♪ damien: hello and welcome to "focus on europe" giving you an insight into how europeans really live. i'm damien mcginnis. giving an insight on today's program -- italian olive groves in danger of destruction. the romanian village that is wealthy but empty. an estonian military volunteers who are nervous. first, to italy, the world's second-largest exporter of olive oil. now the ancient all of groves --

olive groves that produce the oil are under threat. the very same flight has already ravaged the vineyards in california in the past, but now in italy, hundreds of thousands of trees are being wiped out, and it is spelling natural disaster for many local farmers. >> they are the pride of the entire region --olive trees as far as the eye can see. usually by spring, everything here would be silvery green, but this year in the heel of italy, the trees looked dead and gray. it's a heart wrenching site for antonio. he and his brother produce all of oil for a living, but their trees are diseased -- they produce olive oil for a living, but their trees are diseased. they dried out from the core outwards. >> the trunk is already dead, but the roots are still alive.

that is where these new shoots have come from. they are growing around the tree like undergrowth, but the disease will also affect them. >> this is the bacteria believed to be responsible. xylella fastidiosa. water can no longer reach the branches and leaves. in california, it almost wiped out an entire wine-producing region. now it seems to have found equally attractive conditions here in southern italy. the farmers do not have any antidote. in desperation, they are radically cutting back the trees . >> our heart is dying. our culture, our future is at stake. >> a tree like this can produce 300 kilograms of olives when it is healthy. that's 500 euros a year for 50 kilos of olive oil. >> the disease is causing huge financial losses.

if you travel toward southern puglia, you can get an idea of the scale of the epidemic. >> four kilometers on end, nothing but dead olive trees -- for kilometers on an. >> the damage caused by the blight is irreparable. olive trees grow very slowly. >> it can take 10 to 15 years before a tree bears route -- fruit, but if it becomes diseased again, then the economic impact is twice as big. >> the farmers know that soon the region around here will snow longer produce any olive oil -- will no longer produce any olive oil. in the entire province, one million trees are affected, and the disease continues to spread. 150 garden centers and nurseries have had to close.

the bacterium has also affected fruit trees, oaks, occasions --acacias and even rosemary. >> almost all my plants are impounded, including those that are not disease. i may as well close. i'm not even allowed to grow plants because of the bacterial infection. >> the head of the garden center is at wits end. all over the greenhouse, there are stacks of plants that can no longer be sold. >> this olive bonsai tree would have sold for 60 euros. it's 12 years old. it is meant to be a souvenir from our province. >> no one wants souvenirs like that anymore or the young fruit trees or oleanders, for that matter. everyone is afraid of the bacteria that spreads like wildfire via a tiny insect.

>> the bacterium needs a vector, a carrier. it cannot move from one plant to another on its own. in southern italy, the meadow spittle bug is responsible. it sucks up the bacteria and injected into other plants. >> now, brussels has stepped in. the eu has ordered according to be established, separating the infected south from the north. every single treat in this zone has to be closely monitored and chopped down if it becomes diseased. that standard -- that is standard eu crisis management practice to deal with these kinds of crises, but some of these trees go back 1000 years. there's even a campaign to have them included on the unesco world heritage list. >> in this safety cordon are millions of all of trees, --olive trees, which are centuries, even millennia old. they witnessed the huns and the

moors, and now they will fall victim to the bacterium? >> antonio's small business is typical for olive oil production in the region. most companies are in family hands. the little hope for the future. -- they see little hope for the future. >> last year, we worked for six months. this year, we only have one month's work. without olives, we will not have any work. >> a small bacterium is putting the entire region in italy at risk. soon, these olive presses could be mothballed forever. damien: wow, a million trees to be destroyed -- had eu with fishers -- have eu officials gone crazy you can let me know what you think by getting in touch with us on twitter or by e-mail. now to romania, a country which over the last decade has lost around 3 million people who have

left to find work elsewhere. the advantage is they send large amounts of money back home, which is an important source of revenue for romania. it's also causing depopulation, which is leading to a rather unexpected results in one particular village. >> the streets of certeze are in line with villas and mansions, one fancier than the next -- are lined with villas and mansions. where did the money come from? >> 90% of our citizens have had jobs for years. we are very happy to say that. they are working construction and agriculture legally, and that's all right. >> one thing certeze is short of his people. most of the year, the houses stand empty. their owners are in western europe earning the money to pay for them.

nikolai and his son live in france near versailles. he works in construction and his son in heating and plumbing. >> we won't stay in france forever. i'm already tired of it, but i have no choice -- there's no work in romania. i make 200 euros a month he or. i am that much in france in a day. >> his wife and daughter live in certeze year-round. >> of course we'd rather be together, but our daughter goes to school here. my husband and son are working in france, so what can we do? >> they make sure to show off their murals -- a custom job for a pretty penny. it's a good business for this artist who has done several around certeze. >> this one took me two weeks. all the works are painted with a protected varnish. they are valuable. >> but rumor has it that in

reality very few of the palatial dwellings are finished on the inside. the outsides seem to come first in certeze. damien: despite an official cease-fire in eastern ukraine, there have now been reports of increased fighting, sparking concerns across europe, particularly in the baltic states, which was part of the former soviet union. these countries were already victims of russian aggression numerous times during the 20th century. when they look at moscow's actions in ukraine today, many cannot help worrying they may have to one day try to fight off russia once again, which is why baltic people are flocking to volunteer for military training, including in estonia. >> every two weeks on saturday morning, the volunteers from the graduates unit pack up their weapons and head out for maneuvers with their comrades in arms.

they load up the truck with everything they will need for the next 36 hours in the field. >> our unit is heading out to an old soviet base today. we will be exercising urban combat with dummy ammunition. all we've done up to now as target practice with real guns. now, we will be exercising in the field. >> the 33-year-old teaches literature and serves as one of the 18,000 volunteers with an estonian defense league. it was founded when the baltic nation gained independence from the soviet union in 1991. these weekend warriors are a branch of an estonian armed forces. the state provides their arms and equipment. it's a two-hour drive out to the

old soviet missile base where they set up cap. in k's hostilities broke out, they reinforced the regular army's nearly 4000 active troops -- in case hostilities broke out. since the crisis began in ukraine, more and more estonians have been volunteering for the defense league. nearly 1000 new recruits last year alone. old and young, men and women, estonians of every ethnic group are joining up and even paying a membership fee. they are well aware that the gains -- the games could turn deadly serious. the commander of the defense league unit for the military district around the capital. >> to us, the ukrainian crisis looms very close to home. it's a military conflict right

on our doorsteps, and people feel threatened. national defense has become a major issue. >> now out in the field, the unit half off their way up to the houses they are supposed to secure in today's exercises -- the unit have thought their way up to the houses they are supposed to secure in today's exercise -- the unit have fought their way up to the houses. the deadly bullets are harmless, but they wear goggles just in case. could they actually mount an effective defense against a sophisticated military machine from the east? >> we are all pretty much patriots, but at the same time, we are pretty much amateurs as well. what we do need is someone with experience telling us what to do . this is one of the challenges that the estonian defense league

has. >> serving in the defense league is voluntary, but many see it as a patriotic duty. even growing numbers of ethnic russians are taking part, such as this nurse. she takes charge when the volunteers practice recovering wounded soldiers. >> it's a lifestyle. it's normal for me to have my nurses uniform hanging in my closet with my evening dress and camouflage fatigues. >> a few days later, the weekend warrior has become a lecturer, teaching a course in modern literature. today, it's about contemporary authors. >> i see myself as a link in a strong chain, even if my role is not that important. these are dangerous times in world politics. every person has to understand

their part of this society and find their own role in it. >> he sees it as his duty to defend his country. besides, he admits on the side he does enjoy a little adventure on the weekends -- just a bit. damien: last year, scottish nationalists lost an independence referendum to break away from the u.k., but since then, the left-wing scottish nationalist party looks set to win the vast majority of scottish seats in the next month british parliament electric -- next month's british parliament elections. now, they've put forth a radical proposal of breaking up the traditional noble estates, which control more than half the scottish land. fans of "downton abbey" may not like the idea, but it has a lot of support from scottish voters. >> the scottish highlands have

seen many a battle. now another is brewing over land reform. much of the land is held by a few individuals here, but that could change if the scottish nationalist party has its way. >> it's a gradual change that could make scotland more prosperous and bring the gap between rich and poor closer together. >> a whiff of class warfare hangs in the land. landowners fear or their estate -- for their estates. >> i don't see why somebody else should decide for you what you wish to do. >> but scott's -- scots'view of the matter depends on which side they are on. max of communism but is meant to save small communities -- it smacks of communism, but it is meant to save small communities. many homes here lie abandoned and are falling apart.

100 20 square kilometers on harris belong to a family who lives in england. this resident is unhappy with the state of things. >> this is the opposite of what we would like to see happening there. we would like to see the place get regenerated, maybe new house is getting built, families moving in. this was a family home a long time ago, but suddenly, not anymore. >> the decline started long ago. in the 19th century, estate owners displaced farmers to raise sheep, as this was more lucrative. since world war ii, harris has lost 40% of its population. john has watched the exodus from his workshop at the harbor. he repairs old engines here, and now he is trying to get his island up and running again. the village wants to buy the land so 700 residents can be masters of their own destiny. people here say the hitchcock family from england showed no interest in it.

>> i have never seen the landowner. never. he just sends his lackey to collect the rent annually. >> the community hopes to buy the land using ones provided by the scottish government -- using funds provided by the scottish government. they plan to set up wind turbines and profit from the energy generated. >> i would like to see people have a bit of confidence in themselves and just take on a bit of responsibility and see what they can do. at worst, it's just going to be the same as it is now. >> communities here want to show estate owners the door. the plan envisions compensation, not discipline for you, yet, the reform is a radical idea -- the plan envisions compensation, not disappropriation.

the new laws would apply to all large estate holders. this mansion is part of a big estate near glasgow that belongs to the earl of avondale. his son fears the land reform could cost his family their home. >> i don't like the idea. i think it will end up impacting small family farms disproportionately hard. if you have 200, 300 acres and three children, you cannot split that three ways and create a viable farm. you will force it to be sold. >> the family have kept their land together by passing it on to a single heir. the lord employs many people to help him run the estate. a mix of hunting and farming is cracking here. lord johnston says an estate like this works best when it is owned and operated by a single person.

-- a mix of hunting and farming is practiced here. >> what you got behind us is a building which is roofing, so we employ people directly and also provide opportunities for other businesses to go on within the state. it's a win-win situation. >> those who live on his land think the only winner here is lord johnston. they can walk through his words, but he alone decides what happens on his property. landowners can chop down trees at will or let firms drill for oil or gas. ordinary scots have no say in the matter. gordon says that is wrong. gordon: i do have something personal against a small number of individuals who seem to have such control, such power, and such huge ownership of scotland's land. >> land reform is giving hope to those who, until now, have not owned any. on harris, john is already

seeing progress. the proposal for the community to see bonus above the land is fostering optimism. a whiskey distillery is being built, another tourist attraction for the island, which was previously best-known for making harris tweed. john: there is that opportunity to take control and then, hopefully -- it does not mean that if you take control of the community, it lets us do fantastic things, but there is the opportunity to do that, so we should have a go. >> the community things the change will be for the better, but on the other side of the ends, landowners are fighting to maintain the status quo. it's a battle to decide who scotland will belong to in the future. damien: a key part of swiss political culture is putting everything to a referendum. now, the swiss are voting on new words for the country's national anthem. swiss people have been called on to send in their choice of lyrics, and now the country will vote to decide which one should end up the new official national

anthem. seems the old one was just too old-fashioned. as our reporter in switzerland found out, not particularly well-known either. >> this was have plenty to be proud about -- their majestic mountains and low taxes -- but their swiss national anthem? who has ever heard of that? >> i think that it's internationally very well thought of. i once heard a german reporter sing before a ski tournament, "listen to that anthem. it's really lovely." >> he defends each and every verse as if it was his country and health. he is determined to stop the national anthem from being tinkered with. but how popular is the national anthem with the swiss people in general? we conduct a survey. do you know the words? >> of course. >> how does it go? >> i don't know it by heart.

>> i wrote it down at home. >> can you sing it? ♪ ♪ >> in fact, the anthem is not such a big hit -- not like swiss army knives, swiss clocks, and watches, and swiss cheese. there are even swiss people who think that their anthem is positively out of date. >> the lyrics were actually written in 1840, and they use images that are no longer in current linguist at usage -- current linguistic usage. >> that's why the swiss welfare society decided to launch a countrywide song contest, and the public were asked to choose

their favorite from six new proposals, like this one here. ♪ but swiss -- but a swiss rock evening -- but a swiss rock musician is skeptical. he likes the fact that the swiss anthem is so in touch with nature. >> it's about the big things in life. you do not have to redefine them all the time. you don't need to redefine spring. its evergreen. and then there is something else -- a national anthem does not have to be up-to-date and modern. the opposite, in fact. it has to stand the test of time. >> and that is hard enough in switzerland. for a long time, the swiss had

unfortunately, it was set to the same tune as "god save the queen," britain's national anthem. ♪ >> you can imagine that it was a repeated source of confusion at political events where both switzerland and britain were present. >> the current anthem was not officially recognized until 1981, long after it was written. isn't this move a bit premature? this musicologist has listened to possible replacements and is quite impressed, but he does not think the plan to switch the national anthem will go ahead. thomas: the swiss do not like change, and the process of change, including political change, always takes a long time. ♪

>> there's also outraged by the new national anthem proposals. -- there's also outrage by the new national anthem proposals. >> they are party manifestoes, party slogans. we don't need that. >> what switzerland needs and what it does not -- that is usually decided by referendum. in all likelihood, swiss voters will ultimately get to decide the eighth of the country's anthem -- the fate of the country's anthem. damien: that's all for today. thanks very much for watching, and remover -- to feel the to get in touch with any comments, good or bad. always great to hear from you. for now, it's goodbye from the and the team here. look forward to hearing from you next week, same time, same

place. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] steves: a selection of ferries make the 50-mile crossing between helsinki and tallinn nearly hourly. because of the ease of this delightful two-hour cruise and the variety a quick trip over to estonia adds to your nordic travels, pairing helsinki and tallinn is a natural. way culturally from finland. stepping off the boat in tallinn, the capital of estoniag

its a mix of east and west. tallinn's nordic lutheran culture and language connect it with stockholm and helsinki, but two centuries of czarist russian rule and nearly 50 years as part of the soviet union have blended in a distinctly russian flavor. fins and estonians share a similar history. first, swedish domination, then russian. then independence after world war i. until 1940, the estonians were about as affluent as the fins, but then estonia was gobbled up by an expanding soviet empire and spent the decades after world war ii under communism. when the ussr fell, estonia regained its freedom, and in 2004, it joined the european union. tallinn has modernized at an astounding rate since the fall of the soviet union. its business district shines with the same glass and steel gleam you'll find in any modern city. yet nearby are the rugged and fully intact medieval walls, and the town within these ramparts

has a beautifully preserved old-world ambiance. among medieval cities in the north of europe, none are as well preserved as tallinn. the town hall square was a marketplace through the centuries. its fine old buildings are a reminder that tallinn was once an important medieval trading center. today it's a touristy scene, full of people just having fun. through the season, each midday, cruise-ship groups congest the center as they blitz the town in the care of local guides. like many tourist zones, tallinn's is a commercial gauntlet. here there's a hokey torture museum, strolling russian dolls, medieval theme restaurants complete with touts, and enthusiastic hawkers of ye olde taste treats. woman: [ laughs ] steves: but just a couple blocks away is, for me, the real attraction of tallinn -- workaday locals enjoying real freedom and better economic times.

still-ramshackle courtyards host inviting cafés. bistros serve organic cuisine in a chic patina of old-world-meets new. and just outside the walls, it seems there's no tourism at all. under towering ramparts, the former moat is now a park, perfect for a warm afternoon stroll.

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