tv European Journal LINKTV May 29, 2014 7:30am-8:01am PDT
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♪ >> hello and a very warm welcome to "european journal" from brussels. good to have you with us. coming up in today's show -- european elections -- the two leading candidates on the campaign trail and france. presidential elections -- will a vote go-ahead in eastern ukraine. and protecting poultry -- special safety objectives in britain. the world's second-largest democratic elections are getting
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under way this week here in europe. for the first time, the roughly 400 million eligible voters in the eu could also indirectly determined who will be the next president of the eu commission. there are two front runners -- a social democrat from germany and the christian democrats from luxembourg. the candidates have covered a lot of kilometers campaigning across the eu. both men have clearly concentrated on france. it is the second biggest economy in europe thomas and it is ailing. public deficit keeps rising, and a strong far right party has been making life difficult for traditional parties. >> it is a tight race between jean-claude juncker from luxembourg and germany possible to schultz. who will be the president of the european commission? both candidates have their eyes
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on the europe's top job. today, we are on the campaign trail in france. the campaign kicks off at 20 past 7:00 on the morning show in paris. hundreds of journalists have interviewed the leading christian democratic candidate since his campaign started in april. there is one theme he repeats over and over -- >> i know europe like the back of my hand, and i want the eu to address big issues -- currency, the economy, foreign policy, and climate change. and not the size of showerheads. >> even the candidate of the european social democrats and president of the european parliament speaks and lawless
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french about less bureaucracy and more europe when it comes to issues -- in flawless french. thousands of nationals commute to work in neighboring countries thanks to the eu. >> here in europe, we have a culture that only rewards young entrepreneurs, the startups, if they are successful right away. those who face setbacks are out. the americans are far ahead of us. there are more chances there. >> back in paris, john thought juncker -- it jean-claude juncker is on his way to his next event. the lawyer is a politician through and through, so what is his impression after touring almost all the countries of the eu? >> i have not really discovered
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much more than i was already familiar with. sometimes there are nuances, unresolved problems in a country have taken on an urgency they did not have before the crisis. really, big discoveries, is that -- things that i had not imagined nor known, i have not come across that. >> his rival, martin schultz, however, sees things differently -- his writer -- his rival, martin schulz, however, sees things differently. socialists are already celebrating him. across the country, the campaign has been -- the party has been campaigning hard or schulz. in recent municipal elections, one town almost fell to a far right party. schulz, originally a bookseller,
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reminds them that peace is the result of hard work. >> we are often not aware of what we have inherited. i am allowed to live my life in peace with chances that our parents could not have dared to dream about, and we do not recognize the sacrifice. >> peace and security are also themes that juncker touches on, but his focus is on economic policy. the 59-year-old throws around figures at the american press club in paris. he cracks jokes and then earnestly tells guests that those who say france should give up the euro are not true patriots. >> the extreme right rejects everything that politics has to offer and can help society progress. if i am elected president of the
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commission only because the far right supports me, i would not take on the presidency of the european union, the european commission. i don't want to get the job next to the far right, populists, neofascists, xenophobes, and those that reject everything that is not like them. >> there are -- they are too committed europeans who may be a year apart in experience but whose politics are so different, but one clear theme emerges --juncker hardly talks about schulz, but schulz is certainly not doing the same. >> every five years, john thought -- it jean-claude juncker transforms into a veritable socialist. in between, he is a socialist democrat, but if i say tomorrow that i promised sunshine forever in the eu, juncker would say, "me, too." >> at the end of the campaign,
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each has to answer three questions. we are looking for their favorite animal, color, and object. >> the color is blue. that is the uniform of workers. >> the color is red because i belong to the reds, and that's my life. >> the animal is dog. >> a hippopotamus. my daughter gave me one when she was six, and it gave me luck. >> what was the other thing? >> the object. >> a bus. >> my wedding ring. if i am not with my wife, it is the most important object because it connects me to her. >> it is the end of campaigning today. time to go home and then onto the next european country. >> martin schulz's campaign focused strongly on tackling high youth unemployment. he says the so-called lost generation deserves to have a future, but some of the younger candidates in the current race say it's time their generation took matters into their own hands.
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we caught up with two young candidates, one from sweden, and the other from slovenia, to hear more about their vision. it seems their generation is just as diverse as any other when it comes to political views . >> campaigning for a seat in the eu parliament means getting out and talking to voters. in slovenia, there are lots of potential voters at the market. at age 26, the youngest candidate is out to mobilize the young vote, but there are not many young people at the farmers market. >> strolling through town in the marketplaces, i see mostly older people. you generally meet the younger ones elsewhere, but it's hard to reach them. >> in sweden, a malia's daughter has got an early start studying
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digital communication, so when she talks about digital security in the ee you, she is in her elements. amelia is 27 and currently the youngest member in parliament, but she knows more about internet issues then any of the others. >> i try to create better relationships between policy and technology and how we are influenced by technology, as well as the correct policy to have with respect to that influence. >> amelia represents sweden's pirate party. the internet is an important issue in sweden and to the pirates. no wonder the party originated here. >> probably because i work with social media here, i don't really mind handing a lot of data over, but at the same time, it's nice to know what happens with it, just a sort of have an overview. >> in sweden, the internet is a jobs provider.
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nine out of 10 communication students will find a job right after graduation. in slovenia, young people are lucky to find any job at all, especially during the debt crisis. she has been working for years at her youth club in her hometown and nosed problems young people face. >> unemployment and dependence upon parents is a problem for young people all over europe, but unfortunately, it is at its worst in slovenia. young people have a hard time getting on their feet here because there are just not any jobs. >> young slovenians tend to see politics as nothing but corrupt officials vying for money and power. hardly any other profession has as bad in image here. public interest in the european parliamentary elections is low. >> i don't like politics, so i don't pay much attention to
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that. >> the eu has to start doing something about this disenchantment with politics, or in 10 to 15 years, they are not going to have any active citizens left, whether in slovenia or elsewhere. the eu cannot work on that basis . >> amelia dropped by a school. the kids start learning the basics of programming in the early grades right along with their parents. as networks as she may be, she does not connect with children well. soon, she finds a quiet corner where she can write e-mails. index edition on lacemaking, a slovenian tradition that many children here learn early on. this is her fourth stop of the day, but she is genuinely interested.
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she is a good communicator. she originally studied law, but now she wants to go into politics, even though she knows her chances with this party are small. the year before, she served as wine queen. she learned to keep a tight schedule without losing her concentration. >> i've been so active that lots of people have gotten to know me. they have seen that i've got talent and i can do something positive for our country. >> amelia takes a different approach. late in the evening, she meets with other activists to organize a poster campaign. the pirates do not seem to have much wind in their sails yet. >> all political elections are always won by hard work but also a fair bit of luck, so i am very lucky, fortunately. we will see how far that takes
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me. >> on her road to the european parliament, she has to contend with slovenia's voter apathy and disillusionment with the eu, but she has high hopes. >> of course it would be wonderful for me to become a member of the eu parliament. i'm still young. who knows? maybe the dream will come true. >> by the time amelia sets off to put up her posters, it's late at night, but even if she wins reelection to the european parliament, she says it will not mean she has joined the political establishment. >> people in ukraine are also going to the polls this week to elect a new president. the vote is an important milestone in the tug-of-war over ukraine between russia and the west, and eu politicians have urged vladimir putin to recognize the results so that kiev can finally have a stable
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government again, recognized by all sides, but after their so-called referendum a few weeks ago, pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine have already said that they are going to boycott the elections. >> dmitry only came into the election commission office to quit his job. he wanted to return the election material he had planned to distribute. elections staff here say they are working under constant threat. >> a group of armed men with automatic weapons detained three mins of the election commission, took them outside, and threatened them in front of children. people were threatened with death. we cannot work. they do not provide us with security. we fear for our lives. >> the problem of intimidation at election offices in donetsk is widespread. earlier this month, marked men
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made it his office. they took computers with crucial personal data. they returned a few days ago. >> they said they were sent here to warn you that you either stop working voluntarily or we cannot be responsible for your lives. as a normal human being, i have a self-preservation instinct, and i am concerned about saving my life. but at the same time, i realize that my country needs me at this moment. >> the cell styles on its people's republic has openly vowed to disrupt the election. it has claimed autonomy in the region since holding its own referendum, and it refuses to reckon with the current government in kiev or it successor. >> in the territory of the donetsk people's republic, there cannot be people's elections.
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it is not right. it is illogical and will destabilize the region. we will disrupt any attempt to have presidential elections in our region on may 25. >> but he has a firm response to this thinly veiled threat. >> this person who calls himself chairman of their central election commission is not referring to any material law. even their own law. even the law of the country they made up. they do not have a constitution. they don't have a state. all their actions are totally illegitimate. >> election officials say they believe local people internet -- in donetsk do want to vote, but we found little enthusiasm for an election. >> for me, they have no meaning. i don't plan to vote. i don't know what to say. the illegitimate government wants some elections.
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>> people here may not even be able to get to polling stations. with many roads cut off by fighting or improvised blockades, it would be difficult to hold an election. a few hundred kilometers away, the mood is more positive. the pro-russian movement is active here, too. but there is a sense of normality on the streets. people seem to want a central government in kiev, even if they are concerned about the future. >> i think the elections should take place, so that a stable government is established. because in the light of current events, when regents want to split and all that, i think we still need a stable government. >> organizers at the office of the front runner and the presidential race say their candidate can find a solution to the crisis. >> and he is the only candidate
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who can unite the country, bring together east and west, all the regions together in the current situation. >> but here, too, local election officials fear the vote could be disrupt it -- disrupted. workers at this polling station are organizing battery-powered lights after warnings separatists may sabotage the power supply during the vote count. the vote is likely to go ahead in most cases despite the crisis, but whether the winner can unite people in the east of the country remains to be seen. >> the prime minister of turkey is the most influential turkish leader since the legendary ataturk. in his 10 years as prime minister, erdogan has transformed turkey, changing the way business is done, giving turkish minorities rights, and he has also cracked down on protesters and temporarily
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banned twitter and youtube. still, he continued to enjoy a high level of popularity until turkey experienced of the country recently with more than 300 casualties. >> sorrow and doers after the disaster of the coal mine in soma -- the sorrow endures. it might have been an opportunity for the prime minister to offer solace. instead, he let others talk. >> powerful forces exert their influence on our country and our people. they should leave us in peace. it's not only the government or workers or management to blame for this disaster. we are all to blame. >> when erdogan did try to comfort the people of soma in his own distinct way, he said the accident had been fate. in response, an angry crowd blocked his path. one of his advisers was caught on video kicking a demonstrator.
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erdogan himself got physical, and his bodyguard drove some protesters into a supermarket parking lot and beat them up. one reporter wrote that in his 50 years as a journalist, he had never before experienced a head of government as a pugilist. he says such behavior is not a sign of nerves but it -- but is part of a strategy. >> about half the top elation backed erdogan and his policies -- half the population. to ensure their support, he has to characterize the other half as the enemy. he needs to polarize the country, not just for a moment, but long-term. that is his tactic. >> his rise to power began in
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2002 when his recently fought justice and development party won a landslide victory. as prime minister, he promised a leaner state, closer ties to the european union, and a new style of government. >> we have a different concept of party leadership. it's not that one person decides everything and the others follow -- that's not our way, nor is our party guided by religious faith. it is oriented towards the people. we want to make them happy and contented. >> words that some have taken to heart. he was once a close associate of erdogan's, but then he broke with him. he was not alone in parting company with the unbridled prime minister. >> he always was the way he is now, but in order not to scare
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away the voters and not to give his opponents more opportunities to attack him, he behaved differently. now, however, he feels strong enough to ignore both the constitution and his party. >> erdogan responds angrily to critics. he shouted down the head of the bar association when he criticized the government and called for a more independent judiciary. not even the president can calm them down. they have long been associates. both have an islamist political past. nor does erdogan appear to care for what the rest of the world appears to think of him. turkey will hold a presidential election in august. erdogan is expected to run and to win. if he does, he will probably pick a devoted follower to succeed him as prime minister. those who do not like what he does and say so will face an
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emboldened and unbridled president, just like the people of soma did. >> it's almost time for us to go here on "european journal," but before we do, here is one more story that has absolutely nothing to do with politics and a lot to do with love of animals. a special kind which used to be common in european households until space became an issue. keeping chickens as pets has become hugely popular in recent years, at least in britain. >> for most chickens these days, life is not much fun. it spared the rotisserie, they tend to spend it in crowded industrial farms under inhumane conditions, but enroll england, people here have begun to describe the chicken as a pet, and they pamper them with all the comforts due to their little darlings. the luxury coupe in the yard,
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like this one for instance, designed by this dynamic young man. now his company has made another coup -- safety vests for chickens, such as the smart plus model. >> you quickly realize what lovely characters they are, how friendly they are, and you give them names. they come when you call them, and the emotional effect it has on people when they lose a chicken is very tragic. >> the greatest threat to the existence of a pet chicken is not as much the kernel -- the colonel as speed demons racing up and down country roads. the vests are designed to give them greater visibility according to the tv commercial name for the very fate they hope to save the chickens from meeting -- omelette. the investors have found buyers, 1500 since they went on sale.
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>> there's maybe 2 million, 3 million chickens in the u.k. it could be. >> if nothing else, the vests give the chickens owners peace of mind as the pets range free on the open road. >> if you keep them warm, you've got more eggs because happy chickens lay more eggs, and then suddenly, they become very interested. >> omelette is a success without breaking eggs. >> it has become quite a serious business -- well, sort of serious. >> serious or not, the chickens cannot back out of the deal. friend or fowl, they can go either way. >> that's all we have time for
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