>> merry christmas and a very warm welcome to this special edition of "european journal." from the heart of russells, this square is considered one of the most beautiful in europe. we will be showing you some of our favorite reports from this year. having to seek shelter far away from home is a central element of the nativity story. jesus was born in a stable after all. thousands of refugees try to get

to europe this year, and many were separated from relatives along the way. in greece, we visited an orphanage where children who lost their parents on the journey find shelter and protection. >> he makes his living and one of the most beautiful conservation areas in the balkans. the river delta is home to countless rare bird species. but it is also part of the border between greece and turkey . it is a dangerous transit zone for people fleeing to europe. >> these are remnants of a boat refugees used to try to come over from the other side. apparently, the weather was bad, and the people drowned. only the boat remains. there's the river, and beyond that is turkey. the port is just 50 meters wide,

but crossing is dangerous because the current is very strong. those who cannot swim drowned. >> miners who survived the treacherous crossing end up in this house on the outskirts of the border town if they are lucky. children from around the world ranging from ages two to 16 live here. they have lost their parents -- some for good -- because they died trying to get here. others were separated from their families on the way and are waiting to be reunited with them. that group includes this 12- year-old from afghanistan. >> we came here to greece together, but then my mother went ahead to germany to see if it was safe there. we are waiting to see if we can join her. >> if their parents have been

located outside of greece, the children can only see them on internet video chats. even within the eu, the hurdles for reuniting refugee families are very high. varying asylum procedures in different countries are difficult to reconcile, even when miners are involved -- even when minors are involved. for the director of this home, the greatest reborn comes from -- comes when the children are reunited with their mothers, but when refugees die, it hits everyone here hard. greece has now plugged most of the gaps in the border with the help of tenses and the eu border control authority -- with the help of fences. some experts think the new policy is only a qualified success. >> part of the problem has

simply shifted to the greek islands in the aegean, and they are not as easy to patrol, but you should not forget that it was previously the easiest entry point in the eu. until last year, 95% of the illegal refugees injured through greece. now it's only 30%. that's a huge drop. >> the other children here are lucky. after thousands of kilometers on the run and separation from their parents, they found help in greece, and they have renewed hope. >> i want to get to germany as soon as possible and live with my mother. i'm just waiting for permission from the authorities. i don't want to go back to afghanistan. i have not forgotten the war there. >> he cannot forget, either. he has seen too many bodies floating in the delta and too much indifference to the plight of the refugees.

>> i have cried a lot. i sympathize with these people. my grandparents fled istanbul and had to start a new life in greece. i heard similar horror stories from my grandparents about how they got here. so i see these refugees as people, but others do not care about them. >> a fisherman and a children's aid project -- both trying to make a difference on greece's fortified border. >> the city affairs of russell's have been managed here in the town hall for centuries. these old walls are also the birthplace of belgium as we know it today. politicians here often have a hard time trying to bridge the divide between the french-

speaking communities. bringing different nations together is a core idea behind the european union. this year, croatia was welcomed into the club. not long ago, just over 20 years ago, the small country on the adriatic sea was still part of yugoslavia. >> alexander is driving home deep in the countryside of the peninsula. the restaurant owner has been out eyeing flower -- buying flour in a neighboring town. he is one of the residence of the smallest town in the world. >> i'm really glad to live in a place as special as this. people from all over the world want to visit here. >> it was first mentioned in a document from the 12th century. with its wall, tower, and church, it has all the trappings of a that evil city -- of a

medieval city. the catholics of the town still practice some age old rituals. tally sticks are used in the mayoral elections each year. only men can vote or be elected. >> we also wonder why only men can vote, but that's the tradition. >> she sees no reason to get worked up about it. at 80, she is the oldest resident of the town and has seen lots of elections. >> i told my youngest granddaughter she should run for mayor. she has the right character for the job. but she just laughed. >> it's very popular with tourists from germany and austria. not everyone is crazy about the typical cold red wine soup, but most are thrilled by the town's

medieval charm. >> these piles of stone are still authentic, and that's what's so fascinating. we don't have anything like it act home. >> it is taking croatia's eu of session in stride. in the last century, the town first belonged to italy, then yugoslavia. some people here have bad memories of the communist era. now, the worries are a bit effort. some are afraid the town could lose its unique character. >> if we are in the process of attracting more people with more money, to build structures which are not in harmony with the situation, which is in the first place attracting people, it will destroy the same resource which we are living form. >> the tourists would no longer find the things which have always attracted them. in a referendum in 2012, 2/3 of

croatians said yes to join the european union. >> back then, i voted to join, too, because i thought it would be best for croatia, but now, when i see the crisis and how things are developing, i have grown a bit skeptical. >> once again, people here have to get used to new structures and implement laws devised of and are away places. this time, in brussels. but the world's smallest town has always been pragmatic. >> welcome back to this christmas edition of "european journal" in brussels. this pub here, the swan, is rich in history. it was here that someone hundred 60 years ago, karl marx wrote his famous communist manifesto.

maybe at this very table. his criticism of the capitalist system went on to inspire labor movements around the world. his writings were also well received in france, and to this day, strikes and small-scale rebellions are common in the country. liberty and equality are highly regarded. >> they see themselves as a band of merry men planning a daring jump over the barriers to get a free ride on the commuter train. they know they are risking a fine, so they take her cautions. >> most people go through the barriers here in the hall, but we don't want to draw attention to ourselves, so we are better off going around to the other side.

>> a monthly pass for the route costs 113 euros per month, which is more than these young men are willing to pay. >> i don't think it's right that you should have to pay so much for public transportation. it should be free. it should be completely paid for with taxpayer money. to me, writing without a ticket is an act of civil disobedience -- writing -- riding without a ticket is an act of civil disobedience. >> around 1/3 of passengers are traveling without a ticket. px used to be the mayor of a town outside of paris and spent years trying to tackle the problem. he says bringing back station staff instead of ticket machines would help. >> people who are paying for tickets see all these people jumping over the barriers, and it makes them wonder why they

are paying. there's a new normal. it's no longer normal to pay. it's normal not to pay. >> what used to be a bit of revocation has become a sport, and it is ticket inspectors who are bearing the brunt. some young fare dodgers travel in groups and tend to get aggressive. the inspectors' tactic is to deflect attention by showing they trust the public, even when they are dealing with the us offenders -- obvious offenders. this woman claims she has left her monthly pass at home. >> fare dodgers our customers -- are customers. my job is to ensure they become good customers. >> in france, people do not just dodge fares because they do not

want to pay. it's a national tradition. even the former president leapt over the barriers with the us enjoyment. >> i was in shock. the barrier was broken. it just goes to show how athletic he was. >> he might not have been deliberately fare dodging, but the incident is legendary, nonetheless. and it legal student insurance scheme for fare dodgers even references the vote in its ad campaign. armed with a hidden camera, we pay a visit to its office in northern france.

members pay 10 euros a month into this clandestine scheme, saving the money they would otherwise have to spend on a monthly pass as well as any fines incurred by fare dodging. the numbers add up. it's not really a bug or, but this journalist long believes that there are core french values underpinning the scheme. >> people want equality when it comes to public transportation. that means that if one neighborhood gets a new bus route, then every neighborhood wants one, and people want liberty. they want to be free to get around. if i'm broke, i should not have to stay around -- i should not have to stay home. the metro is going to run whether i'm on it or not. >> it is fair enough when young people are broke, but they just should not get caught. >> fare dodgers have to be ready

to take the rough with the smooth. they have been caught, but they usually get away with it. >> i like feeling that i have stuck it to them again. >> in france, refusing to pay for public transport is almost considered a political statement. >> we are high up on the balcony . you have the best view of the unesco world heritage site in brussels. most of the warehouses here are baroque guild houses. over there, you have the houses of beer brewers, and next to it, the butchers. this was once an important trading hub. good trade relations are still important in europe, but in some remote areas, there are few jobs, at least in legal sectors.

one entire village has specialized in marijuana production, and this summer, a "european journal" camera team was the first that managed to pay the farmers a visit. >> there's a strong smell hanging over this visit -- this village, the smell of a certain we've. it's a hub of marijuana growing. practically the entire community earns their living from it, yet the private farming of marijuana is legal. usually, the villagers keep to themselves. we are the first team that has been allowed into film since they started growing the drug. were the guests of the family -- we are the guests of this family. the head of the business, which produces around 1000 kilos of marijuana each year. >> first, we sow the seeds and dig holes. we have to keep watering the plants every other day. the harvesting and trimming of the crop is also very difficult. we do it all ourselves.

>> but it is a lucrative business. they do not like to talk money, but the harvest hands say that the records are sizable. 300 euros per kilo of marijuana. they earn about six times as much as much as they would in other jobs. the marijuana farmers have been inhaling this heavy sent front -- for the past 14 years. some look as if they have taken up the habit themselves. it seems difficult to find out why this in this it is this has been able to go on for so long. this reporter has had his eye on the town for years, but investigating the story can be very dangerous. >> there's a kind of no go area where no one is allowed in. some people have tried it.

they came under fire, or they did not come back. >> they have been involved in the business for almost 10 years. they were fearful at first, but when they saw their neighbors harvesting a rich crop tom at they decided they would like a piece of the pie. >> we could not survive without this crop. we used to be the poorest village in albania. we did not even have any water. we were always bad off. under the communist regime and afterwards, too. >> these days, however, they seem to enjoy a special status. there have been no arrests here up to now. according to locals, this is a place where the law does not apply.

we only heard about the leased checks in neighboring villages. the authorities impounded for tons of marijuana last year, a fraction of the total amount smuggled into the eu. he thinks they tolerate what is going on because drug barons from italy, greece, and germany are involved, and there is substance to that theory. the farmers get their seeds for the marijuana plants exclusively from italy. to gauge the scale of the drug production and the mafia's and earnings, italian tax investigators have had surveillance planes fly over the plantations. they estimate that the farmers grow around 900 tons of marijuana a year. estimated market value -- 4.5 billion euros. albanian authorities and some high-ranking politicians are also reputed to be profiting from the trade.

many luxury hotels on the coast are allegedly drug laundering operations. an intelligence agency report made links between mafia bosses and politicians has been under lock and key for years under orders of the former government. many marijuana farmers say the government is complicit in trying to hush things up. >> if the government had wanted to stop the drug production, it would have done so. >> she expects demand for marijuana to rise. she has had a bumper harvest this year, like other farmers here. they are determined to defend that crop 24 hours a day by any means necessary. we were wary of overstaying our welcome. the locals are determined to defend what is one of albania's

most flourishing businesses. >> people on the margins ofpsocd compassion from others, but we overlook their needs all too often. christmas is different. for many of us, it is also a time to practice charity, but there's one person here in brussels who does not wait for christmas to come around before he opens his doors to homeless people. >> a cup of coffee, a piece of bread. he says you need nothing more than that to yield human, and equal among equals. he is actually homeless with no documents and no prospects. sometimes a simple breakfast can mean the world. >> it is an enormous pleasure, an enormous satisfaction to be+ able to benefit from the solidarity. >> everyone calls him monsieur

ben or just ben. he comes from morocco. he opened his hotel in brussels 19 years ago and called it mozart, his oriental dream come true -- it three-star hotel as colorful as his own story. >> hotels are not always full, especially in winter. in january and february, when it's very cold, i let people in. i put myself in their place. when they look at me, gratitude in their eyes, it's a joy. >> so he opens his doors to people in need. everyone gets breakfast here, and often a room, whether they can pay or not. so far, none of the paying guests have complained. on the contrary. >> i think that's fantastic. i wish more people in the world

were like this man. >> i think it is something to be happy about. there's so much misery in the world. >> he does not talk much about life on the streets, and when he does, he avoids speaking about himself. he only talks about other homeless people and life on the street in general. behind a church in central brussels, he had a place to sleep for many months. it was a dangerous life. >> you see, when there are seven or eight rooms together, anything can happen. they go berserk. they become violent. they mocked everything and everybody. they do not care at all for the lives of people who sleep. . >> the sleeping quarters are immaculately clean and tidy. he says the people who sleepy or are not drunks. no drugs, no alcohol. just bad luck in life.

he shows us the people lying on the other side of the church -- those whose lives have been destroyed by alcohol. things look different there. seven months ago, he met ben. since then, he has lived in the hotel with a roof over his head, a proper bed, and a shower. he will never forget the moment he arrived. >> it's better than in my own home. a bathroom and a television. when i came in here and saw a picture of a soldier, i thought, "that's what i have to do -- keep fighting." >> so he sets out, armed with his documents. he wants to talk to the president of belgium's senate.

the police officer at the entrance does not send him away but extend -- instead politely explains how to get to the visitors entrance. and then, he once again has to do what so many in hotel mozart have to -- wait or an answer from the senate and hope that something in his life will finally improve. waiting, he says, is what is hardest. >> that report wraps up this christmas edition of "european journal" in brussels. from all of us here, happy holidays. see you in 2014. until then, auf wiedersehen and bye for now. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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