>> hello and a very warm welcome to "european journal" coming to you from dw studios in brussels. good to have you with us again, and this is how we will be starting the year 2013 -- scallop war -- how great britain and france are fighting at sea again. refuge at flight -- why asylum seekers in greece want to leave. and good will bringing russians

and czechs together. the sad truth is european waters are overfished. another sad truth is europe is failing to take adequate action. yes, the european union is trying to replenish endangered fish stocks by setting limits on how much each eu state can catch of what kind of fish, but there's fierce debate over those quotas every year, and there are some types of fish that are not covered by fishing regulations at all -- scallops, for example. the eu says that since shellfish do not migrate, it is up to countries like britain and france to decide for themselves what is sustainable, but now it seems a scallop war is brewing in the english channel of mid resentment over who fishes what and where. >> this coastal town in southwest england has been

provided for by fishing. out at sea, the crew of this trawler had a confrontation with french fisherman staking a claim to the scallop beds. captain smith was quite shaken by the experience. >> especially monday morning, 8:00, it all kicked off. i was woken up to be told we were surrounded by french trawlers. it was definitely a premeditated attack. >> the french fisherman film the altercation -- the french fishermen. in total, 40 french trawlers surrounded the five british ones. the standoff threatens to tear out of control.

the british crew say the french fishermen did all they could to hinder them. >> they wer just very abusive. at one point, they started throwing rocks at us, tried to put ropes in our propellers, things like that, just to stop us fishing, basically. >> the british responded, as the footage shows. the french crew set fire to an english rugby shirt and made rude hand gestures. the french say they felt provoked by the british behavior. >> they insult us, too. -- insulted us, too. they showed us their backsides and give us the finger. >> the british fleet have legal rights here to fish for scallops, but unlike them, their french counterparts have a closed season for five months. that is why the french trawlers blocked the british vessels.

they feel they are at a competitive disadvantage. andrew mccloud, who owns the van dyke, has some sympathy for their situation. >> they do not like the idea that we are there with bigger boats. they have a self-imposed closed season that they put upon themselves. we do not have such a closed season, so we are allowed to fish in their waters while they are not allowed to, which they are understandably frustrated by. >> the vandyke made it back on harmed. after unloading the trawler, the fishermen discussed the incident in a pub. it was symptomatic of a wider dispute. mccloud and his crew live off scallop fishing, an important local industry they depend on for their livelihoods.

britain exports an annual 80 million euros worth of scallops. the fishing season lasts all year, unlike in france. britain also sells scallops at lower prices and even exports them to france. the french are angered by the thriving british shellfish industry. in normandy, fnce,he attaches are more modest -- the catches are more modest. they cannot fish all year round, giving stocks time to replenish, but their efforts as sustainability are punishing them, they say. >> we've been trying to maintain stocks for years, but they come along and sees all the shellfish from under our noses. we do not think this is acceptable. >> every country's trawlers have an allotted number of days at sea.

for these to be cut, a british trawler men would have to fish elsewhere and would not do all their fishing in the english channel -- for this to be cut, a british trawler -- for these to be cut, british trawlermen would have to fish elsewhere. the closed season means the french would not use up all their days. >> we hope we can negotiate with the french to have a swap of effort for us to stay out of that area and let them have that piece of ground on a temporary basis for themselves. we hope negotiations will get under way again. we are waiting for replies from them. >> captain smith is heading out to sea again soon and hopes to avoid confrontations. hopefully soon, neither side will have to avoid fishing in troubled waters. >> with its vast coastline,

greaseshe first stop for many asylum seekers. refugees have the right to apply for asylum in the country where they first arrive, but in the midst of their own economic collapse, a greek authorities are no longer able to deal with growing numbers of asylum applications -- in the midst of their own economic collapse, greek authorities are no longer able to deal with growing numbers of asylum applications. public resentment towards refugees is growing as the greeks themselves faced tough times -- face tough times. for many asylum seekers, the dream of a better life in europe is over, and some are now faced with a last resort. >> it is a journey with an uncertain and, and it is eagerly awaited, although in some ways, it is a bitter defeat -- it is a journey with an uncertain end.

>> i am just happy to be going back home. i want to see my family again. i do not have a future here in greece. they do not treat us like human beings. it has to be better in pakistan. >> 50 immigrants are returning to pakistan today. they are going back home to one of the world's most dangerous regions. the greek government says they are taking part in a voluntary scheme. if you partnership, it has provided the refugees with a ticket home and paid them 300 euros each to leave -- with eu partnership. but muhammed does not feel like he has a choice. he sees this as his only way out. >> greece wants to be rid of us.

they want to keep the jobs for themselves. they have become real racists, and they want us to go. >> he had thought that athens would be his gateway to the european union, but the dream did not last long. we join him for his last two days in greece. he now knows that asylum seekers here receive no help from the state, and processing the application can take years. that leaves a lot of refugees with no documentation. another man waited for five years to process this application after he escaped from the taliban. this is how he lived in greece -- schering cramped quarters with three others with no windows -- sharing cramped

quarters with three others with no windows. now all he wants to do is go back home. >> the people back home are expecting me to return a rich man. i borrowed money to escape, and i cannot pay it back. back then, i fled from the taliban. now, i will have to explain that. i am frightened for my life. >> the afghan refugee has a life here, but not much of one. he has had to rely on his friends, but they do not have much, either. instant coffee is the main staple, and they only get to eat on a good day. their only source of income was from working off the books until the economic crisis hit. now they have been replaced by greeks. there is nothing left for the refugees. hundreds come to the international organization for migration every day. it is running the government program for those returning home.

we met up again with farouk and his co-travelers. in the past year, over 6000 people have left the country under the scheme. it has cost greece and the eu 10 million euros. iom officials know that many immigrants fear for their safety. the head of the commission says he wants to send a message about the harsh realities of migration. >> we go to their countries of origin and show them real images of what is going on here, the people that live 50 in one room, the others that are homeless.

all these bad things that are happening, so they wil kw that this is not a game. >> akibar has received the message loud and clear. he is on the list for a return flight, although he is not optimistic about his prospects. >> my dream is to have a small clothing store, but i have no money. >> it is time to leave, even though his asylum application would have had good chances under normal circumstances. daniel estras acknowledges this. >> we want to make sure that even last minute, they know their rights, and they know there is a chance they will get asylum even if they will apply, but once -- what we see is once they are decided, determined to get back, they never get back. they never do that.

>> instead, he is officially retracting his asylum application. that means waiting around for hours outside the police station. this man from pakistan is also waiting for permission to leave the country. he dares to say what many are thinking. >> i think they are not giving the protection they are looking for -- they are not given the protection they are looking for. that is why so many are crying. they do not care about the people having trouble. that's why. >> farouk visits athens one last time before he goes home. for the first time, he is not afraid. >> i was always afraid of the police. now i carry my bag for the

international organization for migration everywhere i go. it is better than any passport. >> he brings some sweets and chocolates to give his family and friends a taste of greece. akibar has come to the spot many times over the past few years. he is waiting until he can go back to afghanistan, and he has no intention of ever coming back. >> portugal was once proud of its health sector that used to provide health care for all of its citizens for free. that was a result of the revolution when large parts of the portuguese army rose against the dictator back in 14, but in times of crisis, pharmacies are running out of medicine, and many health centers are being closed. portuguese patients often have no choice but to look for help

in the neighboring country, spain. >> it is sunday afternoon, and the emergency services are working flat out at the health center. over 100 patients come over from nearby portugal every month. this doctor has been working here for years. >> i have worked in portugal as well. i found out that patients had to drive 30 kilometers with a cut wound because there was no doctor to treat them. >> only a river separates the city from its neighbor in portugal. health care has become more expensive in portugal now that patients have to pay extra for doctor's visits and medication. they also have to put up with

long waiting times. >> i came for the results of my blood tests. i had to pay five euros for just a piece of paper. >> people have to wait, and some do not even make it to their operation date. than a year or two, six months, it depends -- some people go to spain -- >> a year or two, six months, it depends -- some people go to spain. my daughter went to spain for treatment. >> many defiantly waved spanish flags. the portuguese help system suffered from cuts. emergency cases had to drive hundreds of kilometers to the nearest hospital. it was closer across the border. this way to took part in

protests when the cuts came. he wanted to thank the spanish for their help. >> we prefer being spanish rather than portuguese in that respect. lots of places here are doing badly. we have to travel a long way, and there is not any public transportation. you have to rent a car to go to the doctor. calling an ambulance might be more expensive than getting a taxi. >> many of the costs come out of the patients' pocket. it is a lot to ask for the portuguese are earning less money, but the health authorities say they are proud of the reforms. >> the numbers speak for

themselves. emergency admissions have gone down in general, and the reform has reduced the number of emergencies that are not really urgent. then he has a different notion of what constitutes reform -- >> there is a different notion of what constitutes reform. portuguese patients should be able to visit spanish doctors at no higher cost and vice versa, but the fight has already been going on for years. >> the problem is that political will is lacking. we have one of the most heavily populated border regions in spain and portugal. we have good infrastructure, so we could be a good role model. >> doctors in spain are all for

europe-wide regulations, which would also cover patients who visit the region from other countries. >> if we are building a european union and breaking down boundaries for people, we should also be breaking them down in the health system. >> but that is little help to portuguese patients at this moment in time, and spanish citizens have a reason to fear health cuts themselves. >> i lived through a war. it was very bad for us. now, we are very well off, but it will go downhill >> lots of doctors and nurses are leaving the country now. the best personnel is definitely going.

>> i really hope we do not become like portugal, but we are on our way there. >> indeed, the spanish government has hinted that spain may soon be following the portuguese example. the free health system that the portuguese were once so proud of is now fast becoming a mere memory. >> many czechs today still vividly remember the prague spring. one incident in particular burned itself into the collective memory when in the late 1960's, tanks rolled into the capital of what was then czechoslovakia. the soviet army brutally crossed to implement the reform of the political system, and the wounds have still not healed, but today, large crowds of young russians are flocking to prague, and some of them have come up

with creative ideas to help improve the image that checks have of russians -- czechs have of russians. >> this is igor, at age 31, place of residence, prague. though he looks down on what he calls "this rubbish." >> these are just military symbols of a country that no longer exists. it is an anachronism. some people might be nostalgic about it. nowadays, it does not mean anything. >> igor runs a social networking site for russian expects, called pragmatic people -- for russian

expats. and to present the czech republic to russian newcomers so that they feel at home -- it presents the czech republic to russian newcomers so that they feel at home. >> it has become a mission. it consists of using our net worth to integrate russian speakers into czech society and help them discover their talents. it is about different cultures. >> when igor sings, he prefers to do so in english instead of russian. >> ♪ this is a story of hearts that were broken hate and love ♪ >> igor says he is not trying to

create something like facebook. he says he wants to be a go- between, not a social network. >> what is important for us is for russian speakers who live here to present themselves as modern europeans and live multi- cultural lives. prague is a very multicultural city. we want russians who come here to approach this culture openly so that they will be accepted openly in return. >> the network, with some 2000 users, does not just exist virtually. every friday, the meat for a real world beer when so many russians -- for a real world beer. when so many russians gathered

in a pub, they may attract sidelong glances from czechs. >> i only rarely notice xenophobic attitudes, but it does happen. on one occasion, our reservation for our friday beer was not honored. the reason they gave us was that they did not like russians. >> the czechs at a neighboring table do not want contact with the russians. there are still signs of an anti-russian sentiment. >> i have heard it time and again from my parents. they are still very emotional about it. really angry about what happened, about the occupation and about communism. >> it is the invasion by soviet troops in 1968 that many cannot forget. tanks on the streets of prague destroyed dreams, especially

young people's dreams of socialism with a human face. igor says he is aware of the wounds but that his generation cannot change what happened. his network is about connecting, not a conquering. he says he does not want to be a russian in prague, but a european from russia. he admits it is a dream, but h says as a russian -- as a russian, he has a right to dream, even if just for better looking hats. >> that report brings us to the end of this first "european journal" in 2013. thank you for joining us. bye for now. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--