european journal coming from dw studios in brussels. let's take a look at what is coming up. they gains for the far right in denmark. how serbia is dealing with unexpected consequences. residents only, cracking down on real estate sales. europe has voted and anti-you

and far right parties have swept the board in some countries. antiestablishment and neo-nazi parties will have considerably more seats in the eu parliament. the far right national from plants -- from france clinched 20 seats. a party also emerged as the strongest force in denmark and the danish people's party is not quite as extreme, but much like the u.k. independence party it has an anti-eu and anti-immigration platform, which tapped into widespread fear that foreigners are compromising the country's identity and values. >> just 26 years old, he has already made the jump to brussels.

his platform is simple and straightforward. >> we don't think europe should be a social union. there are numerous issues in the national states. we think the eu should focus on what is good in the free trades, the cross-border problems, like+ climate and environment. that they should not interfere in the day-to-day business. >> more denmark and lest europe -- and less europe, this is what put the danish people party in place and doubled the number of the right-wing populists sent to brussels. it was an impressive showing. something for them to sing about. he got his start in the party's youth organization. his colleague has been with the

party since it was founded in 1995. she lives in the copenhagen suburb of -- her husband is also a dpp repr esentative. the couple has three children. they watch the images from election night over and over, still hardly able to believe it is true. oath reject any form of racism or xenophobia. but they would like to see passport checks at the borders again, even for eu citizens, to keep the influx of immigrants under control. >> you are danish if you feel danish in your heart and danish is your native language. denmark is the danish people. that is how it is, how it always will be.

>> the dpp holds up the specter of foreigners. even citizens coming into denmark to cash in on business. as someone from the university of copenhagen pointed out there is no talks about leaving the ee you. >> they want to stay in the market but they hate everything else about the du. -- about the du. i am using a demo turkey -- a demographic where -- we people do not have a say in anything. they used this dichotomy between the elite sitting in brussels and the danes as being suppressed, innocent people without any power.

all sovereignty had been taken away from us, we're losing our identity, our culture. >> the rise of the danish people's party is a hot topic on danish television. commentators say profit from the votes -- now denmark's large -- denmark's third-largest force in parliament is consolidating its position. >> there is no doubt the danish people's party is having an effect in the debate on foreigners. not only have they established conservative and centrist parties more critical of foreigners but we have seen the social democrat go in the opposite direction. even the socialist people's party and left-wing parties have let this party influence their decisions. >> now he is busy with

negotiations to form a coalition of the european parliament. his party has artie sent the right-wing populists -- has already sent the right-wing populists packing. >> racism is not acceptable. it is not ok to base them on the color of their skin. there are lots of friend lines. that is why we said no thank you . >> the members of the european parliament and the world are keeping a close eye on how the right-wing parties are shaping up. >> not even half of all eligible voters actually cast their ballots in last year's elections. many citizens in the ee you feel let down by politics and politicians. take small farmers in romania, for example.

national governments often exploit the fact that hardly anyone understands how du works -- how the eu works. people tend to blame brussels. only one in four eligible voters went to the polls this time. one reason being that eu rules concerning agricultural products are making it difficult for the country's 5,000,004 -- 5 million small farmers. them a flat bread filled with feta cheese. it is all homegrown or homemade on her own farm. but she is worried this may soon be history at the european union serves up regulations that makes it even harder for her and her neighbors to earn a living off the land. >> why should we buy groceries

contaminated with chemicals from the supermarket? why can't we small farmers sell a piece of cheese or cherries from our own mark should -- from our own orchards at the markets? >> that is not quite the case. eu regulations do not say we cannot sell traditional products at market anymore. the problem is with our romanian authorities. they seem incapable of maintaining the regulations. >> the nearest farmers market is in the town of -- where time seems to have stood still. technically most of these farmers are selling their products illegally. eu law demands regular monitoring of hygiene standards. hardly anyone bothers about the law.

doing everything by the book just takes too much time, effort, and money. decides the romanian authorities give the small farmers little help in adapting to the regulations. erica's aunt was supposed to have her cheese inspected at a laboratory but it is a good 100 kilometers away. if please catch up with her she could be slapped with a hefty fine. >> they chased us away. we are not allowed to sell anything, even though everything here is clean. them of the waterwheel has broken down. it looks like something from a bygone era. many families in the area come here to grind their grain. erica's son entrée has to fix it

with tools and parts forged in the blacksmith shop. fill a push valley in northern romania is a northern -- is a remote part of the country. water buffalo, cows, and sheep have been a part of romanian life for generations. people cannot live from nature alone. the eu and romanian government would rather see far fewer small farmers and more large-scale operations. when farmer sees a danger to traditional agriculture. >> what shows up here -- these

policies just confuse our farmers. >> but bucharest stands by its policies. the head of the chamber of agriculture claims the farmers are just being stubborn and they refuse to go with the time is that with the times. -- refuse to go with the times. >> this is precisely where our problem is. whenever we propose cooperatives in romania we are branded as communists. >> america's family -- erika's family rejects any suggestion of starting a cooperative. the family preferred to make their caution -- their cheeses themselves with recipes handed

down for centuries. >> when it starts to ferment i does it with cold water. >> many in this extended family voiced fears that traditional products could eventually be taken off the product completely. they can hardly compete with the big supermarkets and sheep for products. >> we need at least 100 sheep to turn a profit from what we produce. we don't have that many overhead so we do not make that many prophets. compared with the big factory farms, our production costs are very high in the revenues are that much lower. >> she has no intention of abandoning the way of life she grew up with, no matter what the eu dictates.

she will not touch bread from the supermarket. >> my children will bake bread to read it is the only kind they like. >> what she didn't mention is that her sons all moved to the city. >> several days of heavy rain took their toll into the balkans earlier this month. more than 50 lives were lost and tens of thousands were forced to leave their homes. and now the people are facing in other danger. at the flooding -- epic flooding has dislodged set -- dislodged thousands of landmines. >> you need a boat to get around

here. the streets and houses have been inundated vice stagnant water full of debris. for the inhabitants of this serbian town southwest of belgrade, it is exact -- it is a disaster. >> there are so many cats and dogs, it stinks. it is getting better every day. >> it is 30 degrees in the shade so the danger of an outbreak of disease increases radically. bottled water is the only potable water to be found. the biggest hotel is now an emergency hospital. many residents are coming in for checkups. >> we still have the situation under control. thank god we haven't had any patients come to us with any serious diseases that could cause us concern.

>> diarrhea and eczema are the most frequent complaints treated here. the line of outpatients waiting to be seen becomes longer each day. >> think that there is enough medicine to go around. dam of the european union has sent teams of specialists from 20 different countries. eu commissioner and serbian foreign minister are on the ground to assess the situation for themselves. >> unfortunately i have seen a lot of disasters, but this is honestly the worst flood i have ever seen. >> serbia is set to receive fast on bureaucratic financial aid from the european union. although the country is not yet an eu member state.

>> i am happy about the prompt reaction of the european union. commissioner hanh has told me that my counterparts in eu countries are committed to providing rapid help for serbia. >> but it is likely to take months before normality is restored. the serbian town is just 30 kilometers away. things are looking a little better here. in fact these russian rescue workers are packing up for their return flight to moscow. the 76 men were the first responders on the scene. >> the european union rescue workers did not arrive until two days later, when water levels

started to go down again. there must've been some major bureaucratic hurdles. m upgrade for for their help, the locals give the russians a warm sendoff. the russians have rescued hundreds of serbians from the flood. their time here is over. they are here to assess the situation. the spread of disease is not the only danger. landmines leftover from the bosnian war in the 1990's may have been dislodged by the water. experts have come here to recover them. >> those are antipersonnel mines. they are about as big as your fist. that is why they are so dangerous. >> there are tens of thousands of landmines in this area alone. the general whereabouts was known until the floods hit.

the water has spread them over a much larger region. the belgians are readying their high-tech equipment, first deploying a drone to inspect the infected area from the air. >> the drones allow us to work locally and that is faster. i can immediately get the information i need to carry out my work. >> 20 minutes later the aerial surveillance is complete. the experts assess the images. but the drone cannot dispute -- cannot diffuse the mind. that has to be done by people in the conventional way, by hand. it is a laborious undertaking, not without risks. there are still plenty to be done in the region's flooded areas. >> majestic mountains, a rugged coastline and pristine beach is the trademarks of what the french call their ideal of beauty.

it hardly comes as a surprise that real estate is in great demand, both french buyers from the mainland as well as foreign investors are willing to pay exorbitant sums for houses, which means that locals often cannot afford to buy property in their hometowns. the people of a small village west of the island have now said enough is enough. they have introduced a controversial law. >> italy's mayor wants to put a stop to housing speculations in his village. as soon as property goes on the market, sellers get inquiries. french people from the french mainland all want to own a piece of paradise. in the village people still speak cause can. in many places rich foreigners now call the shots.

>> it is pretty much unspoiled terrain. we face pressure from all sides. we don't want our line and -- our land to be the cost. >> housing prices have already skyrocketed. it is impossible to buy a house for less than 400,000 euros. wealthy owners use him for just a month in the summer. for the rest of the year that homes stand empty. locals are being priced out of the market. barbara still lives with her grandmother. though she works as a municipal employee she cannot afford her own apartment. >> i have 10 square meters. that is my living space. is very small and not my own home. it is not that i am not comfortable here but it is not my own. it is hard at times.

, some are not willing to accept this anymore and are resorting to radical measures. under the nationalist slogan cause can for the cause of cans, fear has been struck into the heart of newcomers. in december 2012, dozens of houses were destroyed. years ago the mayor himself took up arms to defend his island's interest. now he has found a better way, through legislation. he convinced the village council to introduce a five-year rule. anyone wanting to buy a house must have lived on the island for at least five years. some call the rule discriminatory but the mayor disagrees. >> when i say it applies to local residents, i want to be clear that it is not only those

of national origin, it is about having a common destiny. it is people who chose to come and live with us. there are lots of people who have come from elsewhere to share in this destiny. >> at the mayor's instigation, regional parliament has adopted five-year rule, much to the french government's dismay. most french citizens would be barred from buying a holiday home. good chili's mayor has received an angry layer from the regional governor, which was installed by the french government. the letter says it conveys the basic rights to equality. it calls the decision a legal and demanded to be repealed. napoleon bonaparte still watches over his birthplace, the capital . while producing france's famous first emperor, many are still misunderstood by the government in paris.

she is convinced the five-year rule applies to both french and european law. >> in europe there are regions and countries that have a special status. the marquees can only sell property to foreigners who had been residents there for at least five years. maintaining this special status was one of the conditions in which they joined ee you. >> not everyone welcomes the five-year rule. real estate agents say it will cause housing prices to fall. >> if the law became legally valid tomorrow nothing would stop the resident from loaning their way -- loaning their name

to someone from the mainland. after five or 10 years that person could legally buy property. this is going to create a kind of parallel market. it won't hurt anyone. it is a way of getting around the law without taking too many risks. >> that scheme is unlikely to succeed. the mayor says he will approve each and every -- he plans to ignore the regional governor. >> the village council voted for rights. this means the municipality has the first option to buy a property if we thought the sale was not in our interest. i could even get it for less money than a buyer would pay. it is a tool that is at our disposal now.

>> but villagers also fear the reaction from paris. barbara's grandmother was once active in the cause can independence movement and saw how the french government reacted. , i think paris will forbid it. they always take a step forward and that a step back. >> it has raised a lot of questions about the island and other municipalities demanding such rules. will that help us? >> the mayor has already received inquiries from other parts of europe. including the region and french islands. he vows he will never give up. the it looks like that that -- it's looks like the french government is in for a battle of napoleonic proportions.

>> that wraps up our addition of european journal. i for now.

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