damien: hello and a very warm welcome to "focus on europe" -- bringing you some of the human stories behind the big headlines. i'm damien mcguinness. and we've got a really interesting show lined up for you today. in norway, welcoming syrian refugees crossing the arctic circle. in france, welcoming new neighbors into the village. and in moldova, local people in fear. of course, the biggest issue facing europe at the moment is how to deal with the huge numbers of refugees and migrants -- many are fleeing war and

conflict in the middle east and africa. others are trying to escape crushing poverty. either way, their main aim is to get to richer northern europe, particularly scandinavia, which has the resources to help. and now a new route is opening up for migrants through russia . until recently people have tended to make the perilous journey across the mediterranean. but increasingly, borders in many parts of europe are being controlled, making it harder for people to get to northern europe. which means migrants are now braving the arctic. reporter: we're at the far eastern tip of norway, deep inside the arctic circle. this is the e.u.'s northern most border. norway on this side, russia on the other. a new group of asylum seekers has just arrived from syria. they've travelled 6000 kilometers to get here. at the small border station, they put in their application for asylum. the border here is normally pretty quiet. but things have changed of late. the wars in the middle east are being felt right up here in the arctic.

one strange piece of evidence of that -- dozens of bicycles piled up in the police station garage. stein hansen: these are the bicycles that have been left here by the asylum seekers who have used the bicycles to cross the border. so when we said that we would impose a penalty for those who are driving asylum seekers for profit or any way doing that, they decided then it's easier to bike. the russian border authorities don't allow pedestrians through. so, mahir and his family -- like many syrian refugees here -- had to bike into norway. they arrived six weeks ago. once a well-off family, they left the war-ravaged city of homs and are now staying at an asylum centre near oslo. they said a friend advised them to take the northern arctic route via the russian city of murmansk. there are no dangerous boat

crossings, no traffickers, and only one european border to negotiate. >> i called some friends -- where is murmansk, how much is the distance like this. the first time i thought i can get a visa to russia, i don't know if i get it or not. reporter: they were able to get visas at the russian embassy in dubai and bought plane tickets from beirut to murmansk via moscow. a journey they'd sooner forget. >> one hour -- don't move from the chair. when my son going -- shouting. norway port, we entered the room, very very well dressed and smiling and clean. apply for asylum. no welcome. reporter: the number of asylum seekers is slowly rising. those granted asylum receive eight months of intensive courses in the norwegian language and culture.

fatima and her husband amir have also come from syria. they now live in the border town of kirkenes. norway's refugee relief agency has rented them a house and will now assist them for at least two years. after that, they'll need to provide for themselves. they're not surprised that other syrians are fleeing to the e.u. via this northern route. >> it might be cold here in winter and dark for weeks on end, but that's not so important. what matters is that my children are safe here. here, the government is taking care of them. if necessary, they even organize a taxi to take them to school. reporter: kirkenes doesn't exactly offer an exciting life for the new arrivals. but norway is a wealthy country. and so far at least, there's no public debate and seemingly no discontent over the refugees arriving here. >> all i can hope is that they get plenty of help when they get here.

>> as long as there's enough space for the refugees i don't see any reason to worry. reporter: at the moment the numbers are small -- by the end of august less than 300 syrian refugees had crossed from russia into norway. but given all the difficulties experienced by migrants on the e.u.'s southern borders, officials believe the numbers here will soon rise. desperate refugees are not going to be put off by an arctic winter. stein hansen: now it's not very hot and it's raining, but in one and a half months the snow will start to come and we get temperatures below the freezing point. we have to wait and see but i don't think we have seen the end of it yet. reporter: norway says it will not turn away anyone seeking help. but if significantly higher numbers of refugees begin to arrive at the border, norway's liberal asylum policy could be put to the test.

damien: one of the most worrying flash points of this crisis is the border crossing to hungary. we've seen terrible scenes recently of clashes between armed border guards and desperate migrants. the hungarian authorities have said they are just defending their borders -- but they have also been widely criticised for being heavyhanded. one hungarian friend told me the other day that she's not exactly proud of her government. and many hungarians would agree with her. and now some are even using satire to express their concern. reporter: this summer has seen a spate of billboards popping up across hungary -- at first glance it looks like official government pr. but then again, perhaps not. the posters are the work of gergely kovacs and ferenc sebo -- artists and satirists, but above all hungarians who are outraged at their country's treatment of the refugees currently traveling through europe. they've had 900 provocative billboards put up to draw attention to the issue.

gergely kovacs: we are trying to laugh. this is the only solution we can do now. but for example we like the fence that they want to build now, but i think it should be 175 kilometers tall instead of 175 kilometers wide. the tourists would love it. a fence 175 kilometers tall and reporter: a fence 175 kilometers tall and five meters long, instead of the other way around, as the government has done. laughs aside, the real target of their campaign is right-wing prime minister viktor orban. they accuse him of reversing human rights, and more recently of running his anti-immigration campaign. the duo's activities extend to more than just cheeky slogans. they've also founded the "two tailed dog party", with a manifesto promising voters free beer, and two sunsets a day. but there's always a serious message behind all the

tomfoolery. this poster in german thanks austria for not closing its borders to the 180,000 refugees who fled hungary after the 1956 popular revolution was quashed by the soviet tanks. the posters are a response to government billboards such as this one, featuring a smiling young woman who declares "we do not want illegal immigrants". and there are many other such billboards, with messages like cannot take hungarians' jobs," or "if you come to hungary, you have to abide by the laws." hardly a warm welcome, but our satirists show us what prime minister orban considers a humane response at this budapest station -- one of the "transit zones" opened by the government amid much fanfare. anyone managing to make it past the razor-wire fences and get this far, is permited to stay in one of these areas. several hundred men, women and children have camped out here in

the open air -- most of them from syria and afghanistan. two tailed dog party co-founder zsolt victora is here both as an activist, and as a father with a heart for children. >> it's nice. gergely kovacs: it seems the government forgot to give them any beds. but they made a cool playground. ferenc sebo: they live in our streets to get closer to our culture -- because this is how you can really get closer to hungarian culture. you live in their streets, and you can see how they live, the hungarians. reporter: but ultimately, of course, it's no laughing matter either for them or those they are trying to help. the party was founded for fun -- but people across hungary are now taking kovacs and his fellow activists very seriously.

gergely kovacs: i think the government wants the people to see the immigrants, because the government wants the people to hate the immigrants. that's why they don't build a normal immigration center. they just let them lay here and in the parks. this mess is good for the government. reporter: a farce that they countered with posters declaring "immigrants are eating up our jobs!", or challenging the regime for spending public money on anti-immigrant campaigns. the two-tailed dog party raised funds for its poster campaign via social media, and they've collected 100,000 euros. and the billboard spaces happen to be the property of influential businessman lajos simicska, formerly a close associate of orban, and major donor to the ruling fidesz party.

ferenc sebo: he was financing it. reporter: those ties with fidesz ended earlier this year. while they're happy to have the billboard space, they also accuse simicska of stealing taxpayers money while involved in government affairs. and on issues on the domestic front -- while fidesz has called for the restoration of the death penalty, the two-tailed dog party or mkkp promises eternal life. and some other posters have a more straightforward message. damien: fighting for tolerance with humour. although some might say that the migrant cisis is just too desperate to laugh about. what do you think? drop me a line on twitter, email or facebook and let me know your opinion on that or any of the stories on today's show. the last time i was in france a few months ago we stayed in a beautiful little village near the pyrenees -- it was idyllic. exactly how you imagine rural france. but there was one thing missing -- people. it was completely empty. even the medieval church had closed down.

rural depopulation is something that's happening all over france, as young people head to the cities to find work. but the mayor of one small french village has decided to take a rather unusual step to bring his local community back to life. reporter: we're in champ-du-boult, a small village in normandy. it was once a lively village with a thriving farming community. now all the butchers, bakeries and cobblers are closed down. the small population consists mostly of pensioners. the young people have moved out to the cities to work. now champ-du-boult is looking for new ways of enticing people to move here. the community wants to sell land off at bargain prices -- just one euro per square metre. but not to anyone. patrick madeleine: we're interested in families that have two or three children, who want to live here year round. not people looking to build

weekend houses, there are enough of them already. reporter: the mayor advertised four plots and was overwhelmed by the response. around 300 families are keen to settle in champ-du-boult. abdoulkarim barry, from senegal, was one of them. he's been working for years as a cashier in a supermarket in caen. abdoulkarim barry: it had never really occurred to me before. but now we have an opportunity to build a house and leave something to our children. sometimes you have to plan ahead and do something for your family. you never know what life has in store. reporter: barry was offered the plot of land because not only does he want to live in champ-du-boult, he wants to work here too. abdoulkarim barry: we want to start our own business. open a shop or maybe a restaurant that will serve senegalese specialities.

reporter: this is where barry plans to build his house, with enough bedrooms for more children. he wants to rent out the fields at the back. abdoulkarim barry: the house will be here, the cows can stand over there. i belong to the fula people, we're cattle herders. we've come to visit. we'll be moving here soon. >> oh good, that's great. abdoulkarim barry: we'll come to see you. there must be a lot you can tell us. reporter: most of the villagers voted for this new movement and were in favour of selling the plots at low prices, but some people are still disappointed. >> people who already live here applied too. the plots should be offered to them first, they should be given priority, not families from somewhere else.

reporter: nathalie pelan runs the only remaining shop and pub in the village. she's worries about potential competition. and she's not afraid to say so. nathalie pelan: there isn't room for another shop. there'd have to be a lot more people living here. i earn good money but if it were divided in half that wouldn't be enough. reporter: the new villagers won't be discouraged. barry wants more from village life than work. he hopes for more social interaction, like he experienced back home, and he thinks champ-du-boult might be just the place for it. abdoulkarim barry: in africa, when the weather's nice like this, everyone's outside. you're always invited by others, there are always reasons to meet up with people.

that's what life should be like. reporter: the village of champ-du-boult is on the search for new residents, and with their fresh plot of land, it looks like the barrys already feel at home. damien: the situation in eastern ukraine appears to have calmed down slightly over the last few weeks, with the ceasefire looking more stable. but the conflict between kiev and pro-russian rebels is far from resolved. it looks increasingly like it might become another frozen conflict -- a speciality in the former soviet union. to see what that can mean for a country you just need to look at moldova -- where more than two decades ago a bloody civil war turned into a frozen conflict between the separatist pro-russian region of transnistria and pro-european moldova. the difficulty with frozen conflicts though is not only do

they impoverish a country -- you can also never be quite sure fighting won't break out again. as local people in one disputed territory are now fearing. reporter: the river dniester separates the break-away territory of transnistria from moldova. and for these people, this ferry is the sole connection between their home village of cocieri and their native moldova. it's an enclave surrounded by transnistria, which is ruled by an authoritarian regime that's loyal to moscow and protected by russian troops. for many residents like ivan mitcul, transnistria is a hostile territory. ivan mitcul: we grew up here. we used to play everywhere around here, but that's no longer possible because the whole area surrounding the village is occupied. it's humiliating, not being able to move freely.

reporter: what he means becomes clear once you look behind these trees. a russian military base. camera crews are probihited, but secretly we filmed armoured cars and troops watching every movement. just two decades ago, what is now the moldovan-transnistrian border zone was the scene of bloody fighting after the break-up of the soviet union. it involved the moldovan army and separatists. the village has since been surrounded by checkpoints manned by russian soldiers. they were brought in to enforce observance of the ceasefire, following a war that has left deep scars here. the conflict left many residents dead or seriously injured. ivan mitcul's leg was shot to shreds by a machine gun.

ivan mitcul: i had two small children, and they just attacked us. they destroyed our village and killed a lot of people. i've never forgiven them for that and now they're provoking us again. reporter: a few months ago, an armed milita group from inside transnistria seized fields farmed by the villagers. mayor raisa spinovski and her staff are in crisis mode. the fields in question -- 1,500 hectares, or 95% of their total farmland. raisa spinovski: our farmers went there with their tractors and tried to resist. but the transnistrian militia drove them away and stole their machines. now, everyone's too afraid to go there. reporter: moldova is concerned that the situation could escalate and has not dispatched any troops to cocieri.

the government has been sending aid to residents, but it's not nearly enough, as sergiu sava notices in his store. sergiu sava: we're doing less business. we can barely pay staff's wages, or make new orders. if it keeps going like this, i'll have to shut down. reporter: and there are signs that cocieri itself is shutting down. that's very evident to school principal aurelia ursul. last spring, she and her colleagues were teaching 200 pupils. but she doesn't know how many will return after the holidays -- due to the troubling developments just a few kilometers away. aurelia ursul: we hear from neighboring transnistrian villages that the men are being mobilized for the army. we've seen a lot of soldiers outside the village, and maneuvers. it's worrying.

reporter: for now, the villagers are still attending friday prayers at the local orthodox church, in this time of great need. >> i'm afraid they'll steal our village. we have to be prepared for anything. they could make a move any time. reporter: some, however, are not leaving their chances to prayer. they fear an attack from forces in transnistria, so they are leaving cocieri -- on their trusty old ferry back across the dniester to molova proper, while they still can. damien: fears of russian aggression. but in another area of eastern europe, things seem to be getting less tense. until recently the president of belarus, alexander lukashenko was referred to as europe's last dictator by western media. today he seems to be trying to position himself as something of a mediator between russia and the west in the ukraine conflict.

he's starting to open up the country. and is now even welcoming tourists to one of the country's most undiscovered national parks. reporter: for most people in+ poland, the world has long ended here, at the border to belarus. but since june, foreign tourists have able to visit belarus for up to three days without a visa. there's been a steady stream of people coming to check it out -- walkers, cyclists, and even the border police themselves. now that it's so easy, why miss out? my passage through polish customs is swift and suddenly i find myself outside the e.u. you don't need a visa for belarus, but you do have to register in advance through a travel agency, and then there are of course the obligatory forms to fill out. on the belarusian side, a shuttle bus awaits. bit of a disappointment for the walkers -- you are allowed to go on foot, but only if you stick to the road.

eugeniusz lawreniuk works as a tour operator and is constantly travelling around belarus. he knows how to stick to the rules and still have a good time. eugeniusz lawreniuk: it's a bit restrictive, you can't just go walking round the forest because it's a national park. but that doesn't bother most tourists. they still get to see enough, if they stick to the rules. so far there haven't been any disputes with soldiers or border police. even in belarus, times have changed. reporter: what makes this region so fascinating is the huge forest that crosses the entire border region -- although we don't get see much of it on the trip. but 20 kilometres from the border, we arrive at a kind of tourist centre. but it turns out to be pretty empty.

our first stop -- the currency exchange office. griet von petersdorff: 200 thousand -- for just over 10 euros. reporter: then it's off to a restaurant. local businesses here are hoping to attract lots of poles. first challenge though is trying to read the menu. it's raining, but finally i'm allowed to go off exploring. this part of the forest is open to foreigners like me thanks to the director of the national park, or rather, his friendship with president alexander lukashenko. there's plenty to see, like this ancient oak tree. it's 600 years old. it survived the tsars, kings, the communist general secretaries. it's belonged to russia, poland, lithuania, and it's still standing. as i make my way back to the border, i meet some polish day visitors who are heading home. so how was their day out in belarus? >> very positive.

>> it's a beautiful area, everything's well organized, good routes for cyclists, i'm surprised. >> we had some problems at the border. we hadn't taken out any insurance -- we didn't know we needed to. so we first had to go back and sort that out. so we haven't had much time today. reporter: but they're all planning to return. and i can see why. before, it was very difficult to come here. now with the visa restrictions lifted, it's rather enticing. damien: well that's it for today. thanks very much for watching. remember do feel free to get in touch anytime with your thoughts and comments. always great to hear from you. but in the meantime, it's goodbye from me and the whole team. thanks for watching. and see you next time. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

steves: since the romantic era in the 19th century, luzern has been a regular stop on the grand tour route of europe. [ whistle blows ] its inviting lakefront now includes a modern concert hall, which incorporates the lake into its design. the old town, with a pair of picture-perfect wooden bridges, straddles the reuss river, where it tumbles out of lake luzern.

the bridge was built at an angle in the 14th century to connect the town's medieval fortifications. today, it serves strollers, rather than soldiers, as a peaceful way to connect two sides of town. many are oblivious to the fascinating art just overhead. under the rafters hang about 100 colorful 17th-century paintings showing scenes from luzern and its history. this legendary giant dates to the middle ages, when locals discovered mammoth bones, which they mistakenly thought were the bones of a human giant. here's luzern in about 1400, the bridge already part of the city fortifications. and luzern looked like this in 1630. luzern is responsible for controlling the lake level. by regulating the flow of water out of its lake, the city prevents the flooding of lakeside villages when the snow melts. in the mid-19th century, the city devised and built

this extendable dam. by adding and taking away these wooden slats, they could control the level of the lake. swans are a fixture on the river today. locals say they arrived in the 17th century as a gift from the french king, louis xiv, in appreciation for the protection his swiss guards gave him. switzerland has a long history of providing strong and loyal warriors to foreign powers. the city's famous lion monument recalls the heroism of more swiss mercenaries. the mighty lion rests his paws on a french shield. tears stream down his cheeks. the broken-off end of a spear is slowly killing the noble beast. the sad lion is a memorial to over 700 swiss mercenaries who were killed, defending marie antoinette and louis xvi during the french revolution. the people of luzern take full advantage of their delightful river with a variety of cafes and restaurants along its banks.

this evening, we're enjoying the setting as much as the food. i'm having the local pork. my producer, simon, is having eel, fresh from the river. with a picturesque setting like this, the dining experience makes for a wonderful memory.