captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> hello, and welcome to "europeanournal." this week, bridge or tunnel? we follow the twists and turns of a controversial crossing to link germany and denmark across the baltic sea. also, making moonshine in hungary. the ukraine is co-host thing euro 2012 -- coasti-hosting euro

2010, but will it be profitable? first, many believe it will be a huge economic boomlet to build a bridge linking germany and denmark across the baltic sea. others want to stick to the ferry. the decision will be made next month, and it will not be easy. denmark, this is where the ferry dock. the writer goes on board. she has raised a monument to the ferries. she has declared a love for the perfume sales girls in a deep duty-free shops.

if the bridge tunnel is built, the salespeople will disappear. it is claimed that southern denmark will experience a bumpoom. >> it is part of denmark's that we discuss a lot. everybody seems to move away from instead of moving too. the branch would mean some good things for the people living there. the risk is that everybody does drive through and goes to copenhagen, and never has a stop. maybe they just pass through. >> if everyone just drives past, that will be the end of all hope here. the region has little to offer the tourists. a wind power equipment

manufacturer in in the region recently shut down, throwing more than four hundred people out of work. this man's painting business employs 20 people. he experienced the time in the 1980's when business was booming. at that time, one of the few ways to get to denmark from germany was the fairy. now, a permanent connection is being touted as the key to a new golden age. >> we hope that industry will develop here again, very close. building of bread could fuel the whole economy. -- building a bridge could fuel the whole economy. >> berlin. this company conducts pr for its

project. but it has still not decided whether it will be a bridge or tunnel. at first, it looks like plants were tending toward a cable bridge, but it turned out that the seabed was not as firm as previously thought and costs soared. it was estimated to cost 5.2 billion euros. a bridge would have some advantages over a tunnel. >> there are a numbeof set issu related to tunnel, simply because it is more difficult to fight a fire in a ko'card, for instance. -- car, for instancece >> during a storm, a bridge would be off limits for many vehicles, and that means that

money would change hands. protests take place outside of the british embassy. a local citizens' actions group once neither abridge nora tunnel. they say construction would and dangerous nature, tourism, and the jobs on the the ferry. at a train station, the alliance's speaking. the entrance to the tunnel or the on ramp to the bridge is supposed to be built close to is property. these people are fighting the project. they concede that the tunnel would be a lesser evil and would not have an effect on the flight to uttered million birds per year in the region, and shipping would be safer. but ultimately, it is a matter

of being upset that the politicians do not ask the people what should be done on their island. >> you will not get people to support such projects when the people who are affected have the feeling that everything has already been decided without them. >> again and again, the opponents of the crossing are being criticized as narrow minded and lacking a vision of a unified europe. they cannot understand that. >> the european idea is here. we have open borders. good and people move without hindrance. on the other hand, people talk about a united europe, but people in denmark do not have at the euroba. >> the fate of denmark in europe partly depends on a bridge or a tunnel.

-- hardly depends on a bridge or tunnel. neither project would be finished until 2020 anyway. >> greece, the fit nation to need bailingut by the european union, is still having a tough time. for many, like there is difficult. we tell the story of several struggling. -- we told the story of several struggling greek families at the beginning of this year. now we are back. she is to enjoy going shopping for groceries at the local market, but in the wake of the debt crisis, our salary was cut by 100 euros. >> a lot of the produce here is now too expensive. we have to be careful. a few years ago, we did not

bother checking the exact price of tomatoes. we just pick to the ones that looks best. >> his wife is also a teacher. she took a pay cut as well. that is when the crisis hit last january. she told us that normal families like hers would and upper part. -- would end up hurt. the family can no longer afford to have a two-tiered, which is common in greece. -- buta tutor, which is common in greece. >> it is not just the salary cuts. we had to watch the entire country collapse. >> the greek economy has shrunk by 4% this year and unemployment is up by one-third. experts predict the recession will last at least another year.

back in march, this woman said she had also been hard hit by the crisis. >> people have become reluctant to spend. few customers will come in and share a pastry. sometimes, they will only order 1 cup of coffee. >> the crisis is claiming a lot of a victim's. only the real professionals will survive, the ones who really love their work and respect to the customers. they are not hiking their prices. we give our customers only the very best. >> we first met this person in late april. he had just opened a delicatessen in a tourist neighborhood. even though the crisis was in full swing, he was optimistic that his business would survive. >> people might stopped by --

some people might stop buying clothes, but they will not stop buying food. >> he finally succeeded in getting approval from authorities, without even having to pay bribes. >> right now, there is not much money left over for corruption. people are afraid. the mood has changed. anyone who could pay bribes is nervous. from that point of view, the crisis has as the bandages. -- has its advantages. >> but tourist numbers have fallen. still, his optimism is unchanged. this woman has just had a meeting with heheboss. he told her she would now be working just have time because the company had lost clients. she will be earning 400 euros per month. the family is angry and they are

directing their rage at the country's leadership. >> immigration is out of the question. we should take those politicians who are supposedly governing and thw them o. >> distilling your own alcohol used to be illegal in hungary, but now people like being told that they can make a limited amount of fruit s-based alcohol in their houses. this is being seen as a political gesture from a government keen to please the rural voters. >> this man inherited hisove of distilling hungarian fruit brandy from his father and grandfather. he swears by his new gas burner. otherwise, the method remains just the same.

f>> i have been making it like this for a couple of years, but officially all leeson's the first of october since it has been legalized -- only since the first of october, since it has been legalized. >> now all time. can have their own personal stores. that is a relief -- now all hungarians can have their own personal stars. that is a relief for this man. >> i never found out who reported me. i have a video camera outside my door, but to the tax officials outwitted me and waited until i took the children to school. >> my husband's nerves were shot. the tax officials confiscated his equipment.

still, a week and a half later he drove to slovenia and brought an even bigger -- bought an even bigger still. >> analogous family can sample their creations openly. -- and now this family can sample their creations openly. most hungarians think that is a good thing. but some people are not happy. they are working to make that the product better now. they say it is made from real fruit and subject to controls. >> we have to write everything down. we cannot simply remove the alcohol. now there is a new ruling.

it is possible, very possible, that that products will end up on the market and hurt our image. >> it was the hungarian prime minister who had the idea to legalize, distilling. now the person charged with implementing the policy is doing so. >> we are making people happy, the way an amateur musician feels when he gets to perform, and not just go to other people's concerts. >> but the liberalization of home distilling is raising concerns. hungary is a country where alcohol problems loom large. many people are trying to quit drinking, a process that can take up to one-and-a-half years. this 30-year-old was in rehab the before, but now he fears being tempted by even cheaper

alcohol of dubious origin. >> the government is acting irresponsibly. there will be cheap booze everywhere, and that is harmful to people's health. >> hungary is tom to many small distilleries which feel that the new law puts them at a disadvantage. local people bring their fruit and turn it into brandy. >> many amateur distillers do not know what they are doing. buyers,hey need meonto show them the right way to make -- first, they need someone to show them the right way to make brandy. >> he knows what to do because he took a course taught by a professional. for him, there is nothing better than the all may drink. it is a family tradition -- the

homemade drink. it is a family tradition he intends to continue. >> mention the staging of a big, international soccer tournament these days, and it is never straightforward. the 2012 football championships are being posted by poland and the ukraine. there are questions that the de ukraine may not be ready in time. they are mired in delays. it is a rough ride on streets that badly need repair. this picturesque town is facing even worse times. the infrastructure projects are stuck in a morass of corruption. outside the city, a new stadium is being built. only months ago, nothing was happening here at all.

now the third general contractor has taken over. millions of euros were allegedly diverted and an investigation is underway. >> we will get the job done. the stadium will be handed over next july. there is no corruption involved. >> the other side of the city already has a stadium. it is the, of the flagship team, even if a betting scandal has tarnished the image. appearances can be misleading. we get an appointment and have to hand over our cell phones at the door. he wanted to turn it euro 2012 into his personal business.

>># i offered to build and finance the stadium and the entire infrastructure for the city, but we did not speak the same language. other cities have wealthy private investors who are financing the cities. >> soccer, money and power go hand in hand in ukraine. he fumes over what he calls an open secret that the may are is corrupt -- mayor is corrupt. it does not mention that he owns a television station. the head of the european soccer

tournament recently threatened to remove him. the mayor refused to work with the rich man. >> as compensation, he wanted hotels, buildings, and other real estate in the best locations. we refused. >> now the city is financing the renovations on their own with some of government support. the fact that they are almost broke does not punctured the mayor's pride in the least. he says allegations are a media circus. the people here do not think too much of the city elders. they compare the corrupt public servants and oligarchs as a choice between plague and cholera. >> not only do the oligarchs take money, they also have

connections to key officials in europe. without those connections, ukraine would have lost the european championships long ago. >> as the construction work is now utterly frenzied. the airport also has to be extended. one person's house has to go. he says the small compensation he is getting is far too little to be able to live. >> soccer? it could go hang for all i care. in 80 years old. my wife died four years ago. this little piece of land is all i have left. what am i supposed to live on then? >> european soccer grandeur can be felt after all. in the lounge, he cuts a

lonesome figure. the mayor has more important things to do. >> you may think that witches are just the stuff of harry potter, but druidism has now become recognized as a religion. this means that drew it can benefit from charitable status and receive -- druids can now receive charitable status and tax breaks. it is the sixth most popular religion in great britain. >> they mostly spe in rcs. the priestess' calls for the blessing. >> we perform our rightes.

>> they gather at into italy sites inspired by a celtic mythology. it's bound -- at ancient holy sites inspired by caltech mythology. it sounds like the stone age. >> i wt to be connected to what is going on here, which is partly celebration of our ancestors, all of our ancestors. this is a very special place, a powerful, spiritual place. >> the name and pay again and was once used derisively by christians -- pagan was once used derisively by christians. these people have reclaimed it and take their religion seriously. >> you just need to be still for a moment. that is when you connect to the earth. >> his life is anything but still. he is a london-based journalist

always watching for the latest trends. writes for fashion magazines. his specialty is cosmetics or men, so we often tests shaving cream and cologne. he freely admits that is superficial and the opposite of his faith. >> and sometimes you just need to be able to reconnect with what is important in your life. i am not saying that moisturizers are not important. everyone likes to look good and feel good, but at the end of the day, i think you have to have something else that connects you. >> he says his devotion to the faith it's well with the job he does, but others say he has debased the religion into a mere life style. king arthur is a full-time druid. he looked down upon those he considers lightweights. >> a lot of pagans are seen as

fluffy bunnies. the druids were the warrior and priest armies. there is still a place for them. >> long ridiculed, today druids and pagans are recognized religious communities. some two hundred thousand people call themselves followers of the church that needs no roof. >> it is a great shame that everything is considered [unintelligible] whether it is paganism, the change philosophy, or islam. actually, we have to examine ourselves as a nation and say,

what is it we want? >> king arthur's as they do not need permission. the congregation is growing and has been around for a while. >> we were a year before the christians and we will be around after them. >> but is this really a religious dispute? after all, pagans are an eclectic bunch. all revered nature, but that means something different to each of them. >> of the people here today, some are pagans, some are druids, somere we cawiccan. the message is that all can be of salt. >> that kind of freedom -- all can be involved. >> that kind of freedom is

attracting people. >> that is it for another week. thank you for watching. next week, we will have a special christmas edition of the program. for all of the team here in brussels, goodbye.