Inside Europe: The inside take on European affairs 11.09.2010

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DATE : Sat, 11 Sep 2010 07:05:00 GMT
Entered in Database : 2010-09-11 07:05:00
length : 26518972
Link to the Show / Show Notes

On the programme: French workers demonstrate for the right to down tools at 60 -The first state of the union address by an EU Commission president - The EU’s role in stemming the tide in Pakistan - The UK prepares for a Papal visit - Tatars try to regain lost land in Ukraine - Europe’s push to revolutionise the rail - Does Lithuania have a refugee problem? - A US icon of folk music in Sweden French workers demonstrate for the right to down tools at 60In France trade unions and opposition leaders are calling on President Sarkozy to shelve his plan to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62. Trade unions staged large demonstrations and strikes in public services earlier this week and they have threatened to up the pressure if the government fails to change its controversial pension reform bill. John Laurenson has the details from Paris. The first ever State of the Union address by a President of the European CommissionEuropean Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has delivered a State of the Union address. What’s so special about that, you might be asking, Well, this was in fact the very first time that a Commission head has given such a speech. In an event seeking to emulate the annual speeches delivered by US presidents in Congress, Barroso expressed optimism about the economic outlook. However, he also urged a deepening of the single market in order to boost growth and jobs. Christoph Hasselbach in Brussels has the details.The EU’s role in stemming the tide in PakistanThe floods in Pakistan may have been bumped down in news bulletins here in Europe, but the humanitarian crisis is far from over. Millions of people have lost their homes and the damage is estimated at over 43 billion dollars. Kristalina Georgieva, the EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, recently returned from a trip to the disaster zone to gauge the impact of the floods and the EU’s aid efforts there. The Commissioner has stressed that the EU was one of the first to react to Pakistan’s plight, pledging over 230 million euros in emergency aid. However, she also said that she would announce proposals to improve the EU’s crisis response this month. Neil King asked her what kind of changes are needed. An old fashioned riverside dance routine in ParisA centuries-old summer past-time continues to captivate Parisians. They can still dance the afternoon or night away in restaurants along the Marne river. The dancing establishments, called guinguettes, had their heyday in the early 20th century when they were memorialized by the Impressionist painters. And as Eleanor Beardsley reports, you can still get a taste of that world today.UK prepares for Papal visitNext week Pope Benedict XVI will be making a four-day visit to the UK. It is the first papal visit to Britain since that of John Paul II in 1982. In the course of this trip Benedict will be meeting the queen and also holding an open air mass in Glasgow. Critics, including the Taxpayers’ Alliance have slammed the visit as too costly. But for the majority of the population the visit is being met with resounding indifference, as Carol Allen reports in this postcard from London. Tatars try to regain lost land in UkraineMore than 20 years after Muslim Tatars were allowed to return from exile to the Crimea peninsula of Ukraine, they claim they are still discriminated against – and they’re now even more concerned about their future under Ukraine’s new pro-Russian government. The entire Tatar population – a quarter of a million people - was deported from Crimea by Soviet leader Josef Stalin in 1944, after being falsely accused of collaborating with Nazi Germany. Now, with pro-Moscow forces in power again in Ukraine, they fear that their hopes of regaining the land they lost are under threat. Matthew Collin reports from the city of Simferopol.Does Lithuania have a refugee problem?On many occasions over the past century, citizens from Lithuania have sought refuge across the globe - whether they were escaping the Soviet occupation of the 1940s or the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s. But these days the country has become a destination for asylum seekers seeking protection from oppression or simply a way to feed their families. But as Karen Percy reports from Pabrade, it's something that isn't sitting well with some Lithuanians. Europe’s push to revolutionise the railImagine getting on a train in London and getting off it in Beijing just two days later. Well, this is not just a pipe dream but could become reality in the near future. European and Asian rail operators are expanding their high-speed rail network and one day these might well be linked. Such a move would boost trade and also offer an alternative to flying. Jean Pierre Loubinoux is the General Director of the International Union of Railways in Brussels. And he told Neil King about the factors which are driving the expansion of high-speed rail networks. Disturbing the peace in GreeceHoteliers in the Cretan resort of Malia are calling on local politicians to stamp out drunken and often violent behaviour by foreign tourists. Most of the binge drinkers appear to be British. Malia is one of five notorious destinations in Greece popular with young holidaymakers who want to party. But their antics are scaring other people away. From Malia, Malcolm Brabant reports.A US icon of folk music at home in SwedenSwedish folk music has rarely gained a foothold in the imagination of people outside its native borders. With a significant exception - Izzy Young. He's a New York-born folk impressario who made his name back in the late 50s by promoting the first concerts of luminaries such as Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. Then, in 1973, he was lured to Stockholm after hearing Swedish folk music and that's where he's been ever since. Neale Lytollis recently caught up with Izzy Young at his Folklore Centre in Södermalm.

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