>> we've got some stories for you this week in our quest to this fascinating continent. welcome to the "european journal ." romania -- the politics of corruption. france -- paris tries to polish its image for service. and austria -- royal march through the outs. corruption in romania is like a black hole. it seems to suck in everyone in the country. the police, business people, politicians. even the language is proof of that. there are up to 30 synonyms for the word "bridbe."

one man has been fighting the powerful pool of corruption for years. now at the end of his last term, the black hole appears to be ready to swallow the cesspool at last because of one person right in the middle of a new corruption scandal, and denial might be difficult to cause the president is obviously connected. the person in connection is his brother. >> a media frenzy in front of the anticorruption authority in bucharest. the president's brother is being questioned by police in a bribery case. >> i did not ask for any money, nor did i receive any. >> but the investigators did not believe him and took him into custody. his brother appeared before the

press. >> my brother got mixed up with people he should never have gotten mixed up with. >> this woman launched the investigation. for the head of the romanian anticorruption authority, the case is a preliminary climax in the battle against bribery, and it is personally gratifying for her. >> everyone is equal before the law. the fact that the president's brother or any other people we have investigated are involved plays no role for us. >> the investigators fight against shady clans is a tough one. the clans have been making money with crime for decades. the heartland of this dubious society is here.

the people are hoarding millions , and it is from here that judges, police, and politicians are bribed. not far from here are the headquarters of this man. his alias -- the worldly one. he is suspected of having bribed the president's brother with hundreds of thousands of euros. and his family circle, he likes to boast and show how generous he is. corruption experts say that his millions in assets come from profiteering. >> they are a legal dealings -- illegal dealings. for instance, he stole the in orvis state-owned immigration

systems -- the enormous state-owned irrigation systems and sold them off as scrap metal . >> to make sure no one notices such activities, he sought to contact a business man who, more importantly, is the president's brother. this is footage from a party thrown by the clan. for many experts, it's a typical kind of relationship. >> on the one side, there's the money, which the clans have, and on the other side, there's power . both together -- money and power -- that's the structure. >> but the alliance broke apart. he was arrested after a stabbing incident and sentenced to seven years in prison. he allegedly paid 600,000 euros and amended to be released in

exchange. the president denies that. >> there's one thing i would like to make clear -- i never had discussions with my brother about any support in the trials. >> to find out more, we go directly to the clan leader's headquarters. when we arrived, no one is there, but it does not take long before a clan member shows up. he is willing to talk, but only in exchange for cash. >> what will you pay me? how much? i want to hundred euros. for that, you will get what you want to hear -- the whole story, everything. >> we pay him nothing and drive back to bucharest where we meet the clan's lawyer.

he shows a stocky mints that he says could also seriously incriminate the president. >> the president must have been informed. in my opinion, he knew exactly what was going on, but it's unclear whether he actually did anything. >> then he shows us this video, recorded with a hidden camera, in which the clan leader's son is apparently speaking to the president's brother. [speaking foreign language] >> the clan also sent the video to investigators, who believe it is authentic, and consider it to be important evidence in the trial, but the president is not under investigation. his immunity is being upheld by the parliament.

>> i believe there is a lack of sufficient political will, unfortunately, to reform the justice system, and the corresponding political structures, in romania. the fight against corruption,- but some romanians, like the politicians and the government and parliament, appear to be more equal than others. >> when french tourists are out and about in foreign countries, they like to -- well, complain. especially about the food. not just speaking from personal experience -- an official study by a travel website has just confirmed that most of the time, the grumbling is done in their native tongue because the french are also not renowned for their ability to speak other languages. you would think that would make them more sympathetic to foreign visitors who come to paris and have trouble finding their way around, but even though the french capital is known as the city of love, many of its

residents do not show a lot of love to tourists. ♪ [camera shutter clicking] >> when newlyweds mr. and mrs. lee booked their honeymoon to the city of love, it was a dream come true. their friends had waxed lyrical about the wrench lifestyle in the lap of the gods -- the french lifestyle in the lap of the gods, so they were not expecting the rough tone of some of the locals, particularly those who work in the service industry. >> do you have sandwich? sandwich. you have everything -- >> two choices.

>> by this point, the chinese tourists are feeling very uncomfortable, and when the waiter brings their food and drink, they are nervous about asking him another question. >> a square one, piece of bread. >> is this a sandwich? >> sandwich. >> thank you. >> grouchy treatment of customers is bad for business. london has already taken -- overtaken paris in visitor numbers. the paris chamber of commerce has launched a campaign to counteract the situation. where necessary, staff or teaching parisians to be more friendly and perfect the fine art of the smile. >> chinese visitors prefer to spend their time shopping rather than eating, so there's no need to be irritated if they just

order something simple from the menu and then leave. it does not mean they are not happy. they are just operating on a tight schedule. if you are able to say a couple of words in their language, it pleases them because they can see you are really making an effort. >> but the restaurant owner does not come across as a willing learner. his customers and the average parisian are worlds apart. >> asian tourists, whether they come from japan or china, have their mobile loans glued to their hands -- mobile phones glued to their hands. you cannot talk to them, and you cannot tell if they enjoyed what they ate because they always just smile. >> some restaurant and hotel owners fail to grasp the seriousness of the situation. high prices and mediocre quality is not only affecting visitor numbers but also the reputation of the nation, which was known to celebrate the joie de vivre,

but maybe not anymore. >> in times of economic crisis, people tend to withdraw and become more conservative and distant, both privately and professionally. then we have the fact that the french have always considered themselves to be the best at everything. they think foreign tourists will keep on coming to paris regardless, so that they do nono have a different view. hundreds of so-called greeters can now be seen on the streets of paris showing visitors around free of charge and doing what pthey can to polish the tarnishd french image. >> it's a local one. it's not done very far from here .

>> yeah, i like it. >> it is so much cheaper here than in norway, and it looks very french. i like the variety of cheese that they had here. >> i now have friends from all over the world, in tel aviv, new york, and south america. we are in contact the fa's book -- facebook -- via facebook. >> mr. and mrs. lee are not going to let a grumpy waiter spoil their vacation. they are trying to take away something from the experience. >> we come to france, and we want to try everything in france .

it is one part of our travel. >> france and its capital are still among the most popular tourist destinations, but it might not stay that way if visitors continue to take him tales of the grouchy rather than the charming french -- take home tales of the grouchy rather than the charming french. >> greece has seen positive news in the last few months. there's been slight economic growth for the second quarter 2014, and tourism seems to be on the rebound, also seem to be due to at the moment very competitive prices in greece. unfortunately, those numbers do not say anything about daily reality for most people. while vacationers are relaxing and tanning away on their beaches, many greeks can no longer afford their medical bills. oh, and by the way, youth unemployment is still above 50%,

and that's not all -- the country is setting another sad record -- this one involving suicide. >> he is mourning the loss of his friend and colleague who took his own life when he lost his job. plagued by the fear of becoming a beggar, the 49-year-old turns to suicide. >> he was very proud -- so proud that he did not see any other way out. he could not face the prospect of losing his dignity as a result of being unemployed. >> he is by no means an isolated case. every day, there are reports of two or three people who kill themselves, and many more who try. this pastors at the helm of the small athens paris. suicide is a sin in the eyes of the church, and ordinarily,

those who take their own lives cannot be buried in the cemetery, but these are desperate times. >> these days, we see those who claim their lives as people who have lost their minds, as psychologically damaged. although the old rules still apply, the church makes an exception, and we bury them with love. >> psychologists in athens are investigating the psychological effects of the financial crisis. depression and suicide used to be rare in greek society, but in recent years, the numbers have rocketed, and they continue to climb. >> because of the duration of the financial crisis in greece, we have reached the point where everyone is at high risk of developing depression, and every single day, we live with the

fear that this is not the bottom, that it will actually get even worse, which i think makes everything -- which actually cultivates a general atmosphere of helplessness and hopelessness. >> every day, he drives two hours to tend to his hospitalized wife. when she lost her job, she attempted suicide. she'll -- she survived but was badly injured. he would have paid medical staff to nurse her, but he does not have the funds, so he does it himself. he shows us where she wanted to end it all. >> it was here, right here. this is where she jumped and landed in the carpark below. i can hardly believe it. this is the spot where our life

ended. >> he is one of many who feel the state has deserted them in their hour of greatest need. they rely on private donations to get by. the aid organization doctors of the world runs a small hospital staff by volunteers. citizens who are unemployed for more than two years lose their health insurance. >> i feel guilty because i cannot afford to take my daughter to the dock. -- the dr. -- to the doctor. i heard about this organization and at least wanted to get her vaccinated. that is very important to me. >> greece has become a quiet place. people here are exhausted. the time of mass protest and standing up for their beliefs is

over. april 2012 -- two years ago, it was a very different situation. that then, the square in front of the parliament became the scene of island confrontation -- back then. triggered by a suicide. in protest of the estimate he measures, a pensioner shot himself in the middle of the square -- in protest of the austerity measures. he told his daughter he wanted to end his life in dignity, not as a beggar. >> my father wanted to tell people to rise up and fight back . he exercised his right to resistance. he shot himself in front of the greek parliament because he wanted to motivate a society that was not reacting to the injustice befalling them. >> he called on young greeks to

fight the government and called his wife and daughter. but the daily fight for survival has drained them of the energy needed to fight. >> basically, the financial crisis happened in 2009, so that every day, the situation gets worse and worse, and it does not leave any energy to protest for anything. we no longer protest because we believe this is, like, fate. everything go like this, or everyone is so depressed that they cannot actually go out of their houses. >> the picture remains bleak with no immediate sign of hope on the horizon. >> these -- he's 101 years old and refuses to be kept down. just like back in the nazi era, marco feingold is a jew who

survived the holocaust. they were displaced persons camps in europe for the people who had lost their homes established by the allies, but especially in the beginning, conditions were very difficult to suffer and reminded the jews of the concentration cap's. some nazi collaborators, their former tormentors, stated the same places, another reason why many just wanted to get out. feingold helped them, leading 5000 of them through the pass in the eastern outs. >> the scene of a forgotten bit of postwar austrian history. >> what if i fell down the steps? there we go. >> here he is. marco feingold, 101 years old and still fit. wherever he goes, he is the

center of admiration. he survived six years in concentration camps. after the war, he helped thousands of other holocaust survivors. photos from back then still hang in the townhouse inn. jewish family trekked across a mountain pass illegally into italy. they were trying to get to palestine, but the english military government, then the occupying force in austria, refused to let them leave, as they did not recognize palestine. feingold organized a route for smuggling jews out of the country. he recalls that the local police could not help but notice so many people on the mountain pass. >> they called the security office and said, "there are refugees here. what should we do?" they were caught off guard and told them to call vienna.

the interior minister back then was a real friend to the jews. like everyone else, he did not want any jews in austria, so he told police to shut their doors and pull the curtains. it was none of their business. >> ironically, anti-semitism was one factor that helped so many jews escape austria. some 5000 jews entered italy through this pass. many had no clothes or shoes. feingold wanted to stay. >> everyone liked me so much that they asked me why i did not go to palestine. if i knew the person i was talking to was catholic, i said, "when you go to rome, i'll go to israel." >> today, feingold is president of the israelite community in salzburg. he has held the post for

decades. the word "community," he tells us is a misnomer. there are hardly any jews anymore in salzburg. >> the statistics say there are 72, but i must say statistics are like weather forecasts. sometimes they are right. sometimes they are wrong. that one is way off. my wife says there are 30 jews here. i say there are 20. >> there are not many still alive who experienced naziism firsthand. for that reason, feingold feels compelled to share with others what he went through. he's constantly going to schools, holding lectures, and telling people about his experience. it seems a miracle he survived. >> no prisoner between one meter 60 and one meter 80 weight more than 30 to 40 kilos -- wade --

weighed more than 30 to 40 kilos. you could tell who was going to die the next day. they were separated from the others and brought to be burned. >> does he still feel hatred? >> no, that's over. the past is the past. i only try to tell people, warned them, as i said earlier, put a gun in someone's hands, and anyone will be willing to shoot. we think not us, but everyone is. >> after the summer vacation, feingold will resume talking to school kids. he says he makes quite an impression on young people. they ask lots of questions. many know very little about the holocaust. that's something feingold and his wife want to change. >> nazi graffiti is popping up again. i do not want to think of how often large and small act of

anti-semitism happen. both of the stars of david on the synagogue were smeared with yellow paint. twice we had to replace the locks because they had put stuff in them. why aren't people up in arms about this? >> that's not happening here. but marco feingold is around to remind austrians of the crimes of the past. he knows what it's like to be forced to wear a yellow star, and he's keeping those memories alive, hoping to arouse awareness. >> and hopefully, he can do that for many more years to come. good health and a long life to you all. feel free to stop by on our website, www.dw.de /europeanjournal. you can watch the whole show again or special reports.

we will see you next week. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

>> glad to have you with us on this edition of newsline. immaterial ice tuesday, september 2nd, i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. pro-russian separatists have sat down to be prepared to keep the country together if they were granted a special status. they say that includes the right to form a military organization. separatist leaders met for security and cooperation in jurp. the separatists want to take control of quality for education and promote more integration with russia.