Hungary lacks the money for modern psychiatric clinics. At the same time, many old institutions have been closed. Increasingly, mentally ill people are finding themselves out on the streets.
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France: Roma not Welcome
French President Nikolas Sarkozy has announced drastic measures against the Roma and Sinti minorities. He wants all illegal camps closed within three months, and Roma without legal papers are set to be deported.
Opposition parties and human rights groups have criticized the move, labeling it xenophobic and racist. Sarkozy's policy turnaround was prompted by recent clashes between Roma and the police in Brittany, where a Roma youth was shot while fleeing from a police traffic spot check. Later, a group of angry Roma vandalized the local police station. Some believe Sarkozy is using the issue to divert public attention away from the tax and donations scandal involving L'Oréal heir Liliane Bettencourt.
Hungary: Out on the Streets
A year ago, Hungary almost went bankrupt. Since then, the country has been following a strict austerity plan. Institutions for the mentally ill have been closed, and now many are homeless.
Hungary's biggest psychiatric hospital has been sacrificed to the savings plans. It was first opened in the mid-19th century as a madhouse. The hospital had been out-of-step with modern psychiatric thinking for a long time before it finally got the chop. The plan was to replace it with smaller, state-of-the-art clinics, but now there's not enough money to build them. So far, none of them have been built, and no one's doing anything to help the former patients.
Village Scenes - Tales of Rural Life in Europe
Switzerland: Braunwald - the village that slips a little every day. For years, Braunwald has been moving in one direction - downwards. The mountain village in Glarnerland is gradually, but unstoppably slipping. Local residents are doing their best to ignore the problem.
Every year, the village slips a few centimeters further into the valley. Almost all its houses have cracks, and ten years ago several thousand cubic meters of earth took a tumble over the cliff edge. But local residents are relaxed about the issue. They prefer to talk about the beauty of their village, and tell you where the best restaurants are. The experts are frustrated. Land surveyors have been observing the changes with great concern. They believe the population urgently needs to be relocated.
Germany: Anna on the edge
Helgoland is facing a crisis. Tourists are staying away from the island, and local residents are leaving in droves.
Scores of day trippers were once attracted by the tax-free shopping, but the golden age of duty-free is long past. And Helgoland is now much more expensive to reach. The island is 70 kilometers away from the mainland, and many local families see no future for themselves here anymore. Even the island's famous landmark is in danger; waves and storms are lashing ‘Tall Anna’, a huge freestanding rock made of red sandstone. Safety measures would cost millions to implement, but unless that happens, 'Tall Anna' could soon be lost to the sea.
Iceland: Whale-hunting or EU accession
Iceland fulfills most of the requirements for EU accession, but the country's whaling tradition is proving a hurdle. The Icelandic government has requested an exception be made to the EU-wide ban on the activity.
Iceland's whale hunters revived the practice of catching large whales a long time ago, even though there's not much of a market for their meat. Even so, Iceland's whalers are firmly against the country joining the EU, as accession to the bloc would force Iceland to give up the activity. Germany and Britain are particularly adamant about adherence to the ban, and Icelandic environmentalists are right behind them. Tourists also prefer to see the animals - alive.
