>> hello and welcome to "european journal" coming tyou fr dw studios in brussels. rising support -- why a political party wants britain to leave the eu. dirty business -- making money with stray dogs in romania. and salty air -- ukraine's underground sanatorium. let's first take a look at how populist parties are shaking up the traditional political landscape across europe.

in times of economic crisis, a growing number of voters tend to identify with popust slogans. in italy, that a grid of -- beppe grillo's 5-our movement calls for an end to austerity. in britain, the u.k. independence party blames the eu for britain's current problems. skepticism towards the european project does have a long tradition in the u.k., but it is growing, especially in rural areas. in the upcoming local elections, the party could be a force to be reckoned with. >> for many residents of the small market town in central england, home is where the heart is. but not everyone would go as far as this town councilor. every day, the man turns up at the public toilets to clean them himself. before the party got on to the ramsey town council, the

climate's would close on cost- saving grounds -- the toilets were closed on cost-saving grounds. peter reid says like all counselors, he believes in rolling at his sleeves and getting on with it. ramsey is britain's first ukip- led council. reeve is a relative newcomer to politics. >> i've always grown up thinking politics is something posh people do or something rich people do. whereas ukip said they wanted an ordinary person who is prepared to work hard and do things in your community. it is you that our most valuable. >> ramsey had been a conservative stronghold before ukip took control of the town uncil. its focus is on local projects like this market run by volunteers. >> sometimes they man them, but

our volunteers look after them so people can have full-time jobs and still try their big business idea. >> with just over a week to go before local elections, it is the burgeoning grassroots activism like this that has got the conservatives worried. the main source of their uneasiness is the leader of ukip. he describes himself as a libertarian euro skeptics and has position himself as the true heir to margaret thatcher. am i can honestly say that everywhere we go, weather it is labor heartland, southwest, tory, rural center, no matter where we go, response to ukip is fantastic. >> most members in ramsey and the surrounding area have never been politically active before. now they are hoping to win over conservative supporters, especially on the issue of europe. >> i believe our parliament should rule our country the same as yours should will yours.

>> i had to join a party. i was driven to it. democracy was going to drift away forever in this country. >> if it were up to ukip, britain would build more prisons, reverse the ban on smoking in pubs and leave the you immediately. 75% of our laws binding up every one of our small businesses, every one of our fishermen and farmers in what we believe to be an excessive regulatory framework. the big one of the last 10 years is immigration. >> the solution offered is simple -- ukip would introduce a five-year freeze on immigration for permanent settlement. in the closest city to ramsey, about 10% of residents are immigrants from the commonwealth and eastern europe. so far, ukip does not have a seat on the local council , but counselors are alarmed by their anti-foreigner rhetoric.

>> they have set up businesses. they have made their homes here. just like people who came in the 1940's from the likes of the west indies or the 1950's, 1960's, this is something that has always happened. this country has always welcomed migrants. these people will integrate, and the country will be a lot richer for it. >> but ukip voters say the immigration issue is not being taken seriously enough by establhed parties. in peterborough, where ukip is also campaigning, the anti- immigration posturing strikes a chord with many people. >> we have earned what we get in this country. they have not. they come here and take it. >> we pay the sort of things to get the treatment, and you got people who can come here and go straight in and have children and it is not fair.

>> they gained popularity because there is some anti- eastern-european sentiment in the city. >> when it comes to other major issues, ukip's manifesto left clearly define policies. plus, its membership is still relatively small. political analysts do not see it as a threat in general elections two years from now. >> there was a widespread feeling that the country was in economic crisis and that neither of the two major parties h ything imptant to say. in the circumstances, a party which came in on one issue and said in effect, "enough of this talk. action is needed. leadership -- that is what is needed," but i do not see that coming in this country. >> nevertheless, britain's main

parties have begun taking ukip seriously. they have shown they can do more than just clean toilets. by firing a public resentment of immigrants, they have proven effective in making life difficult for the other parties. >> the passport is the noblest part of a person. it is not created as easily as a person is. the german writer wrote that some 70 years ago. it seems that is still true today. in europe, countries to operate on many levels, but when it comes to issuing a national identification papers, each country has its own rules and requirements, and they can be tough. austria is sict when it comes to grantingitizenship. that is why the number of people living in austria who are not austrian is rising steadily, reaching more than 1 million people for the first time this year. that is a lot considering austria only has a population

of 18.5 million overall. the government wants that to change and make it easier for well-integrated people to become austrian citizens. >> practicing a bosnian love song. it does not sound like a jolly one. he is an opera singer, trained in sarajevo and vienna. in austria, he has a wife and child but not enough jobs. he has offers, though, from switzerland, for example. but he does not dare to leave austria. he finally wants to become a citizen. 10 years now, and the rules are strict. for 10 full years, he must not leave the country. >> it is an inconvenience for me to not be a citizen. i cannot just packed my bags to

travel or sign a contract to sing in another country. i cannot stay somewhere for three months and then come back. i would lose my status here in austria. >> his wife and son are citizens already. but due to the pitfalls of bureaucracy, music is not. when he renewed his student visa 10 years ago, his documents were incomplete. although he filed a missing piece of paper after just two days, this was taken by the authorities as a reason years later for him to have to begin the qualifying period all over again. >> our plans were put on hold. we might consider moving, but there is still uncertainty. am i allowed to leave? should i try? is it possible? yes, that is what it is, and

uncertainty. it is also a burden, especially for him. >> in the eu, austria has the toughest nut to citizenship. high school-level german, net earnings of approximately 1000 euros per month, and qualifying period of 10 years currently required. in most countries, foreigners can become citizens after five years of residency. the government is now looking for a reform to reduce the qualifying period toix years. >> we want to modernize our immigration laws and work with incentives. for those who are already integrated in our society, we want to a salary citizenship proceedings. six years for fully integrated applicants and 104 partially integrated ones. everyone who does not meet our standards should not be eligible for citizenship at all. >> foreigners who do not earn enough money, for example.

in general, these reform proceedings in most cases raised the hurdles. observers thinkhey a not very realistic. >> we have had a lot of inquiries for counseling, especially since the details of the new law were published. so far, i did not have a single customer who met the criteria. >> requirements for the faster proceedings now include an even higher level of german or three years of voluntary community service. fire departments and soccer clubs are going to be thrilled. >> we appciate everyoneho works for us as a volunteer. they are very important for our club. volunteers have a different attitude and love their work. >> this egyptian native is a voluntary coach.

he has built up a team of young foreigners who are slowly but steadily becoming the club's hope for the future. they call themselves internationals, and soccer is their common language, a language everyone understands. success proves them right. next season, they are going to play in the austrian amateur league. community service aside, he is happy to already be a citizen. >> it was not always as difficult as it is now, but it also took me almost 10 years to become a citizen. >> citizenship as a reward -- according to reform critics, austria cannot afford that. they say the country risks than a large group of its residents from public life on a permanent basis. getting the ideal immigrant integrated, educated with high earnings would not work this way.

>> we should welcome people who have been living here for years and obey the laws. we should welcome them as austrians and not put hurdles in their way. >> he hopes he will finally be a citizen now. he has handed in his application. in the fall, he may even get a temporary contract at the vienna state opera. >> what i really want is to be a citizen of europe. i want to feel that kind of freedom. >> in the end, the austrian parliament has to decide on the reform. outside, pallas athena watches over them, the greek goddess of wisdom. >> stray dogs are a rare sigh in most western countries these days, but they are still a big problem in romania.

animal rights activists from around the world have supported the eu country for years and have donated money and goods to animal shelters there. many romanian towns also spend huge amounts on the shelters, but that money is also attracting what experts call the dog mafia. >> it is a horrible sight, filled with a mobile phone on a country road in romania. the field is littered with shop dogs -- shot dogs. the tags show these dogs were registered. they are from a dog's home. this was an organized killing. another one. some of these dogs were wounded and left to die. what happened here is illegal. >> killing dogs has been illegal in romania since 2008. in exceptional cases, sick or aggressive animals may be put down using the correct folks, so why are scenes like this still

so common? the head ofhe anil welre association gives us a shocking explanation. >> the laws are exemplary. they put a value on a dog's life in romania. in fact, too much value. local authorities have set aside huge amounts of money to meet the legal requirements to provide for stray dogs, but this money is not being spent on the animals. unscrupulous people are getting rich on it. local authorities pay the shelters 250 euros per dog. >> the money is meant to be used to castrate the dogs, pay veterinary bills, and to feed and house the animals, but it is 10 times higher than international organizations would charge. the city paid 1.2 million year rose to one shelter, so the funds are there, but the name of the responsible authority rings alarm bells. the office for carcass disposal

and pest control. they explain what happens to the money. >> we put the contract out to tender and took the cheapest offer. unfortunately, only one company took part in the process. >> the company calls itself puppy that -- vet. they would not let us film at the shelter. these images show why. the dogs are often killed on arrival. low costs. 100% profit. the official admits she does not know how the company works exactly, but she says there are a lot less stray dogs in constantia, but that is a naive assessment. romania has seen the emergence of a dog mafia, which has every interest in making sure the raw material does not run out.

puppy vets sends dogcatchers all of the country. this van was bringing dogs to constanza. some of the animals had been stolen from their owners. trucker tamara robb and her colleagues are setting off with their truck to romania. the animal lovers organized over the internet and collected money and other goods. >> the reason was that we found out last november how the dog trade was being organized. animal welfare campaigners are under a lot of pressure in romania, and we want to help them. >> they are making a chip

themselves to make sure that the aid gets to the shelters that really help animals. they are more than welcome at the shelter. 1000 dogs are kept here. the conditions are primitive, but the dogs are treated and house properly. >> there has not been much change in the bed shelters, unfortunately, but we have collected a lot of evidence of cruelty, so we can take them to court. we have also been to brussels and explained our problem to the commission. we are waiting for the answer. >> the future of this home at

least is secure for a while, thanks to the generous donations from germany, but notveryone in the village is happy about that. this man cannot understand why so much fuss is being made about the dogs. everyone knows stray dogs are a big problem in romania, so what's wrong with killing them? he says stray dogs are put down in german shelters, too, if no new owners are found. that is just how it is here, say these women. communism and poverty have made people harsh. in an animal does not provide meat, milk, and eggs, it is worthless. there is another case we want to look at -- the head of a veterinary association has handed in bills over the years thought to be in the hundreds of thousands of euros for thousands of dogs at her shelter. secretly filmed video shows remarkably few dogs, so what

happened to them? an investigation is ongoing at the moment. the that cannot prove she bought enough legal drugs for putting down thousands of animals -- the vet. over the phone, she says she is being slandered by animal rights activists and there is no time for a meeting and explains herself like this -- >> romania's streets are full of dogs, prostitutes, and pot holes. we need to change that. >> studies show the only effective way of controlling stray animal populations is castration. calls have no long-term effect. the dogs in the animal shelter are castrated along with the other treatment they receive. their life expectancy improves, and they have a much better chance of finding a new owner. >> the ancient egyptian queen cleopatra is said to have bids in donkey milk to preserve her

beauty. if that is true or legend is difficult to know, but one thing is clear -- people have always tried all kinds ofemedies to becomer st beautiful. many also go the extra mile when it comes to curing their ailments. in ukraine, for example, patients with respiratory problems spend three weeks underground. >> we are travelling through eastern ukraine. this is mining country. people here are not well off. we get to the basin. the city is not dissimilar to th former coal mining areas of western europe. soccer is popular here. the stadium co-host of the european championships. but they do not just mine coal here. close by is one of the biggest salt mining areas of europe.

salt has been mined here for 130 years. that has left an underground labyrinth 300 meters below the surface. it is a little spooky. what do you do with so much empty space? how about this? one of the deepest soccer fields in the world. but who plays here? a few hundred meters further on, we find the next surprise -- people live down here. and they are doing gymnastics. >> we blow ourselves up like a balloon. and we let the air out again. >> welcome to the sanatorium. courses of treatment for lung conditions last three weeks here. patients live and sleep under

ground. they go to the surface twice a day to shower and for meals. most suffer from asthma. >> i was scared at first. i watch a lot of horror movies. if you have that stuff on your mind, it is pretty scary here. but i am used to it now. >> her grandmother says he heard the calls now. the youngster agrees, he is feeling better. -- his grandmother says he hardly costs now. bogdan suffers from chronic bronchitis, but now he is better than ever. >> when i go to bed, the big kids are still running around. i lie there and cannot get to sleep, but then it is like someone presses a button in me, and i fall fast asleep.

then the patients say it is not boring here. there are children with their parents and adult patients. some comery year. the senior doctor visits once a day. otherwise, it is all routine unless a patient has been prescribed a massage. that takes place at the surface after breakfast. the doctor says asthmatics and not the only patients. >> we see surprising results here every day. we have seen that patients with high blood pressure feel better. it normalizes after three or four days. allergy patients feel better. siriasis clears up. the symptoms of food intolerance are less severe, and the effects

last for months. >> the salty air is free of bacteria. it is humid and healthy. but it is pretty cold, too. it is just 16 degrees celsius down here. to warm up, patients can play soccer next door on one of the salties pitches on earth. there is sold everywhere you look. the floor, the roof, the walls. let's find out if it is real. yes, that is salt, and it is tasty, too. >> playing soccer in a salt mine has another advantage as well -- these kids can easily replace the minerals they sweat out. >> that report wraps up this edition of "european journal."

thanks for watching. until next time, auf wiersehen d bye forow. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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