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00:02Europe I would not want to miss this rich in history and culture absolutely beautiful for
00:13centuries this continent has played a central role on the world stage but this is Europe's
00:22most perilous moment since the second world war this is the bunker it faces an aggressive
00:29Russia an ambitious China it's quite shocking to hear you say that it is much closer right now to
00:37Beijing than it is to Washington and Europe's most powerful ally can no longer be fully relied
00:44on I said if you're not going to pay your bills we're not going to defend you I'm Katya Adler
00:52and after years of living and working in Italy France Spain and Germany I've got to know them
00:59really well you said that Germans don't have an excellent sense of humor so how are these four
01:07countries with mainland Europe's biggest economies responding to this turbulent new world there are a
01:14lot of police vans behind us what strengthens them oh wow it looks like a shark and what weakens them
01:24in this episode I'll begin my journey in Italy this is not a face of Italy for its government
01:33want people to see before continuing on to Germany this country is having a bit of an identity crisis
01:57Italy it's a country really close to my heart it feels so good to be back in Italy it makes
02:07me happy
02:07my mum's best friend is Italian and over the years I have spent a lot of time living working and
02:14visiting here
02:18I'm in Siena in the middle of the country
02:23it's stunning architecture and rich history draw millions of tourists every year and there's one age-old
02:31tradition that pulls in the crowds more than any other paleo time in Siena and they're off and so we'll
02:39have the jockeys be soon it's the first horse home that wins for more than 300 years twice every year
02:45the
02:46city's central square has been turned into a race track the different neighborhoods of the city compete
02:53fiercely against each other in a bareback horse race called the palio the porcupine is one his district
03:00supporters go while we join this is where the palio the horse race takes place and now's the best time
03:09to come here actually I have seen the palio many times it is so packed for the 90 seconds the
03:16race lasts you
03:16cannot see a thing and that's why this time it's not the actual race I've come to see it's the
03:28build-up
03:29when the passion for the palio can really be understood since medieval times Siena has been
03:36divided into 17 miniscule neighborhoods called country it's these areas sometimes made up of just a few
03:44streets that compete against each other during the palio rivalries are so fierce the teams keep
03:51their horses closely guarded in the days leading up to the race this is dragon territory but I've been
03:59allowed a sneak peek at the horse from the dragon control of a little in dentro laura bonelli is one
04:06of
04:06the leaders here and there's been a guards with the horse see in the stands a canter she dorm on
04:16to do this era that's a jovani get control alone okay well as it better and that's as far as
04:24I'm
04:24allowed to go so as not to spook the horse diamo it's almost impossible to overstate how seriously each
04:33Contrada takes this event and how much a Contrada matters to its members the Contrada is much more
04:40than the palio can you explain to us what it means in in your life my car closer to the
04:47amore a
04:48car closer to the amicizia to a legami a tea eye on an entity I diciamo una comunità each Contrada
04:58has its
04:58own colors with which they deeply identify in fact that a la prima cosa che viene data on bambino
05:06quando nasce a spesso quando la persona muore viene accompagna dentro la barra tutte le cose che possediamo
05:17è quella più intima in the days leading up to the race the horses leave
05:28their stables for various rituals chaperoned by members of the Contrada here comes the horse
05:39there he goes so the Contrada will all follow behind
05:54sometimes different Contrada and their horses come face to face
06:07ten Contrada are competing and each one is just bringing their horse out for show
06:14and singing the song of their Contrada so that these guys over here and they are singing
06:22against another Contrada over here
06:26there are police here because later tonight it can come to fisticuffs
06:40each Contrada is so desperate to win the Palio that some even call on higher powers for help
06:47so this is a very sombre moment we're going to have a blessing of the horse
06:55the Palio is colorful and intense but it also reveals so much about this country and that is the real
07:04reason I'm here so much about the Palio is about ritual and tradition it is peculiar to Siena but
07:12the divisions that you have here the strong bonds between very small groups that tells
07:17you a lot about Italy and Italians that you need to know if you really want to understand this country
07:30on the evening before the race I've been invited to the highlight of the preparations
07:36a grand feast in celebration of the dragon Contrada
07:43wow this is quite something
07:48and you know what it's really rare for outsiders to be let in
07:54the whole Contrada is here around 900 people and across this city other Contrada
08:01they will be having similar celebrations
08:04it's the first time I'm at dinner with a Contrada
08:11which for us is an important occasion for us because most of us are also our parents
08:24family
08:37in some ways it's even more than family stepping in where the Italian state doesn't there's often been a
08:46sense here that the authorities are absent, not looking out for the welfare of their citizens.
08:52So Italians have learnt to build their own local networks of support.
09:07Can you imagine life without your contrada?
09:21Well, that was quite something, wasn't it?
09:24And that's the reason I wanted to come here to Siena, not just because that is spectacular,
09:30but because it is a vibrant illustration of what Italy is all about.
09:36This is not a strong united country, it's actually made up of self-contained units of trust,
09:44just like the contradi.
09:51I'm leaving Siena now and heading south to Calabria.
09:58Calabria is the toe of Italy's boot and the only region in Italy I've never visited before.
10:06It feels a long way from Siena and the wealthier north.
10:11It reminds me of how Italy was when I was a little kid. It's just delicious.
10:18Even by many Italian standards, Calabria is off the beaten track.
10:24So much so that even my sat-nav can't help me with directions.
10:35It's great they're going to lead us the way.
10:37It's too complicated.
10:47We're being shown the way by this fantastic vehicle.
10:53Listen to that motor.
10:55It's too good.
10:57This is what I love.
10:58I love, I love, I love, I love.
10:59I love that I get lost and then these guys just go,
11:02I'll show you the way.
11:04Brilliant.
11:12You're a hero.
11:16Ciao, ciao.
11:20That is the best tourist guide I have ever had.
11:23Fantastic.
11:27Calabria's coastline is stunning.
11:30But it has far fewer tourists than most other regions in Italy.
11:39I'm not going to stay dry for very long.
11:44I have always wanted to come to Calabria.
11:47The thing is, most Italians haven't been to Calabria either.
11:51And you'd think with beaches like this, it would be stacked with visitors.
12:01Oh my God.
12:03Okay.
12:09There are good reasons why fewer tourists come here.
12:17It's less accessible for one, but also for generations,
12:22this part of Italy has been dominated by the mafia.
12:27You see a lot of poverty in Italy's south.
12:30You always have done a lot of neglect.
12:33And historically, that has opened the door to mafia clans
12:37to come in here and form states within the state.
12:41They offer protection or justice.
12:45Maybe a bank loan for a new home,
12:47but always at a really high price.
12:53Italy has four major mafia clans.
12:57The one that's active in Calabria is the Ndrangheta.
13:02It's one of the most powerful criminal organisations in the world.
13:07And its control over local politics and business
13:11has made Calabria hugely corrupt.
13:15Before coming here, I was told very clearly by locals
13:19there were certain areas I shouldn't go
13:21and definitely should not film.
13:26I've come to a courthouse where there's a mafia trial involving the Ndrangheta.
13:41In 2016, Maria Kindamo was murdered.
13:46A man is on trial accused of disposing of her body.
13:52Antonio Cozza is the lawyer acting for Maria's family.
13:56So how did it go in there?
13:58There are processes always delicate, any type of process.
14:01But absolutely, when we talk about mafia, when we talk about Ndrangheta,
14:06we have to take action that it's a more difficult process.
14:11Because Ndrangheta imposes dignity.
14:15The case of Maria Kindamo is testimony.
14:18Let's say there was absolute silence.
14:26The mafia has a reputation for violent retribution against those who speak out.
14:32But Maria's brother, Vincenzo, wants to tell me about his sister
14:36and what the mafia are alleged to have done.
14:39He's asked to meet me at the farm she ran with her husband
14:42and where she disappeared.
14:45It feels strange for me doing interviews like this
14:49because I know I'm going to be poking at somebody's wounds.
14:54But Vincenzo said he wants to speak.
14:57The more we talk about the mafia, he says, the easier it is to beat them.
15:06Ciao, Vincenzo. Ciao. Ciao.
15:09What are you doing?
15:10This is Maria, your sister?
15:16OK.
15:17There she is.
15:31She's so gorgeous.
15:35She looks so happy.
15:44Maria had three children with her husband, Nando.
15:47They ran his farm together.
15:49But they separated.
15:51And soon after, Nando took his own life.
15:56His family has been linked to the mafia.
15:58And after his death, the mafia allegedly wanted revenge, as well as the farm.
16:06Maria wouldn't give it up.
16:07And on the 6th of May 2016, a farm worker called Vincenzo to tell him his sister had been attacked.
16:28Do you remember what was going through your head?
16:40You found her car with blood on it.
16:42You didn't find her body?
16:44She was in the Legislature for hisıqli.
16:51Oh my God.
16:53She's anti-human.
16:56I still remember how much difficulty I had to explain to the little girl.
17:03She had 10, 11 years old.
17:09the idea of destroying a body and and feeding it to the pigs it just sounds to me unimaginable
17:17uccidere e fare scomparire le persone si chiama luparabrosa e per cancellare per punire non
17:27solo la persona scomparsa ma punire anche tutti gli altri che rimangono via e serve per terrorizzare tutta
17:36una comunità it's now 10 years since Maria disappeared and so far no one has been convicted
17:47of her murder the trial continues
17:58I still can't quite believe that there are chunks of Italy that still live in the world of the
18:05Godfather films and Calabria is fighting back but in the meantime the Mafia is infiltrated politics in
18:13Italy and absolutely the economy and yet this is a G7 nation a big power in the EU and in
18:22NATO
18:24it's an astonishing weakness in a major European country and ultimately it leaves many Italians
18:30feeling vulnerable like the authorities just can't look after them
18:42my next stop is Venice for many this is the most beautiful city in the world
18:53I love the crumbling grandeur of Venice and especially that in all the faded glory you have
19:02your knickers hanging out on a line
19:08like so many of Italy's great cities Venice used to be a powerful city-state at one point an empire
19:16in
19:16its own right it only became part of Italy in the 1860s it's days like today I feel like the
19:24luckiest
19:24person alive to be doing my job work
19:34but I'm not here just to see the sights I'm here to see how Italy's unique character shapes its outlook
19:42and its role on the European stage
19:49that's in Murano is a little corner of Venice that's famous worldwide for its glassware
20:00Luciano Gambaro runs one of the more than 60 glassblowing workshops here
20:18but glassblowing is an energy-hungry industry
20:36the furnaces need to stay on 24 7 and that means they use a lot of gas much of that
20:44used to come
20:44from Russia because it was cheap but when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 sanctions against Moscow
20:52cut off that Russian gas energy prices spiraled along with Luciano's bills
21:1414 times more expensive exactly oh my god quindi un periodo in cui si rischiava di mettere in gioco
21:23filiera produttiva del vetro di Muranos ecco perché tante volte noi ci carichiamo oltre la preoccupazione non è dovuta solo
21:31a quello che succede a noi ma anche quello che succede può succedere anche a chi collabora e lavora con
21:37noi e le loro famiglie
21:38so in the end what's more important where the gas comes from or the fact that you get gas that
21:45you can afford
21:45per noi non è importante tanto da dove prendiamo il gas
21:51non importa che il prezzo sia un prezzo che ci permetta di lavorare
22:01after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine
22:04everyone in Europe was worried about the steep rise in energy prices but Italians
22:09reaction to the war stood out they sympathized with Ukraine but many
22:15questioned Italy's involvement in the conflict they just didn't trust their
22:19government to protect them from knock-on effects soon after the invasion Italy
22:25was the only EU country where a majority of the population opposed sending weapons to
22:38help Ukraine
22:38but facts on the ground in Europe have been changing fast conflict Russia now feels a
22:46lot closer NATO says Russia could invade one of its member states in the near
22:51future and Italy amongst others is being pushed to prepare I'm in Tuscany to join
22:58an Italian special forces unit the elite for God a paratroopers on a NATO
23:04exercise
23:10captain Gennaro Angrisano is keeping me out of trouble
23:17how many people are taking part in this exercise
23:33soldiers from seven different countries including the UK are taking part in
23:38this exercise
23:41and una volta che saremo sbarcati dall'elicottero
23:45dovremmo fare molta attenzione quindi essere cauti per non svelare le loro posizioni
24:07the Italian paratroopers are landing in the forest and we need to find them
24:17the exercise lasts for three weeks the paratroopers have to gather information about the other soldiers operating in the area
24:27I can see them
24:30this unit is made up of paratroopers from Italy and Japan and NATO partner country
24:36it's seen as crucial to get NATO allies used to working together
24:41per migliorare il coordinamento tra tutti bisogna provare esercitarsi addestrarsi insieme
24:48creare anche un amalgama tra le unità e questo che ci rende forti
24:53in case you have to do it for real
25:08right we've got to switch to infrared now so that we are not responsible for this unit being discovered right
25:16okay
25:20our lights could give away the unit's location but with infrared we can film in total darkness
25:31in order to keep scouting without being spotted by other units the team are staying put by day and moving
25:38by night
25:39and the emotivo per cui stiamo cercando di mantenere il massimo silenzio e di fare piano proprio per non svelare
25:51la loro posizione
25:52che potrebbe compromettere l'intero per azione
25:57so we're having to move speedily now
26:01the paris have to have to get to their next objective
26:04they've only got a certain amount of night time hours with which they can move
26:11since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022
26:15NATO's been conducting more and bigger training exercises
26:20in order to prepare to defend itself against a Russian attack
26:23but now Europe faces another huge challenge
26:28posed by what's supposed to be its greatest ally
26:31the US
26:35these kind of exercises they are increasing in their frequency but also their importance
26:41basically for decades
26:44NATO's been bankrolled by the United States
26:47which has
26:49secured peace in Europe essentially
26:52but with Donald Trump all of that has changed
26:55he said he's demanded that European countries pay more and do a lot more for their own defence
27:03if they don't
27:05he's threatened to walk away from NATO altogether
27:08while these paratroopers continue to their objective
27:11NATO's future seems a lot less certain
27:15after decades of having its security subsidised by the US
27:19Europe now feels it can no longer fully rely on what's supposed to be its most powerful ally
27:31what you might be surprised to know is that suspicion of the US is deep-rooted in parts of Italian
27:37society
27:39I've come to a town called Varese
27:41and I'm heading to a party
27:43I can hear the murmuring, the bustle
27:47sounds like the party started
27:57that's so good
27:58that's so good
27:59this is a Festa dell'Unità
28:01a festival of unity
28:10these events happen across the country
28:12and they used to be fundraisers for Italy's Communist Party
28:15which was once the biggest and most influential in Western Europe
28:19nowadays
28:20it's more about cheap food
28:22and a lot of fun
28:25that was really bad
28:27that was really fun
28:29although hardline communism is no longer mainstream in Italy at all
28:33its legacy here means many Italians view Russia and the US
28:38very differently to how they're seen in the UK
28:40are you from this part of Italy?
28:43I was born and bred here, yeah
28:45is it right that Italy
28:47along with other European countries
28:49sends weapons to Ukraine?
28:51I think that's definitely wrong
28:52I mean, you want to make peace
28:55and you keep selling weapons
28:56they should stop doing that
28:58you want Italy to stop?
29:00yeah, I would want them to stop
29:02yes, immediately
29:07what do you think of NATO?
29:21what do you think about Italy's decision with other European countries to spend a lot more on defense?
29:30what's about Russia?
29:32can you see having relations with Russia again?
29:36no, I think
29:37I think that we are more close to Russia than we think about it,
29:43because many companies in our area, in general Italian,
29:49have a relationship with the Russians.
30:09That doesn't normally translate into direct support for Vladimir Putin,
30:14with one very notable exception.
30:18Italy's longest-serving modern-day Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
30:22had a soft spot for so-called strongman politicians,
30:26and he was famously friendly with Russia's president.
30:30Even after leaving office, Berlusconi visited Putin in what had been Ukrainian Crimea
30:36after Russia grabbed it in 2014.
30:43So, I followed Berlusconi right from the start when he first became Prime Minister,
30:49back in the mid-'90s, and essentially he was a showy, wealthy businessman
30:56who said,
30:57I made a huge success of myself, I'll now make a success of our country.
31:01He was strongly anti-immigration, pro what he called Christian values,
31:07and he was the first Italian Prime Minister to jump into bed
31:11with the post-fascist far-right since the Second World War.
31:16And that opened the door in Europe to making those kind of parties
31:20more acceptable to voters.
31:27Attitudes once labelled far-right, like being anti-immigration,
31:31are now more widespread across Europe.
31:34So, what it means to be far-right is being re-examined.
31:40There are huge differences between Europe's now very popular nationalist parties.
31:46Germany's AFD has been classified by German intelligence as extremist.
31:52While in Italy, Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni leads a government
31:55that's managed to woo both the EU and Donald Trump.
32:00The goal for me is to make the West great again.
32:06One big reason for Meloni's success in Italy is public concern about immigration.
32:16I've travelled to Italy's north-east, to a small town on the border with Slovenia.
32:24I think it's fair to say this country is one of a lot of fast drivers,
32:28and it always tickles me when I look at the traffic lights.
32:32The red is red. It's bigger than the other colours, so it tells you to stop!
32:43Mon Falcone has grown around one of Europe's biggest shipyards.
32:49Vast cruise liners are built here, mainly by migrant workers who've come here legally,
32:54to fill jobs Italians no longer want.
32:59Almost one in three people here come from abroad.
33:07OK, I'm going to have to pretend I understand cricket.
33:15A lot of these players work at the shipyard.
33:19Sani Bouyan has lived and worked here legally for two decades.
33:24Hi, Sani.
33:25Hello, nice to meet you. Would you like to try?
33:27I'll have a go. I'll always have a go.
33:34This team are the Mon Falcone Tigers.
33:38But they have to train outside Mon Falcone.
33:42The situation is very ridiculous in Mon Falcone
33:45because cricket is banned in the village where we live.
33:49Cricket is banned in Mon Falcone?
33:51Yes.
33:55In 2023, the local authorities made playing cricket in Mon Falcone punishable by a fine.
34:04So, Sani, do you feel that the banning of cricket in Mon Falcone
34:07is a form of discrimination, racial discrimination?
34:10I think so.
34:11But you've been there 20 years, so why is it now recently?
34:14Because when the right-wings come to administrate this city,
34:18the situation is day by day getting worse.
34:22The authorities argue that cricket needed to be banned because it's dangerous.
34:27And it's not just cricket that's being clamped down on.
34:31There's no official mosque in Mon Falcone,
34:34and the local government has effectively stopped people from praying
34:37in the two Islamic centres in town.
34:39Because of planning regulations, they say.
34:44So, where do you pray?
34:46Everyone praying in their home.
34:48Some going to neighbourhood city,
34:50and some going to Slovenia to pray sometimes.
34:54Over the border?
34:55Over the border to pray.
34:56Wow.
34:579,000 people don't have one place to pray.
35:00Can you imagine the impact, social impact?
35:03Because they banned every places.
35:05It's a right to be able to pray.
35:08So, it's very upsetting and very frustrating for us.
35:16I'm leaving here with really mixed feelings.
35:20Banning cricket is clearly extreme.
35:23But migration is one of the toughest issues that I cover in my job.
35:27It is on the minds of voters right across the continent.
35:32And in my career, I've never seen so many anti-immigration or so-called hard-right or far-right parties
35:40so popular here in Europe.
35:43But does that mean that all their voters are racists or extremists?
35:49Clearly not.
35:50Many of those voting for parties that are tough on migration say the political mainstream shut down the debate for
35:57years, rather than listening to and managing their concerns.
36:03The final stop on my Italian journey is the tiny island of Lampedusa.
36:11Just 70 miles from the coast of North Africa, this is one of Europe's front lines of illegal migration, where
36:19asylum seekers and other migrants try to enter without official permission.
36:26But for many Italians, it's a tourist destination.
36:30So, I've got myself a holiday hire car.
36:34So, the last time I drove one of these, I was 18.
36:39Just the other day.
36:52Just a few thousand people live on Lampedusa.
36:56But during the summer months, its population goes up more than five-fold, with largely Italian holidaymakers blocking hair.
37:07I am loving driving this car now.
37:11She and I have become great friends.
37:17There aren't many places that straddle two opposite worlds, like this island.
37:22As well as the glamorous yachts here, nowhere else in Italy sees more small boat arrivals.
37:31This is part of what Europe calls its soft underbelly.
37:36So, it's open, it's vulnerable to people smugglers bringing over boatloads of migrants.
37:43And over the years, I've reported on tens of thousands.
37:47Italy has had hundreds of thousands of people arriving on its coastline, often to desperate and chaotic scenes.
37:58The boats come from North Africa.
38:01And sure enough, some are arriving right now.
38:07So, we've been told it's about 60 migrants that have arrived.
38:10You can see them coming onto their pier now.
38:13I can never get over this huge contrast.
38:17Those who risked their lives to come to Europe on the one side,
38:21and then right over there, Europeans in their bikinis frolicking by the beach.
38:29Such different fates just so close by.
38:37There have been times in the last few years when more migrants have arrived in one week than there are
38:42locals on the island.
38:44It's prompted the mayor here to describe Lampedusa as being in crisis.
38:50Locals aren't happy at all with the attention it brings from the media.
39:01Lampedusa's biggest source of income is tourism.
39:06And boatloads of migrants are bad for business.
39:12This is not a face of Italy that either its tourist industry or its government want people to see.
39:22In fact, Giorgio Meloni's government was elected on the promise of stopping these small boats.
39:28It's a pledge we've heard from leaders across Europe.
39:33And so, hi.
39:35Hi.
39:36Buongior.
39:37I'm meeting fisherman Enzo Bilecci.
39:40Bella barca, what a lovely boat.
39:42Grazie.
39:50Yeah.
39:50The Italian government says they're resolving the problem of illegal immigration.
40:02Right along the coastline are migrant boats that have been washed ashore.
40:09See like those square holes in the boat? What's that?
40:13Rectangle.
40:14Yeah.
40:15OK.
40:17Oh my god.
40:20Rectangle.
40:20Oh my god.
40:43Rectangle.
40:46For any boats that do get close, the government has imposed restrictions on where they can
40:51be rescued and by whom.
40:55As far as Enzo's concerned, this more hard-line policy has a human cost.
41:15But that's been really difficult, because you were stuck not just with the humanitarian
41:20situation, but also you were in a legal bind, because at the time you could have been fined
41:26for helping the people.
41:28Did you feel alone?
41:30Solo, solo, abbandonato, perché nessuno mi dava spiegazioni.
41:35E che devo fare io?
41:36Devo essere io a decidere chi deve vivere e chi deve morire.
41:39E io lo posso abbandonare per mare e me ne vada a casa tranquillo.
41:42E cosa dico a mie figli?
41:44Ho fatto morire 18 persone?
41:46No.
41:47Io questi li porto a terra.
41:49E li ho portati a terra.
41:50A mio rischio e pericolo va bene, ma ho salvato 20 persone.
41:5218 persone.
41:57But it isn't always possible to save people.
42:00And Enzo has seen first hand the horrors that can unfold when migrants are left without
42:05rescue.
42:28It's absolutely beautiful.
42:33It's amazing.
42:50Enzo is on the front line of illegal migration.
42:54For him, this isn't about policy or even what's best for Italy.
42:59It's about people.
43:10The tension surrounding migration, it doesn't end here on the southern coastline.
43:16It seeps into countries.
43:18And it makes problems between European countries.
43:24In these times of deep international tensions,
43:28when European countries say they need to work better together,
43:31migration remains one of the biggest issues that drives a wedge between them.
43:41My next stop is Germany.
43:46This is the economic and political powerhouse of Europe.
43:51The economy here is almost twice the size of Italy's.
43:56In fact, it's the third biggest in the entire world
43:59after global titans America and China.
44:03And traditionally, it's been driven by its exports.
44:09If there's one thing that screams Germans are good at making things,
44:14it's got to be cars.
44:16Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Audi.
44:19They're seen as reliable, desirable and really high quality.
44:27And where better to see Germany's world-class cars in action than the Nürburgring,
44:32home of German racing.
44:35It is busy.
44:37Petrolhead's paradise.
44:40This was once Germany's Formula One circuit.
44:43It's nicknamed the Green Hell.
44:46And it's one of the riskiest, toughest racetracks ever built.
44:51Luckily, I've got one of the track's best drivers to take the wheel.
44:55Hello.
44:55Hello, I'm Katja.
44:57Hi Katja.
44:58Nice to meet you.
44:59What are we driving today?
45:00It's a German car, right?
45:02It's a proper sports car.
45:05It's very powerful.
45:06Are German cars the best?
45:08I think so, yes.
45:09I really like how they drive.
45:12What about the passenger?
45:13How am I going to feel?
45:15Most of the passengers enjoy it.
45:18Some not that much, but we have special bags in your door.
45:22Thanks.
45:26The car is called the Beast of the Green Hell.
45:29It's one of the fastest supercars in the world.
45:33Okay.
45:34Jump in.
45:39Can I just share at this point, I don't even like roller case devices,
45:43but maybe I should have thought about that before.
45:51You all ready?
45:53I'm ready.
45:54If you're ready.
45:55I am.
45:55Okay.
46:01Curb stones.
46:02One or two.
46:03Better not three.
46:06A little jump.
46:07Wait.
46:09This is my favourite part here.
46:12Look at this.
46:13This is the famous cow's head.
46:15No!
46:15Oh!
46:24Driving over 150 miles an hour, we're really putting German engineering through its paces.
46:30Oh, my God!
46:36Oh, my God!
46:44I could get a taste for that.
46:46Thank you very, very much.
46:48That was absolutely brilliant.
46:51Stay safe.
46:56Germany is the leading car manufacturer in Europe.
46:59It produces over a third of the EU's cars.
47:03And, of course, they're not all race cars.
47:08UW.
47:09UW.
47:11UW up ahead.
47:14This is Wolfsburg, but you may as well call it Volkswagensville, because the whole town has grown up around the
47:22plant here.
47:25This is the headquarters of the Volkswagen Group.
47:29The factory's been here since the 1930s, and it's one of the biggest manufacturing plants in the world.
47:36The factory is absolutely ginormous.
47:39It started all the way back there, and it's still going.
47:45It's like a city within a city, and it's not completely unusual to have three generations of one family working
47:53in there.
47:54Volkswagen is the world's second biggest car company, and it's become a symbol of Germany's economic success.
48:03Oh, wow.
48:05Just stacks and stacks and stacks of cars in two glass buildings next to each other.
48:12Incredible.
48:13And I'm not a car person, but that is quite impressive.
48:22Volkswagen is still a family-run business, with a reputation for looking after its workers.
48:29Hello.
48:30Hello.
48:31Do you speak English?
48:31Yeah, I do.
48:32Oh, excellent. Thank you.
48:33Can I please get Volkswagen part 199 398 500 A?
48:43I will lock that up real quick. Give me a moment, please.
48:48Okay, so this part is said to be the Volkswagen part that is sold most in the whole world.
48:54I mean, just last year alone, eight million of them.
48:58Oh, brilliant. Thank you so much.
49:00The Volkswagen currywurst.
49:01I do. I do.
49:02I do.
49:02And there you see it.
49:03It does have a part number, but it is the Volkswagen currywurst.
49:08And who said that Germans don't have an excellent sense of humour?
49:15The plant makes around 23,000 sausages a day to feed the VW workforce, and they in turn make up
49:23to 3,500 cars a day.
49:26All of it run on state-of-the-art German efficiency.
49:32This is great.
49:40Wow.
49:42If I look right above me, it's just this huge tower of cars all around.
49:56These 400 cars are waiting for collection by their new owners.
50:01But only around 20% of the cars made here in Germany are sold here.
50:06Most are exported.
50:09All of this shiny success, Germany's economic success, it's all been built on three specific things.
50:17So cheap gas from Russia to feed energy-hungry German industry, including the car industry that the economy relies on.
50:24Also manufacturing and sales to China and sales to the United States.
50:29But guess what? None of that is working anymore.
50:39After Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Germany largely stopped buying cheap Russian energy.
50:46And China's booming domestic car industry and President Trump's tariffs have reduced crucial markets for German cars.
50:54In the last two years, the unthinkable has happened.
50:58The legendary German economy has been shrinking.
51:04Volkswagen means the people's car.
51:08And being an exporting powerhouse and having a recipe for a booming economy, that has long been part of the
51:17German identity.
51:18But now that it's not working so well anymore, I think you can say that this country is having a
51:25bit of an identity crisis.
51:33Unfortunately for Germany, when times were good, the government didn't invest enough in its infrastructure, its rail network, its telecommunications,
51:41even its famous autobahns.
51:45Roadworks, roadworks, more roadworks, and massive traffic jams.
51:49There's been an awful lot of that as I've driven to Germany.
51:53The road network here was once the envy of Europe.
51:57But the cracks are clear to see.
52:01Literally.
52:05In 2024, a bridge in Dresden collapsed into the river below.
52:10And it's not the only one falling apart.
52:16Some are being demolished because they're unsafe.
52:25According to the Federal Transport Ministry, around 5,000 bridges in Germany are in urgent need of repair.
52:36Oh, wow. That is huge.
52:40The German government has now embarked on a massive programme to replace bridges, like this one.
52:47But somehow, it's kind of magnificent and impressive at the same time.
52:51But there are so many bridges in need of repair, that government plans to rebuild them are deemed unachievable.
52:58And that impacts people's lives.
53:01So while German politicians, for years, focused on big industries selling abroad,
53:07what they didn't do was take care of things here at home.
53:12Mobile coverage in Germany is really ropey.
53:16People still use faxes here. I know that's hard to believe.
53:19And then you've got all of these crumbling bridges and roads as well.
53:23And over time, that's how Germans began to see their country as broken.
53:32The stagnating economy is far from Germany's only problem.
53:37As Europe's political powerhouse and a major supporter of Ukraine in its war with Russia,
53:43some here worry that Germany itself could soon be under attack.
53:49How?
53:50How?
53:51Hi.
53:52Hi.
53:53Hi.
53:53Hi, I'm Katja.
53:54Hi, Christian, hi.
53:55Hi.
53:55And who's this?
53:57Who are you?
53:58Felix, hello Felix.
53:59This is Christian Claus and his family.
54:01And you?
54:02Moritz.
54:03I'm meeting them on the site of their future home.
54:17Fantastic.
54:21It's so beautiful.
54:24It's beautiful.
54:29One of the most striking features of this house lies deep underground.
54:37Okay.
54:39All right, okay.
54:48A little bit of light.
54:54Wow, where are we going?
54:57Wait, I have light.
55:01That is it.
55:03Wow.
55:05This is the bunker.
55:08Christian is building a nuclear bomb shelter under his house.
55:13The outside walls are 45 cm.
55:16The deck and the floor also.
55:19We are in a safe space and we are on the military standard.
55:24This is the Panzertüre.
55:28Wow.
55:29What's massive?
55:31This is a huge.
55:32What's in the room?
55:33This is our Technic-Raum.
55:36When the explosion closes all the Klappen automatically,
55:39so that there is no gas or pressure pressure on the inside.
55:43So the room is 100% safe.
56:10The bunker can accommodate Christian and his family for up to three months.
56:14The bunker can accommodate Christian and his family for up to three months.
56:15He says it's an important insurance policy given Germany's deteriorating relations with Russia.
56:22Germany doesn't have a border with Russia.
56:26So I mean in the UK we don't think about having to build bunkers against Russia.
56:30You're not close to the front.
56:32So why are you thinking about protecting yourself from Russia?
56:35We are in Germany.
56:37We are in a strategic area.
56:38We are in a strategic area.
56:39I also see that through the situation that we are doing,
56:42that it can escalate.
56:44And that is maybe from today on morning.
56:47And that's why we have the security room.
56:54Building a bunker in your family home feels really extreme.
56:59But unlike France and the UK, Germany doesn't have nuclear weapons of its own as a deterrent.
57:04And Germans feel very exposed.
57:08The government here has been looking at old Cold War bunkers to see which of them could still be used.
57:14And it's going to set aside funds for a new nationwide building programme for bunkers.
57:23German intelligence warns that Russia could launch an attack against a NATO member state as early as 2029.
57:36Next time...
57:37Wow!
57:38..I'll see a completely different side to Germany.
57:41It's not.
57:42The biggest single turnaround I've seen in this country in all my years reporting on it.
57:48Before continuing my journey to Spain to see how old wounds still cause divisions.
57:55I don't feel Spanish at all.
57:57At all?
57:58No, I don't think I belong to Spain.
58:04How the death of a young woman exposed a hidden criminal underworld trafficked in Belfast on BBC iPlayer,
58:11while on sounds the devastating side effects caused by prescription drugs,
58:16listen to Shadow World, available now.
58:18What and South Wales with a fakeatoriovetour,
58:30So, let's go to the UK.
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