>> hello and welcome to "european journal" from brussels. let's take a look at what is coming up in today's show -- historic floods. the czech republic in crisis. endangered fish -- the fierce battle for tuna in spain. and modern fairytale -- a mysterious benefactor. central europe has been firmly in the grip of severe flooding since the end of last month.

rivers burst their banks in many parts of germany, austria, and the czech republic. thousands of flood victims and emergency helpers are now doing reconstruction work and not for the first time. in some regions, extreme letting has sadly become a regular event. experts say climate change is at least partly to blame, and many rivers have been stripped of their natural flood zones. in the czech republic, people are beginning to take stock. >> neighbors are helping each other. volunteer german firefighters are working in the czech republic. they have come over the border from saxony to help a community hit hard by the flooding. the water had risen dramatically. now the debris has be cleared, including in this church. >> for us, this cross-border assistance is very important. the firefighters from germany are very professional. they have good technology and techniques and are very

disciplined. show them a problem, and they solve it. >> communities on both sides of the borders have maintained a partnership ever since they faced a forest fire together. they coordinate equipment purchases so they can work more effectively. disasters go beyond political boundaries. >> the few firefighters here could not manage it, so we can to help. the important thing is as the fire receives to remove the mud while it is still wet. once it dries, it's very hard to get rid of. >> for germany, cooperation and disaster relief is also routine. every half-hour, these helicopter pilots patrol the river where it forms the german- check order. they are on the look out. burials -- barrels from industrial plants keep turning up. this year, unlike the disastrous flood of 2000 two, crisis managers can count on reliable information.

>> international cooperation is crucial for our region, and these events confirm once again that disasters do not stop at borders. that's why for many years now we've had outstanding cooperation. >> once again, this year's flood shows the importance of repertory meetings. in germany, authorities can follow online how much the water rises. data on river levels enables them to calculate how much the water will rise downstream in germany. further up river, people relied on supplies delivered by boat for several days. they have brought food to people who do not want to leave their homes even though they know that can have fatal consequences. the flood has claimed at least 10 lives in the czech republic. >> no one thought we would see another flood like this for maybe 100 years. people here are at the end of

their temper. it's hardest on the old. >> this 82-year-old is impatient. he has not been home for almost a week, but the floods have spared his house in central bohemia. he was afraid it would be swamped or swept away. people just a few streets away were not so lucky. we go to this house by the boat. the water is still far higher than normal here. he cannot even start cleaning up yet. >> i just have to accept it. the worst part is it was only underwater once 11 years ago. we had to tear the house down and rebuild it, and now the water is back again. >> francis has already started cleaning up, but he has a second problem -- he has cancer, and his health insurance refuses to

pay for radiation treatment. now he has to rebuild hs house. fortunately, he has some help. >> they simply showed up. they work like the devil. that's great. but i don't know how we are supposed to pay for everything. we have no money. >> at the welfare office today, his wife asked how much assistance they will receive. she got no answer, but it's clear it will be less than in 2002. she did get an immediate payment of 200 euros, but that's all for now. >> it will not be enough. not for us and not for anybody else in this region. we are practically starting all over after all. it's in play not enough, specially not if your husband is ill, like mine -- it's simply not enough. then you have no chance. >> in the old town of the capital problem, there's been no

damage. the czech republic was prepared here. it set up portable detective walsh that held, but throughout the czech republic, the water has cost an estimated 100 billion euros in damage. that figure represents the fate of thousands. wherever our camera team went, they did see people laughing as they cleaned up, but they told us they had already done plenty of crying. >> greece has closed down its public tv service for restructuring. it is part of cost-cutting measures required by the country's into national creditors. all in all, greece has vowed to make some 15,000 civil servants redundant in return for billions of euros in aid. it was a painful and controversial decision, and it's being carried out in a painfully chaotic way. >> behind a massive door and heavy lock is a dark, empty

hall. we are having a look at the hellenic center of gold and silver smith. the agency supported gold and silver smith mainly through material testing. and february 2012, the greek parliament killed its funding. this attorney knows the details. but what is this? computers are everywhere. the fax machine is on. a couple of water standing around. it looks more like officials are on their lunch break. this is the accounting office. some books seem to have been left lying open, waiting to be finished. i'm a bit surprised and turned to the attorney for advice. can you tell me if the centers close or open now?

>> to be honest, it is a bit of both. the law has taken effect, but the ministry has taken no action to close the agency. i do not think they found a bankruptcy trustee yet, nor do they want to. >> why not? >> that is a mystery to me, too. >> the ministry of development that the staff home a year ago without a written notice. salary payments were stopped and bills were left unpaid. employees are suing the state now to get their jobs and wages back. constantino achieved a ruling hitherto unknown in greece -- a court attachment order against the office and facilities and inventory. >> the value of all the equipment together comes to about 400,000 euros, and that would go a long way toward paying worker salaries as well

as the creditors. >> we arrange to meet some of the agency's employees at the attorney's office. firing officials met open-ended contracts. this is a first for greece. they only found out about the agency's closing over the internet while at work. >> i just cannot understand that these layoffs happen without any evaluation of our qualifications. we've got employees with the plumas and knowledge of foreign- language is -- with diplomas and knowledge of or in languages. some of them could have been transferred to other agencies. >> two years ago, the greek administration circulated an internal people -- paper accusing ministries of ignoring

laws. studies of efficiency were never conducted. there were no plans for severance packages. with the current situation, when was the last communication from the ministry? >> the ministry last made contact in january. according to its statement, it had not found a solution yet. the way i see it, they are playing for time. >> this chemist, among others, does not have that time. he tries to run off his frustration for three hours every day. then he looks after his two- year-old. his wife has not yet recovered from a previous operation.

we visit the chemist at his parents'house. he says he's ashamed of his current situation. after 37 years, he feels like a child in need of care. now he's receiving 430 euros in stopgap assistance to support a wife, child, and two more children from his first marriage. the government profits by not having to pay the chemist salary and chalks it up to performance along with a shutdown agency. that makes the chemist furious. >> if there was anything really positive in this country, its people ought to be able to sense it, but we have to be realistic -- it will just get a lot worse. people are at their breaking point, and the government is just doing nothing.

>> there are problems everywhere and a state that cannot see them. he and his parents are giving up hope. the day after our visit to the supposedly closed agency, this finance ministry official showed up. the attachment order forces constantino to unlock the doors. she was hoping for some information, but the gentlemen only wanted to pick up some files in the basement. why is alpine not truly closed? how can they fire officials without giving notice? he asked for an interview at the ministry of development to ask some simple questions, but got none.

she keeps up the fight for her clients in an athens court room. officials are demanding a clear and honest explanation from the greek government on its intentions regarding the future. >> you would think it's a well- known fact that many of the worlds fish species are endangered, but demand for them continues to be high. fishing quotas are not really helping. they are often ignored because there's just too much money to be had with rare species. bluefin tuna is the most striking example. the fish is considered a sushi delicacy, and demand is particularly high in japan. that's why there's a fierce battle raging over the last tuna off the spanish coast. >>@don, the fishermen set off to see -- sea. it took a while before they

agreed to let us join them because they know that outsiders are often put off either method of catching the huge tuna. this is the final arena for the tuna. the fishermen follow with their boats and nets. they anchor them at the bottom of the sea. now there's no escape. the nets are hauled up, and the tuna die. the men heaved the heavy fish onto the boats. this method of fishing is 3000 years old. its name comes from an arabic word meaning fight in place, and it is soon clear why. >> what should i say?

you have to experience it yourself. we are a little like all fighters -- it's hard work. >> japanese supervisors are always on hand. we ask where the catch will go. their laconic answer -- japan. the spaniards do the heavy work. the japanese are in charge. japan is the dominant player in the tuna market. >> everything we catch here goes to japan. it belongs to the mitsubishi company. >> the car manufacturers also in the tuna business. in fact, it the biggest tuna dealer in the world. this fishing village has always lived from tuna fishing, but the stocks have been shrinking in recent years. the fishermen tell us their method is sustainable. they catch only those fish that enter the anchored nets and are too big to slip through the

holes in the mesh. but the fishermen say the industrial scale fishing in the mediterranean is a threat. whole schools of fish are hunted down and caught. >> they kill absolutely everything. a use helicopters, satellite technology, everything. >> the straits of gibraltar are the gateway to warmer waters. every spring, the tuna swim from the atlantic to the mediterranean to spawn. the atlantic loop fin tuna is considered king of the seas -- the atlantic bluefin tuna. since the 1990's, huge nets and state-of-the-art technology have been waiting in ambush in the mediterranean. today's tuna population is only one/five as large as it was just a few decades ago. the nets bag entire schools of

fish, which threatens the survival of the species. in recent years, environmental protection groups like the world wildlife fund and greenpeace have been putting great pressure on the european union, with success. catch quotas for tuna have been happed, enabling the population to stabilize on a low level, but at least it can stabilize, but illegal fishing continues. >> in countries such as libya where the current situation is not able, there are no real control mechanisms, but we also have lots of problems in italy because there, too, people continue to fish illegally and exceed the quota. >> meanwhile, they have launched tuna week. profit margins are the fish are very big. there is a lot of money in the atlantic bluefin.

spanish fishing villages live from the tom about the spanish see japan's dominance as a problem. they depend on companies in the far east. >> we export a great deal to japan, but we would like to change that. that is part of why we staged the tuna week. >> in recent years, greenpeace has a rubber dinghy's and divers to cut the deep nets in the mediterranean. the activist work again spanish and italian fishing cleats that all work for the japanese. >> the industry that deals with atlantic bluefin is very

powerful. it has lots of money and good connections with various governments. >> traditional fishing has almost completely ceased here. domingo and his colleagues recall how the tuna used to be caught with crisp lines and fishhooks. -- drift blinds and fishhooks. the fishermen here have sold almost their entire catch to the japanese. >> my father, my uncle, and my whole family fish this way. but that's over now. it's a bit sad. >> the day's catch is brought directly to a japanese refer or refrigerator ship. the tuna are loaded, and then the fish is sent to the mitsubishi company in tokyo by air or sea. as spanish -- a spanish

fishermen count the fish with knots. another sings a melancholy work song. spain's fishermen now work primarily to provide the raw material for sushi in japan, while the atlantic roofing tuna continues its struggles to survive. >> the tale of robin hood from sherwood forest in england is one that has fascinated people and inspired writers for centuries. we do not know whether the man who would take from the rich to give to the poor really existed, but the legend lives on. it sounds too good to be true, but a town in germany currently has its very own robin hood -- a mysterious benefactor who gives to the poor and who leads an entire town mystified. >> the wealthy well-wishers comes mostly under the cover of darkness when the city is a sleep. in the bag, envelopes gold with

500-euro notes. it was a nice surprise in more than one way. >> we did not expect it because we got one of these before. at the end of 2011, we found an anonymous gift of 10,000 euros in the mailbox. >> but this time was different. in addition to cash, the envelope included a torn out page from the local own book with a listing of roofers. it was a clear hint at the intended purpose of the donation. >> a lot of the roof still dates from the middle ages and is a bit worse for the wear. it is an increasingly urgent need of renovation.

>> the church is one of a range of lucky recipients, many of whom are individuals. the mystery man or woman has given away 250,000 euros over the past two years. the cash always arrives anonymously. most of the envelopes also come with an article from a local newspaper indicating the philanthropist's intended use of the money. the paper also benefits -- it is free advertising and a great news item. >> we get a lot out positive inquiries. the story has increased our popularity. it has become one of our biggest stories, so of course, i'm happy that it is a genuinely good story. >> the newspaper has received a flood of mail beyond the paper 's normal reach. people from all over the world

have written in, perhaps in the hope of attracting attention to their causes and ideally, money from the donor. most of the recipients have been charities, but one cash contribution landed in a local court. it was 5000 euros for a man who was beaten up after coming to the aid of a group of young women who had been harassed. >> naturally, the court welcomes this case of civic bravery being honored in such a way. >> the mystery of the good samaritan's identity may never be solved. has he or she won the lottery or inherited a fortune >> -- won the lottery or inherited a fortune? any wonder. where does this person live? how are the recipients chosen? is it a man or woman?

reading between the lines, a few clues can be found. >> giving away so much money to other people suggest that the whole point is to do a good deed and have a lasting legacy. >> finding balance to one's own life could play a role, perhaps even a way of facing their own mortality. >> apparently the fact that churches are among the beneficiaries provides a further clue. >> it indicates the realization of the principle of christian charity. the anonymity also fits. >> the bible says you should be compassionate to others out of love and not for your own

personal satisfaction or reward. >> what many local residents fear is that if the mystery donor's secret is revealed, the gifts may come to an end. they would do for the person to remain unnamed. >> of course i'm curious. the question is -- would it mean the end of this fairytale? >> will pastor bush be able to afford a new roof for his church? the work would cost over one million euros, but the benefactor's gift is at least a nice start. >> that report wraps up this edition of "european journal" from brussels. thanks for watching, goodbye for

now, and auf wiedersehen. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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