>> hello, glad you could join us from "european journal" from dwt in brussels. in the program, the refugee crisis of north africa is drawing more attention. courts saying people pleaing the conditions in italy should not be sent back there. and total recall, why prague wants its paintings back from around the world. and celebrating the high school prom. bulgarian style. national identity can be a

touchy business, in some parts of europe, other than others. take seleasia in southwest poland. a row has broken out after poland's former prime minister accused people who describe themselves as silesian as being germans in disguise, a comment that has stirred debate about german heritage. we're in silesia. they still practice open pit miningere. here, where the landscape resembles the moon scape, many consider themselves to be

silesias first and poles second. in recent years, they've begun to celebrate their heritage openly. first and foremost, we're silesias, not poles. that's the way we feel. if we had to choose, of course we're silesias. >> i was born here. my grandparents were silesian. it's that simple. excuse me, but i've got to work. >> for the last five years, silesias have taken to the streets for the annual march for autonomy, demanding greater independence for silesia. federalism are on the agenda. they want silesia for silesias. these people say they won't destroy poland. opposition leader denounces the silesias. >> these people are only

interested in their own culture and claim that poland is not important to them. this type of silesianism culminates in the claim that there is a silesian nation. we consider that to be a hidden germany agenda. >> it doesn't surprise me to hear them say that. we know that a few polish politicians are thinking completely in anachronnistic and polish terms. what concerns me is they consider it german and suspect. >> since 1985, silesians have defined themselves through football. these pictures show the first division team that was later banned. in 1927, they finished second in the polish league. in 2007, the team reformed. what many poles viewed as a provocation now gives the silesians a sense of identity. and the women squad is leading

the way, having already made it into the polish first division. >> there's a special atmosphere here. the fans cheer us on in silesian, not polish. there's nothing like it anywhere else. >> alexandra adds -- >> it's a moment of dignity. we're really proud. >> the women's coach is also a fan of another team. >> here in silesia, we keep our fingers crossed for another club. hopefully they'll go far in the champions league. the german league champions have lots of fans in silesia. >> after the game, we meet up with peter langer, one of the key members of the soccer team. he shows us his home town. by the coal mine, he talks about poland, silesia and germany.

it's no accident that he's wearing a t-shirt that says, "silesia, my homeland." >> this is no new trend or fad. we don't run around one year in short pants and the next year in long ones. being silesian has always been a part of us. even under the prussians my forefathers considered themselves silesian. thank goodness we can say that out loud now. today, people can hear and see us. we want something separate. of course we're not better than the poles. we want to show our identity clearly and distinctly. [singing in silesian]

>> this german song is sung every sunday by many silesian families when they sit down to a meal. according to the latest census, some 173,000 people live in this region. come what may, they plan to keep practicing their silesian traditions. works of art on loan from the czech republic to galleries around the world are being called back to prague. the reason? it follows a convoluted legal case between a pharmaceuticals company and the czech government. a court ordered a multi-million pound damages judgment to a company and three art works were seized as part of the unpaid settlement. there's a scramble to round up other paintings and bring them home to prague.

the museum in western germany, an entirely different painting once hung in this spot, "the adoration of the mag i" by a dodge -- dutch actist. but the czech state recently rushed the artwork back to prague. the czechs were worried it would be seized in a legal dispute. this maintaining of a madonna with child was also involved. the museum's director says he's been completely taken aback by the move. >> all i know from the newspapers is that allegedly there was a legal dispute between the czech state and a private person and this private individual had the right to seize the artworks. >> this is the plaintiff, czech swiss business manjoseph sava.

he accuses the czech republic for forcing his company out of a bidding process. his lawyers are taking the initiative and seizing czech assets in countries where the law allows it to. austria is one of them. >> the presiding judge is convinced that the ruling can be enforced in austria based on austrian law and the new york agreement on recognition and enforcement of rulings. >> that allows his lawyers to seize a sculpture and two paintings at the belvedere people in -- museum in vienna before the czech authorities could do anything about it. >> it concerns a painting by vincennes benesh.

it's a very early work from 1912 from the national gallery in prague and the second painting is a prominent work from the moravian gallery. it's a painting from 1908. this is naturally an extremely painful loss. >> many countries hardly have assets abroad that could be seized apart from works of art on loan to national museums. >> basically, this is disastrous. there are lots of things going through my mind but i think it's really dramatic if you seize artworks in order to enforce a courtudgment, partilarly when the proceeds of selng the artworks won't remotely cover the amount of court awarded. >> the paintings that were seized are worth around a million euros. however, joseph stava is demanding damages of at least 115 million euros but it's

unlikely he'll get his way everywhere. belgium has laws against the seizure of artworks. although it's rarely dealt with cases such as the one between stava and the czech state. >> today, the creditors are more aggressive. if they don't get their money, they search for loopholes. for example, in germany or in austria where the seizure of artwork is not illegal. so they take action there to put more pressure on the state. >> stava's actions are likely to have far-reaching consequences in the art world. museums are wary. >> there's a danger many museums will now say they aren't loaning out any artworks abroad anymore because they could be seized. we can't be sure of our own state is involved with a legal dispute with private individuals or companies or other countries. >> the european union wants to

regulate the issue and the czechs want to take action against austria but until there's a final decision, joseph stava and others like him will try to enforce their claims using art as leverage. >> since the start of the unrest in north africa, almost 30,000 refugees have arrived in italy. the italian authorities have been overwhelmed. many refugees have decided to travel further into europe to germany. another to e.u. law, they don't have the right to stay in germany, but increasingly, german courts are refusing to deport the refugees back to italy because they say living conditions there are unacceptable. mustafa was forced to flee his

country because he filmed and broadcast atrocitieses committed by the islamic alshaba militia. >> that was the start of my problem. >> you released that so people could see it? >> when i release, i lost this thing. >> the militia threatened to kill him. he was forced to flee from the capital, mogadishu. the hard-line islamists control large parts of the country and their rule is unforgiving. somalia is a battered and lawless nation after 20 years of civil war. he managed to establish -- escape the horrors in his

country but life in italy has been difficult. >> even animals are better to live. >> there is currently no ban on deporting refugees from germany to italy. the italian government says there is enough housing for them. >> you are picking the people and collecting cattle to put on your party. >> mostapha couldn't bear the situation in italy anymore and fled to germany. now, he could be deported but his lawyer points out that recently german courts have sent back hardly any refugees. dominique benda has written a report on the situation which confirms what many refugees say about italy. >> the situation in italy is terrible and that's been well

documented by now. i fled from ethiopia eight years ago because of the war. i've been living here ever since. it's not any better than ethiopia here. you can see that. nobody helps us. everything is dirty. there's no water, no toilets. >> habib knows that all too well. the somali refugee fled from italy to germany. he's visiting the center in frankfurt where he was housed when he arrived. he meets old acquaintances. habib was 14 when he arrived in italy. the italian authorities registered him as adult so no one would have to take care of him. in germany, he has a temporary visa. he says he was overwhelmed by the cleanliness and care provided here. did you have that in italy, too? >> no, i didn't.

in italy, i was on the streets. i lived on the streets. i was homeless. >> what are you most afraid of right now? >> i fear to go back, that's what i am afraid. >> unlike habib, mostapha faces an uncertain future. the courts have ruled he can stay in germany for now but it's by no means a final decision. >> the summer palace which once belonged to the spanish dictator general franco has been opened to visitors despite protests from the franco family. it's been argued that the villa was paid for by money extorted from the spanish people so the house should be returned to the state. after years of dispute with franco's descendants, tourists

have finally been allowed in. the villa is surrounded by meadows and forests. it was once general franco's summer residence. it was a gift from the people back in 1938. juan and carlos babio's family was one of the donors. their grandmother's modest home used to stand here. after she gave it to general franco, the home was turned into a guard house. carlos says his grandmother's gift was not voluntary. >> they loaded people on to a truck with a gun and took them to a notary. there they were forced to sign the contract of sale without receiving any compensation. that's how the francs came to own all the property. >> in th summers, franko came here with his family to relax,

triggering a virtual state of emergency in the little village. >> the guard which protected franco while he stayed here invaded people's homes. the police helped themselves and stayed overnight. residents had no rights at all. everyone lived in fear. >> franco died in 1975 but his family still spends their summers here. as the registered owners of the property, they call it their own to this day. yet after this spring, the francos have been forced to let the public into their drawing room and wood paneled library. in spite of their resistance, the castle is called a heritage site. it is forbidden to film, so these pictures were provided by the regional government. on fridays, four groups of 15 are allowed to tour the villa. visitoto must register in advance. today, a group of housewives

from santiago is here. they're impressed by the villa's private chapel but have different views on who should own it. >> it belongs to the people. >> no, franco earned it. the people gave it to him because he deserved it. he freed us from communism. he did us a big favor, all of the country. >> if he'd have been a king, i agree, but he was a dictator for 40 years. >> a gift is a gift. he earned it and his family should enjoy it today. >> spaniards are split on the issue. and the politicians, they say their hands are tied due to the amnesty law of 1978. spain's conservatives are especially hesitant to start digging up the past. >> the government didn't exist back when all that happened, which is why it doesn't have the

authority to reclaim the property today. >> but tata's left-winning mayor sees things differently. he's been fighting to have the property returned to the people. >> i'm sure those who gave it to the dictator back then, assuming that the accept it was a gift, i'm sure they didn't want to give it to his grandchildren. they gave it to franco as the head of the state he was then but you can't hand down something like this. there isn't a comparable case in all the democracies of europe. >> spain is reluctant to come to terms with its fascist past. juan and carlos babio's family almost never talk about it. the mother and grandmother suffered greatly under the dictatorship. the two brototrs think it's high time for the property to be nationalized and it seems the only way to do that is to

ex-procreate the property and pay the francos compensation. >> that would mean forcing people to pay for it a second time. that will happen if the politicians want it to. but i think that would be unfair. >> they should give it back, period. >> but it seems the francos have no intention of doing so. they refuse to be interviewed and they're careful to shut the gates of the villa after the last group of visitors leaves. >> the tradition of the high school prom is an important rite of passage in the united states. in europe, less so, apart, that is, from bulgaria. despite being the poorest country in the european union, parents spend a small fortune on designer dresses, expensive cars and celebrations to mark the end of high school.

>> they count to 12. one for each year of school they've completed. luxury limousines sound horns on the streets. inside, dressed to the nine's are kids who just finished high school. in bulgaria, high school graduations often require parties of epic proportions, whether the families can afford them or not. naly's parents are among the fortunate rich but there was trouble. a new stylist had to be found. this will require five hours and 14 attempts to make sure she keeps up with her classmates. yesterday's hair-do was a disaster. >> i didn't like the one yesterday at all. it was totally wrong. probably the hair will be pinned up now. but my dress is extravagant enough.

>> money is no object in the family. once she's passed her exams, it's their duty to fulfill her ever wish, whatever the price. >> people could get envious. we didn't set any limits for nelly. she chose whatever she liked. i heard other bulgarians take out loans to make their kids family. no matter how, every bulgarian has to organize a graduation party. >> school is important for bulgarians. those who pass are members of the elite which must be celebrated. >> my dress is unique. what it cost? it's a gift from my parents. i don't know what it cost. >> the chauffeur is waiting. first stop, a restaurant. bulgaria is the poorest country in the e.u., 20% of the

population lives on 100 euros a month or less, which is below the poverty level. much of the housing is run down but even in neighborhoods like this, only the best is good enough for the high school graduates. they may be living in a one bedroom flat, but they know what they owe their daughter. still, the $300 evening gown was modest by bulgarian standards. >> in my class, only one girl really went overboard. i try to remember what my parents can afford. and i want to go to university soon, too. >> shoes, a hair-do, a manicure, a restaurant visit. they're forking out more than a thousand euros for rosy's celebration, which is how much her parents earn in a month. but the pressure is so great, the parents are going into debt to finance the occasn. >> this whole thing has become decadent in recent years.

showing off is hugely important now, much more so than actually having learned anything. >> but, f this one day, mom and dad would give the shirts off their backs. the final ride to the schoolyard and then to the ball. 19-year-old nelly, the rich girl, is going into a stretch limo which cost her parents 400 euros. she's expecting her adult life to be like this. a live band and limousines, fewer and fewer couples are marrying in bulgaria so it only seems appropriate that graduating from school resembles a wedding. the country is mired in a deep economic crisis so who knows when there will be another reason for celebration. >> everyone spends what's needed for their kids to have a great party.

so what if the country isn't doing well. it's still o.k. to splash out on a graduation ball. >> recently, bulgarians have had little reason to celebrate because of the economic crisis but graduating from school is a big occasion for everyone. maybe you don't have to overdo it like this. but that's how we are, we party like there's no tomorrow. >> almost a million bulgarians have emigrated in recent years. rosita won't be staying, either. with top marks, she's attending university in france. but today, it's time to have fun. maybe it's better not to think about the future too much. >> and that's it from "european journal" for another week. thanks for watching. do send us an email with any thoughts to -- and from everyone

in brussels, goodbye.