hello and a warm welcome from brussels - the capital of belgium and the european union. the future of the eu is decided right here. so how can it achieve equal development and prosperity for all of its 27 member states? that's what we'll be asking today on this special edition of focus on europe. let's begin right here in brussels. the city center and the european quarter are prosperous and affluent. in stark contrast, right next door, poverty is rampant. we'll meet a young woman from the disadvantaged district of

molenbeek, who's determined to break the cycle of poverty. hinde has a dream. the 20 -year-old wants to make it big and be successful. hinde is from molenbeek, a district of brussels known for lively multi-culturalism, but also for low incomes, crime, and unemployment. but hinde has other plans for her future. - “i'm looking up at screens all around me. ” - “are you in times square? ” - hinde dreams about a job in new york city. the others are all ears. hinde is taking part in an art 2 work job coaching session. the organization aims to help young people from disadvantaged brussels' neighborhoods. - “i was pretty lost before this, had no orientation. i didn't know what to do with my life.

and yes, i might have had goals, but i didn't know how to achieve them. hinde is not alone. many struggle with the lack of opportunities in molenbeek. more than one in five are unemployed. and those who do find work are often poorly paid. it's a stark contrast to other parts of the city. brussels is, after all, the de facto capital of the eu. its european quarter is a whole different world. top jobs at the eu pay in a month what people in hinde's neighborhood earn in a year. - “there are strong differences between rich and poor neighborhoods in brussels. it's a region with a lot of poverty. one third of the population in brussels lives on an income below the level at which poverty becomes a threat. when growing up in these neighborhoods, access to the labor market is particularly difficult, and there are real problems with education here. ” to improve the situation, the eu is supporting projects

like art 2 work. hinde didn't graduate school. before starting at art 2 work, she went from one part-time job to the next. - “at some point, there was a moment when i realized this wasn't the life i wanted. participants come in every day for six weeks and learn the basics of working life - like writing cover letters and resumes. but the program's aims are higher. - “personality development is a big part of our work here. it makes our participants realize there's only one person who can make it happen: they themselves. ” erkan is one of those people. art 2 work helped him find a job in construction. he didn't graduate from school and had long been seeking his place in society. - “i can communicate with others well now.

and i understand the labor market better. i get up in the morning, no longer saying to myself: “i'm tired” - i focus on the positives. i tell myself: i'm contributing, i'm socializing, i'm going to work. ” today is a big day for hinde. after six weeks of training, she's presenting what she learned and her plans for the future. her mother has come, too. - “when i arrived here, it was like stepping out of a cave. ” - “i'm so proud of her. the people here have helped her move forward in life. she has found her way. ” hinde can go back to high school. when she graduates, she'll be well equipped for her future. - “i want to be a social worker.

i want to help young people - accompany them in what i had to go through myself. i want to motivate them and tell them, 'life might not always be easy, but we can change things - transform the negative to positive. '” soon, hinde could be doing her part to help address the social inequalities in brussels. here in this building, the seat of the eu commission, decisions are made to impact people like hinde. her job training was co-funded through the eu's main investment policy, the cohesion policy. it supports economic growth, and the improvement of life quality for eu citizens, among others. let's take a closer look at how it works.

the eu is spending a lot of money on something most people might have never heard of: eu cohesion policy. - “cohesion policy? no. ” - “i never heard of this. ” - “no. ” - “no, that doesn't ring a bell at least. no. ” a third of the eu's budget funds go into it. the aim is that all regions in the eu have the same chance for development and no region falls behind, wanting to combat inequality and promote cohesion. the eu calls it 'the glue that keeps the eu together'. the main topics: environment, transport, digitization, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, social and cultural projects. the cohesion policy is like an octopus: it's head

administration of funds is in brussels, while a lot of the decisions are made in the regions themselves. but critics say that not all regions benefit equally, funds are not always invested wisely, and there is not enough transparency. “and did you know that this park was financed by the european cohesion policy? ” - “no, i didn't know. ” - “no. ” - “no. ” - “no, i didn't know to be honest. ” whether they are using a new bike path, their trash is being recycled, taking the train, or simply breathing in clean air, many eu citizens don't even know where cohesion policy money is going. the cohesion policy also works towards a more sustainable and green europe. topics such as climate change in the eu's structurally weak regions are addressed here in brussels. the greek island of tee-los is powered entirely by clean energy - it's a project that has caught the attention of neighboring

islands as well. whenever she has time, she comes here to look at her wind turbine. mayor maria kamma aliferi and the islanders of tilos fought long and hard for their giant structure. now they have it. at 80 meters high and weighing several tons, it has transformed tilos into the first energy self-sufficient island in the entire mediterranean. - “we have sent the message that even on these very small islands, very big things can happen. ” when the wind sometimes drops, solar energy kicks in, produced by this plant. dozens of robust panels collect power from some 300 annual days of sunshine. vassilis kalavrouziotis only has to go and inspect them

once a year. - “in that way, we can minimize the costs of maintenance and at the same time we can have the photovoltaic panels to live more than about 25 years. ” hundreds of islanders, and up to 40 thousand seasonal visitors who flow onto the island, are supplied with renewable energy in this way. tourism is tilos' main source of income. before the homespun green energy revolution, there were constant difficulties, says tavern owner michalis kourakis. - “it used to be quite tough. the power often went out for hours at a time. it caused problems for our appliances, especially our fridges, and for the food. the financial damage was quite high. now things are a lot better.

” the problem back then stemmed from the diesel power plant on the island of kos, 50 kilometers north. it generates electricity, not always reliably, but with a lot of pollutants. - “look at that. the plant looks terrible. and people are probably still swimming right next to it. ” to change that, maria and her team set to work on the multi-million euro eco-project, financed with eu funds. the paperwork with brussels now fills many binders. but she never thought of giving up. - “the island needs this project. we feel we have to do something to protect the environment. i was convinced this plant would make a difference - and i don't think i was wrong.

” and then it was done. for a few years now, the wind and solar plants have been running, controlled from this container and monitored by laptop. - “this time, we can see that the wind turbine produces about 600 kilowatts. and it's also important to see daily we can avoid about three tons of co 2 emissions. ” even the tourists have heard that tilos literally has good energy. - “we love the island and of course it's positive when they make it green. " - “i think it's fantastic because tilos is a good example for greece and other tourist countries. ” if only it weren't for these old power lines. they still have to feed the energy they produce here

into the ailing state-owned power grid. that angers maria. - “there are always problems here where the cable comes out of the sea. sometimes it's moisture, sometimes dust. once a fire even broke out here and the whole island went dark. ” and so the green energy campaign continues. a new power grid is needed. and here on tilos, they are convinced they'll succeed. a key part of building a greener europe includes rare earth minerals. from those wind turbines on tee-los to electric cars and solar panels, rare earth minerals are a crucial component. that's why millions in eu funds are flowing into estonia to

build a factory dedicated to rare earths. this is neither flour nor sugar. it's a raw material that could make europe's visions of a green future reality - rare earths. in this factory in eastern estonia, the rare earths are broken down into their chemical components. a canadian investor is aiming to use the valuable metals to make magnets. they're relying on the eu in the process. - over the last decade policymakers in brussels have been studying dependencies on critical mineral supply chains. and they've identified we're as being at the top of criticality in the index of criticality of strategic materials for green technologies and the transition to net zero industry. ” there's an urgent demand for the rare earth metals. they're needed for making high-performance wind turbines and electric car motors.

the white powder is processed, with the resulting material used to make what are called permanent magnets. and that's due to start happening here in the border city of narva. the canadian company neo is building the first such magnet factory in europe, with millions in support from the eu. at the specifications for electric vehicle motors of german and french automotive manufacturers. ” up until now, china has dominated the market for rare earths and their products. the project in narva is meant to change that. the handshake with canadian industry came at just the right moment for the mayor of the border town. the factory may help to better integrate narva's russian residents into estonian society. ninety percent of narva's inhabitants are of russian descent. the russian city of ivangorod is located on the opposite side of

the narva river. hundreds of spectators gathered on the estonian riverside on may 9, when a screen with russian propaganda was set up across the river. demonstrators against the war in ukraine were attacked. still, the mayor is counting on the loyalty of the russian residents. nobody wants to leave narva and the eu. but they all would like a better life. when there are jobs, when people go to work, then the city will come alive. ” but few in narva believe the promises of politicians. the unemployment rate in the border region is more than twice the national average. - “there's too little investment. many leave because there's no work. there's jobs, but who wants to work for 800 or

a thousand euros? you've seen the prices in the stores. ” - “of course we want more factories. it creates jobs for our men so that they don't have to go away. ” the eu is aiming to prevent that, too. that's why money will keep flowing into a tense estonian-russian border region. - “well in the process of it, the aim is also that for the local population they see the difference. and definitely when you go and walk around in narva or in sillamä you've seen already the tremendous work that has been done with different region funds there. ” the eu funding isn't just an investment in a peaceful future - after all, nato and russia face each other here amidst increasing tensions. the hope is that the planned magnet factory will bring jobs and prosperity and ease the situation on the estonian side at least . while contributing to a green future for europe.

at the mini europe park in brussels, visitors can see europe's most famous monuments, including replicas of the eiffel tower and the arc de triomphe. hungary is also featured here - a nation whose leader is often at odds with the eu. viktor orban and his government repeatedly fail to comply with core eu values and principles. and yet hungary has enjoyed subsidies from the european union coffers. so where is their relationship headed? it seems unbelievable that here, in the middle of nowhere, a train should be arriving at any moment. a good portion of these six kilometers of track over hungarian meadows and pastures was financed with european union funds. opposition politician ákos hadházy isn't looking forward to the trip he's taking for us. - “european union funding is sometimes spent on useful things, but often, it's used on something completely useless,

such as this railway. ” the train is rolling through the home village of mr. viktor orban. few passengers are on board, it comes across as a plaything for the prime minister. the mayor is reluctant to speak with us as are most of the residents. but a young woman in the village shop steps up. is she thankful for the eu projects? no way. - “certainly, it's possible for us to live without the eu. after all, there are countries that aren't eu members. ” the little train is just one example of how european financial support is used here in hungary. by contrast, here it was useful, but probably won't be available

in the future. in the hungarian capital, budapest, a subway line was modernized with eu money. whether other lines will benefit as well is uncertain. while hungary has always been popular with tourists, it's not as well loved by everyone in charge at the eu. that's down to a certain mr. orban, a non-conformist when it comes to the eu. especially concerning lgbtq+ issues, freedom of speech, and the justice system. that's why brussels has stopped the flow of money from some funding programs until orban gets back in line. the deputy mayor of budapest and open opponent of orban, kata tütt, says that could take some time. - “this war between the hungarian government and brussels, well, the ones who are losing the most, are the citizens of budapest, because we are using this money

in line with european goals. “ no new eu funds for now, yet half of those surveyed, favor orban and his policies. on the streets, his opponents aren't afraid to speak up about the eu dispute. - “it's the government's fault. they defy the european union and then shout that we don't get any money. ” - “the european union's values must be respected. ” - “no matter how many people dislike the orban government, they've done and do a lot. ” a representative to the european parliament for orban's fidesz party, tamás deutsch, says the eu alone is at fault for the funding freeze: - “when it comes to hungary, this is open political blackmail.

it becomes a political power struggle. freezing eu development funding is aimed at exercising pressure to change the hungarian position. ” opposition politician akos hadházy is barely making progress against orban's populist propaganda. in the meantime, he's left the little train and is racing down the highway. the network of motorways in hungary is operated by a consortium with close ties to a friend of orban's. some sections were financed with eu money. apparently for orban, the eu is good enough for that. - “he insinuated that we will only need the eu if the money is flowing in, too. he also says that as soon as we're contributing more money to them than we get, we should start to think about whether we'll stay in the eu. ” eu money may well have been dubiously squandered on

a few projects. and where cash is needed, it may not arrive at all. it seems as if hungary may have come to a dead end on its journey with the european union. here, in the brussels musical instruments museum, europe's ancient music traditions are on display. and the collection is quiet diverse. for example, in kaustinen, finland, a special style of fiddle playing has achieved a spot on unesco's cultural heritage list. and young musicians play a key role in keeping this heritage alive. kaustinen in central finland. nothing special, you might think. but there's more to this unassuming region than meets the eye. the evening's entertainment: a fiddling frenzy!

kaustinen is known far beyond its borders for this merry musical tradition. and it is even popular with the local youth 16 -year-old erkki is your regular teenager - spending plenty of time on his laptop and playing guitar. but his priority - is his violin: - “every time i want to play violin in school or something, a few of my friends are: “oh no, no, don't do it, please don't do it! ” but i think it's normal for my friends nowadays that i listen, and i play some folk music. ” erkki joins the ranks of kaustinen's folk enthusiasts every year for an intense week of rehearsals. open to all, even the youngest fiddle fanatics are invited. participants flock to the festival from all over finland. - "even though the rehearsals are long, the children pick up

their instruments again when they get home in the evening. they just keep practising. " in many places, the traditional fiddle is dying out - but not in kaustinen. - “if kaustinen would have not had this kind of reputation, and all the activities concerning music and heritage and folk dance and the festival, the situation would be very, very different. folk music is the music of the future actually. ” but erkki is also interested in the past. his 73 -year-old grandfather knows all about the history of kaustinen fiddling and its unique rhythm. his father was a musician too. - “back then they played at summer weddings, which would last at least a whole day, but sometimes even three! ” it's this kind of story that cultural studies

researchers are collecting from all over northern europe - as part of an eu project. - “a living heritage is something that continues to develop and is used. if something is placed in an archive, it's not living heritage any more, it's like a museum. ” kaustinen is one of those places that keeps finland's heritage alive. the farewell concert goes down a storm - "this is the best way to have fun with each other. " a well-deserved round of applause for the young musicians for carrying on their cultural heritage. it's just one of the many development projects happening across eu member states. that brings our special broadcast from brussels to an end.

thanks for your company, and bye for now.

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