray.
34:56Wow.
34:579,000 people don't have one place to pray. Can you imagine the impact, social impact?
35:03Because they banned every places.
35:05It's a right to be able to pray.
35:07Yeah. So it's very upsetting and very frustrating for us.
35:16I'm leaving here with really mixed feelings.
35:20Banning cricket is clearly extreme.
35:23But migration is one of the toughest issues that I cover in my job.
35:28It is on the minds of voters right across the continent.
35:31And in my career, I've never seen so many anti-immigration or so-called hard-right or
35:38far-right parties so popular here in Europe.
35:43But does that mean that all their voters are racists or extremists?
35:49Clearly not.
35:50Many of those voting for parties that are tough on migration say the political mainstream shut down
35:56the debate for years rather than listening to and managing their concerns.
36:03The final stop on my Italian journey is the tiny island of Lampedusa.
36:11Just 70 miles from the coast of North Africa, this is one of Europe's front lines of illegal migration,
36:18where asylum seekers and other migrants try to enter without official permission.
36:26But for many Italians, it's a tourist destination.
36:30So I've got myself a holiday hire car.
36:34So the last time I drove one of these, I was 18 just the other day.
36:52Just a few thousand people live on Lampedusa.
36:56But during the summer months, its population goes up more than five-fold,
37:01with largely Italian holidaymakers flocking here.
37:07I am loving driving this car now.
37:11She and I have become great friends.
37:17There aren't many places that straddle two opposite worlds like this island.
37:22As well as the glamorous yachts here, nowhere else in Italy sees more small boat arrivals.
37:31This is part of what Europe calls its soft underbelly.
37:35So it's open, it's vulnerable to people smugglers bringing over boatloads of migrants.
37:43And over the years, I've reported on tens of thousands.
37:47Italy has had hundreds of thousands of people arriving on its coastline,
37:51often to desperate and chaotic scenes.
37:58The boats come from North Africa.
38:01And sure enough, some are arriving right now.
38:07So we've been told it's about 60 migrants that have arrived.
38:10You can see them coming onto their pier now.
38:13I can never get over this huge contrast.
38:17Those who risked their lives to come to Europe on the one side.
38:21And then right over there, Europeans in their bikinis, frolicking by the beach.
38:29Such different fates just so close by.
38:36There have been times in the last few years when more migrants have arrived in one week
38:42than there are locals on the island.
38:44It's prompted the mayor here to describe Lampedusa as being in crisis.
38:50Locals aren't happy at all with the attention it brings from the media.
39:01Lampedusa's biggest source of income is tourism.
39:06And boatloads of migrants are bad for business.
39:11This is not a face of Italy that either its tourist industry or its government want people to see.
39:22In fact, Giorgio Meloni's government was elected on the promise of stopping these small boats.
39:28It's a pledge we've heard from leaders across Europe.
39:33Enzo?
39:34Hi.
39:35Hi.
39:36Buongior.
39:37I'm meeting fisherman Enzo Bilecci.
39:39What a lovely boat.
39:49The Italian government says they're resolving the problem of illegal immigration.
40:02Right along the coastline are migrant boats that have been washed ashore.
40:08It's beautiful.
40:09See like those like square holes in the boat.
40:12What what's that?
40:13Rectangles.
40:14Rectangles.
40:14Rectangles.
40:14Rectangles.
40:15Okay.
40:16That's where people put people in there.
40:17In there?
40:18Yes.
40:19Oh my god.
40:19And often the ones in there will be suffocated.
40:25But despite all these boats along the coastline, Meloni's government has had real success in reducing numbers.
40:33Small boat arrivals to Italy are down almost 60% in the last couple of years, thanks partly to deals
40:40with North African countries to stop the boats from leaving.
40:46For any boats that do get close, the government has imposed restrictions on where they can be rescued and by
40:52whom.
40:54As far as Enzo's concerned, this more hardline policy has a human cost.
41:02Because I found a boat with 35 miles with 18 people on board and nobody told me what to do.
41:09Because I was at 35 miles, nobody could intervene.
41:13Yeah, they made it illegal, no?
41:15Yes, of course.
41:15But that's been really difficult because you were stuck not just with the humanitarian situation, but also you were in
41:21a legal bind,
41:23because at the time you could have been fined for helping the people.
41:28Did you feel alone?
41:29Yes, alone, alone, abandoned, because no one gave me explanations.
41:34And what do I have to do?
41:36I have to decide who has to live and who has to die.
41:39And I can leave it for a sea and go to home, tranquility.
41:43And what do I say to my children?
41:44Did I die 18 people?
41:46No, I bring them to the land, and I bring them to the land.
41:50My risk is dangerous, but I saved 20 people, 18 people.
41:57But it isn't always possible to save people, and Enzo has seen firsthand the horrors that can unfold when migrants
42:04are left without rescue.
42:05I was saying, why did the horrors?
42:15I was saying, why do you want to die?
42:27It's always possible.
42:31I'd be like, why do you want to die?
42:33Why do you want to die?
42:34Well, my mother, my mother, my mother, my mother, my mother, my mother.
42:50Enzo is on the front line of illegal migration for him this isn't about policy or even what's
42:58best for Italy it's about people the tension surrounding migration it doesn't end here on
43:14the southern coastline it seeps into countries and it makes problems between European countries
43:24in these times of deep international tensions when European countries say they need to work
43:30better together migration remains one of the biggest issues that drives a wedge between them
43:41my next stop is Germany
43:46this is the economic and political powerhouse of Europe
43:51the economy here is almost twice the size of Italy's in fact it's the third biggest in the
43:58entire world after global titans America and China and traditionally it's been driven by its exports
44:09if there's one thing that screams Germans are good at making things it's got to be cars
44:16Mercedes BMW Porsche Audi they're seen as reliable desirable and really high quality
44:26and where better to see Germany's world-class cars in action than the Nürburgring home of German racing
44:34it is busy petrol heads paradise this was once Germany's Formula One circuit
44:42it's nicknamed the green hell and it's one of the riskiest toughest race tracks ever built
44:50luckily I've got one of the track's best drivers to take the wheel
44:54hello hello I'm Katia nice to meet you nice to meet you what are we driving today it's a German
45:01car
45:01right it's a proper sports car it's very powerful are German cars the best I think so yes I really
45:10like
45:10how they drive what about the passenger how am I going to feel most of the passengers enjoy it
45:17some not that much but we have special bags in your door thanks
45:25the car is called the beast of the green hell it's one of the fastest supercars in the world
45:33okay jump in
45:39can I just share at this point I don't even like roller chase device with that you know
45:43but maybe I should have thought about that before
45:51you're ready um I'm ready if you're ready oh yeah okay
46:08this is my favorite part here look at this this is the famous car was it
46:23driving over 150 miles an hour we're really putting German engineering through its paces
46:30I could get a taste for that thank you very very much that was absolutely brilliant thank you
46:50stay safe
46:56Germany is the leading car manufacturer in Europe
46:59it produces over a third of the EU's cars and of course they're not all race cars
47:08UW UW UW UW up ahead this is Wolfsburg but you may as well call it Volkswagensville because
47:19the whole town has grown up around the plant here
47:25this is the headquarters of the Volkswagen group
47:29the factory's been here since the 1930s and it's one of the biggest manufacturing plants in the world
47:36the factory is absolutely ginormous it started all the way back there it's still it's still going it's like a
47:46city within a city and it's not completely unusual to have three generations of one family working in there
47:54Volkswagen is the world's second biggest car company and it's become a symbol of Germany's economic success
48:03oh wow just stacks and stacks and stacks of cars in a in two glass buildings next to each other
48:12incredible
48:21Volkswagen is still a family-run business with a reputation for looking after its workers
48:29hello hello hi do you speak English oh excellent thank you um can I please get
48:35Volkswagen part
48:37one nine nine three nine eight five hundred a
48:43I will love that up real quick give me a moment thank you
48:47okay so this part is said to be the Volkswagen part that is sold most in the whole world I
48:54mean just last year alone eight million of them
48:57oh brilliant thank you so much I do I do and there you see it it does have a part
49:04number but it is the Volkswagen currywurst and who said that Germans don't have an excellent sense of humor
49:15the plant makes around 23,000 sausages a day to feed the VW workforce and they in turn make up
49:23to three and a half thousand cars a day all of it run on state-of-the-art German efficiency
49:32this is great
49:41wow
49:41wow
49:42so if I look right above me it's just this huge tower of cars all around
49:56these 400 cars are waiting for collection by their new owners
50:01but only around 20% of the cars made here in Germany are sold here most are exported
50:09all of this shiny success Germany's economic success
50:13it's all been built on three specific things so cheap gas from Russia to feed
50:20energy hungry German industry including the car industry that the economy relies on
50:24also manufacturing and sales to China
50:27and sales to the United States but guess what none of that is working
50:38anymore
50:38after Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine Germany largely stopped buying cheap Russian energy and China's booming domestic car
50:48industry and
51:04Volkswagen means the people's car and being an exporting powerhouse and having a recipe for a booming economy
51:14that has long been part of the German identity but now that it's not working so well anymore
51:21I think you can say that this country is having a bit of an identity crisis
51:32unfortunately for Germany when times were good the government didn't invest enough in its infrastructure its rail network its telecommunications
51:41even its famous autobans
51:45roadworks roadworks more roadworks and massive traffic jams there's been an awful lot of that as I've driven to Germany
51:53the road network here was once the envy of Europe but the cracks are clear to see
52:02literally
52:05in 2024 a bridge in Dresden collapsed into the river below
52:10and it's not the only one falling apart
52:16some are being demolished because they're unsafe
52:25according to the federal transport ministry around 5,000 bridges in Germany are in urgent need of repair
52:36oh wow
52:38that is huge
52:39the German government has now embarked on a massive program to replace bridges like this one
52:46but somehow it's kind of magnificent and impressive at the same time
52:50but there are so many bridges in need of repair
52:54that government plans to rebuild them are deemed unachievable
52:58and that impacts people's lives
53:01so while German politicians for years focused on big industries selling abroad
53:07what they didn't do was take care of things here at home
53:11mobile coverage in Germany is really ropey
53:15people still use faxes here
53:18I know that's hard to believe
53:19and then you've got all of these crumbling bridges and roads as well
53:23and over time
53:24that's how Germans began to see their country
53:27as broken
53:32the stagnating economy is far from Germany's only problem
53:36as Europe's political powerhouse
53:39and a major supporter of Ukraine in its war with Russia
53:42some here worry that Germany itself could soon be under attack
53:48Hello
53:49Oh
53:51Hi
53:52Hi
53:52Hi I'm Katja
53:54Hi Christian
53:54And who's this?
53:56Who are you?
53:58Felix
53:58Felix
53:59This is Christian Klaus and his family
54:01And you?
54:02Moritz
54:03I'm meeting them on the site of their future home
54:06This is our entrance area here completely
54:08Yeah
54:08Here you go to the top
54:09Here you go to the bedroom, the bedroom, the children's bedroom
54:12Here you go to the bedroom
54:14And the kitchen
54:15This is all over the corner
54:16We can go into it
54:17Fantastic
54:19This is the beautiful view that we have
54:21That is, it's so beautiful
54:25Go to the top
54:26Go to the top
54:26Go to the top
54:26Go to the top
54:29One of the most striking features of this house lies deep underground
54:36So, this is the kitchen
54:38Okay
54:39Okay
54:40Now we're going to one more deeper
54:42About 8 meters deep
54:43Oh right
54:44Okay
54:49A little bit light
54:50A little bit of light
54:54Where are we going?
54:57Wait, I have light
55:02That is it
55:03Wow
55:05This is the bunker
55:08Christian is building a nuclear bomb shelter under his house
55:12Also the outside windows have 45 cm
55:16Okay
55:16The deck here also
55:18The floor also
55:18The floor also
55:19We are in a safe space
55:21And we are on the military standard
55:23Okay
55:24This is the
55:26Panzertür
55:28Wow
55:29That's massive
55:30That's massive
55:31That's huge
55:32What is there
55:32What is there?
55:33Yeah
55:33That is our
55:35Technic room
55:35Yes
55:36So
55:36So
55:36So
55:37So
55:37So
55:47So
55:48So
55:48So
55:51So
55:52So
55:52So
55:53So
55:57So
55:59So
56:04So
56:05So
56:14So
56:16So
56:26So
56:26So
56:26So
56:27So
56:27So
56:31So
56:32So
56:32So
56:32So
56:32Why are you thinking about protecting yourself from Russia
56:35So
56:36So
56:36So
56:38So
56:39So
56:39So
56:39So
56:40So
56:40So
56:41So
56:41So
56:41So
56:42So
56:44So
56:47and that's why we have the protection.
56:54Building a bunker in your family home feels really extreme.
56:59But unlike France and the UK,
57:01Germany doesn't have nuclear weapons of its own as a deterrent,
57:04and Germans feel very exposed.
57:08The government here has been looking at old Cold War bunkers
57:11to see which of them could still be used,
57:14and it's going to set aside funds
57:16for a new nationwide building programme for bunkers.
57:23German intelligence warns that Russia could launch an attack
57:26against a NATO member state as early as 2029.
57:36Next time…
57:37Wow!
57:38…I'll see a completely different side to Germany.
57:41It's the biggest single turnaround I've seen in this country
57:46in all my years reporting on it.
57:48…before continuing my journey to Spain
57:50to see how old wounds still cause divisions.
57:55I don't feel Spanish at all.
57:57At all?
57:58No, I don't think I belong to Spain.
58:14I think we should be taking a long life for you.
58:16I'm one of the most importantly.
58:16I'll see you in the next few moments.
58:16We'll see you in the next couple of minutes.
58:16And you've been feeling like this.
58:16Go back.
58:16Go back.
58:16Go back.
58:18I love you.
58:18Go back.
58:19Go back.
58:20Go back.
58:20Go back.
58:20Go back.
58:24Go back.
58:28Go back.
58:29You
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