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Episode 01
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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 on I
00:45said if you're not going to pay your bills we're not going to defend you I'm Katya Adler and after
00:53years of living and working in Italy France Spain and Germany I've got to know them really well you
01:01said that Germans don't have an excellent sense of humor so how are these four countries with mainland
01:08Europe's biggest economies responding to this turbulent new world there are a lot of police
01:15lands 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
01:33wants 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
02:14here I'm in Siena in the middle of the country it's stunning architecture and rich history draw
02:26millions of tourists every year and there's one age-old tradition that pulls in the crowds more than any
02:35other paleo time in Siena and they're off and so we'll have the jockeys be soon it's the first
02:40horse home that wins for more than 300 years twice every year the city's central square has been turned
02:48into a racetrack the different neighborhoods of the city compete fiercely against each other in a
02:55bareback horse race called the palio the porcupine is one his district supporters go wild with joy
03:04this is where the palio the horse race takes place and now's the best time to come here actually I
03:11have seen the palio many times it is so packed for the 90 seconds the race lasts you cannot see
03:17a thing
03:20and that's why this time it's not the actual race I've come to see it's the build-up when the
03:29passion
03:30for the palio can really be understood since medieval times Siena has been divided into 17
03:37miniscule neighborhoods called Contrade it's these areas sometimes made up of just a few streets that
03:45compete against each other during the palio rivalries are so fierce the teams keep their horses closely
03:53guarded in the days leading up to the race so this is dragon territory but I've been allowed a sneak
04:00peek
04:00at the horse from the dragon Contrada laura bonelli is one of the leaders here
04:12and there's been a guard with the horse and that's as far as I'm allowed to go so as not
04:25to spook the
04:26horse it's almost impossible to overstate how seriously each Contrada takes this event and how much a Contrada
04:36matters to its members the Contrada is much more than the palio can you explain to us what it means
04:44in in your life my car closer to the amore a car closer to the amicizia to a legami et
04:51a con unentita
04:54diciamo una una comunità each Contrada has its own colors with which they deeply identify
05:25in the days leading up to the race the horses leave their stables for various rituals chaperone's
05:31by members of the Contrada here comes the horse there 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 there 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 somber 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
07:04the real reason I'm here so much about the palio is about ritual and tradition it is peculiar to Siena
07:11but the divisions that you have here the strong bonds between very small groups that tells you a
07:18lot 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
07:42wow 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 will be having similar celebrations
08:03in the mountains
08:07is the first time I'm going to dinner with a Contrada
08:11that is, for us, an opportunity to visit to the island
08:15which is for us a reason for us
08:15because most of us, the most of our parents are from the other
08:18is one thing they're hard to understand but it's a strong sense of identity
08:22true
08:23but this is the Contrada for us
08:25it is like a family
08:27really long for us
08:28yes
08:28and we are one of our parents
08:31yes
08:38In some ways, it's even more than family, stepping in where the Italian state doesn't.
08:45There's often been a sense 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.
09:01Certainly from the state, I'm looking for the state. The state is looking only if I have to pay taxes.
09:08Can you imagine life without your confederate?
09:12It's possible.
09:17Well, 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,
09:29but because it is a vibrant illustration of what Italy is all about.
09:36This is not a strong, united country.
09:40It's actually made up of self-contained units of trust, just 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. It's too complicated.
10:48We're being shown the way by this fantastic vehicle.
10:53Listen to that motor. It's too good.
10:57This is what I love. I love, I love, I love, I love.
10:59I love that I get lost and then these guys just go,
11:02and we'll show you the way. Bring it.
11:12You're a hero. Thank you.
11:20That is the best tourist guide I have ever had. Fantastic.
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.
11:48The thing is, most Italians haven't been to Calabria either
11:51and you'd think with beaches like this,
11:53it would be stacked with visitors.
12:01Oh my God. Okay.
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.
12:44Maybe a bank loan for a new home, but always at a really high price.
12:54Italy 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.
13:42In 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?
13:58Processi sempre delicati, qualsiasi tipo di processo.
14:01Però, assolutamente, quando si parla di mafia,
14:04quando si parla di Ndrangheta,
14:07bisogna prendere atto che è un progetto più difficile
14:10perché l'Ndrangheta impone omertà.
14:15Il caso di Maria Kindamo ne è testimonianza.
14:18Diciamo che c'è stato un silenzio assoluto.
14:26The mafia has a reputation for violent retribution
14:30against those who speak out.
14:33But Maria's brother, Vincenzo,
14:34wants 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,
14:59the easier it is to beat them.
15:05Tell her, Vincenzo.
15:07Ciao.
15:09What are you doing?
15:10Aggiustiamo lo striscione che è caduto.
15:14This is Maria, your sister?
15:15Sì.
15:16Ok.
15:17There she is.
15:18Una.
15:21Penso a Maria, penso al suo sorriso e penso alla sua forza, la sua determinazione.
15:31She's so gorgeous.
15:34Quanti sogni, quante speranze.
15:36She looks so happy.
15:44Maria had three children with her husband Nando.
15:47They ran his farm together, but they separated.
15:51And soon after, Nando took his own life.
15:56His family has been linked to the mafia, and after his death, the mafia allegedly wanted
16:02revenge, as well as the farm.
16:06Maria wouldn't give it up, and on the 6th of May 2016, a farm worker called Vincenzo
16:11to 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.
16:51Oh, my God.
16:53Oh, my God.
17:14It just sounds to me unimaginable.
17:17Uccidere e fare scomparire le persone si chiama luparabrosa.
17:41It's now ten years since Maria disappeared, and so far no one has been convicted of her murder.
17:58I still can't quite believe that there are chunks of Italy that still live in the world of the Godfather
18:06films.
18:06And Calabria is fighting back, but in the meantime, the mafia has infiltrated politics in Italy,
18:14and absolutely the economy, and yet this is a G7 nation, a big power in the EU and in NATO.
18:24It's an astonishing weakness in a major European country, and ultimately it leaves many Italians feeling vulnerable,
18:31like the authorities just can't look after them.
18:42My next stop is Venice.
18:47For many, this is the most beautiful city in the world.
18:53I love the crumbling grandeur of Venice,
18:58and especially that in all the faded glory, you have your knickers hanging out on a line.
19:08Like so many of Italy's great cities, Venice used to be a powerful city-state.
19:14At one point, an empire in its own right.
19:17It only became part of Italy in the 1860s.
19:21It's days like today, I feel like the luckiest person alive to be doing my job.
19:35But I'm not here just to see the sights.
19:38I'm here to see how Italy's unique character shapes its outlook and its role on the European stage.
19:51Murano is a little corner of Venice that's famous worldwide for its glassware.
19:59Luciano Gambaro runs one of the more than 60 glassblowing workshops here.
20:05La tradizione del vetro di Murano è una tradizione secolare.
20:10E noi tuttora siamo riconosciuti come la patria mondiale del vetro artistico.
20:18But glassblowing is an energy-hungry industry.
20:29It's like a hot wind hitting you in the face.
20:36The furnaces need to stay on 24-7, and that means they use a lot of gas.
20:43Much of that used to come from Russia, because it was cheap.
20:47But when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, sanctions against Moscow cut off that Russian gas.
20:54Energy prices spiralled, along with Luciano's bills.
21:1414 times more expensive.
21:17Oh my God.
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?
21:45For us, it's not important so much from where we take the gas.
21:51It doesn't matter if the price is a price that allows us to work.
21:56We're not out of here.
22:01After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, everyone in Europe was worried about the steep rise in energy prices.
22:08But Italians' reaction to the war stood out.
22:11They sympathised with Ukraine, but many questioned Italy's involvement in the conflict.
22:18They just didn't trust their government to protect them from knock-on effects.
22:22Soon after the invasion, Italy was the only EU country where a majority of the population opposed sending weapons to
22:31help Ukraine.
22:39But facts on the ground in Europe have been changing fast.
22:44Conflict with Russia now feels a lot closer.
22:47NATO says Russia could invade one of its member states in the near future, and Italy, amongst others, is being
22:54pushed to prepare.
22:57I'm in Tuscany to join an Italian Special Forces unit, the elite Fulgore paratroopers, on a NATO exercise.
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 this exercise.
23:51Okay, siti. You can be quiet.
23:54Both are discipliners.
23:56I'm not usually described as disciplined, but I'll try.
24:07The Italian paratroopers are landing in the forest.
24:12And we need to find them.
24:17The exercise lasts for three weeks.
24:19The paratroopers have to gather information about the other soldiers operating in the area.
24:28I can see them.
24:30This unit is made up of paratroopers from Italy and Japan, a NATO partner country.
24:36It's seen as crucial to get NATO allies used to working together.
24:52In case you have to do it for real.
25:09Right, 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.
25:57So, we're having to move speedily now.
26:10Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO's been conducting more and bigger training exercises in order to
26:21prepare to defend itself against a Russian attack.
26:23But now Europe faces another huge challenge posed by what's supposed to be its greatest ally, the U.S.
26:35These kind of exercises, they are increasing in their frequency, but also their importance, basically, for decades.
26:43NATO has been bankrolled by the United States, which has secured peace in Europe, essentially.
26:52But with Donald Trump, all of that has changed.
26:56He said he's demanded that European countries pay more and do a lot more for their own defence.
27:03If they don't, he's threatened to walk away from NATO altogether.
27:08While these paratroopers continue to their objective, NATO's future seems a lot less certain.
27:15After decades of having its security subsidised by the U.S., Europe now feels it can no longer fully rely
27:22on what's supposed to be its most powerful ally.
27:31What you might be surprised to know is that suspicion of the U.S. is deep-rooted in parts of
27:37Italian society.
27:39I've come to a town called Varese, and I'm heading to a party.
27:43I can hear the murmuring, the fossil.
27:47Sounds like the party started.
27:57That's so good!
27:59This is a Festa dell'Unità, a festival of unity.
28:10These events happen across the country, and they used to be fundraisers for Italy's Communist Party,
28:15which was once the biggest and most influential in Western Europe.
28:20Nowadays, it's more about cheap food and 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,
28:34its legacy here means many Italians view Russia and the U.S. very differently to how they're seen in the
28:40U.K.
28:41Are you from this part of Italy?
28:43I was born and bred here, yeah.
28:45Is it right that Italy, along with other European countries, sends weapons to Ukraine?
28:51I think that's definitely wrong.
28:53I mean, you want to make peace and you keep selling weapons.
28:57They should stop doing that.
28:59You want Italy to stop?
29:00Yeah, I would want them to stop, yes.
29:03Immediately.
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?
29:28In fact, I would say no.
29:29I wouldn't agree.
29:30What about Russia?
29:33Can you see having relations with Russia again?
29:36No, I think that we are more close to Russia than what we think of it, because many companies in
29:47our region, in general, have relations with the Russians.
29:52At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, only just over 50% of Italians blamed Moscow for
30:00it.
30:00In stark contrast to most of Western Europe, there's a lot of understanding in Italy for the Russian perspective.
30:09That doesn't normally translate into direct support for Vladimir Putin, with one very notable exception.
30:18Italy's longest-serving modern-day Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, had 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, after Russia grabbed it in 2014.
30:43So, I followed Berlusconi right from the start when he first became Prime Minister, back in the mid-90s.
30:50And, essentially, he was a showy, wealthy businessman who 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 with the post-fascist far-right since the
31:14Second World War.
31:15And that opened the door in Europe to making those kind of parties more acceptable to voters.
31:27Attitudes once labelled far-right, like being anti-immigration, are 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 that'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, and it always tickles
32:30me when I look at the traffic lights.
32:32The red is red.
32:34It'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 to fill jobs Italians no longer
32:56want.
32:59Almost one in three people here come from abroad.
33:07I'm going to have to pretend I understand cricket.
33:15A lot of these players work at the shipyard.
33:19Sani Buyan has lived and worked here legally for two decades.
33:24Hi, Sani.
33:25Hello, nice to meet you.
33:26Would you like to try?
33:27I'll have a go. I'll always have a go.
33:34This team are the Mon Falcone Tigers, but they have to train outside Mon Falcone.
33:41The situation is very ridiculous in Mon Falcone because 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 is a form of discrimination, racial discrimination?
34:10I think so.
34:11But you've been there 20 years, so why is it now recently?
34:15Because when the right wings come to administrate this city, the 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 in 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, and some going to Slovenia to pray sometimes.
34:54Over the border?
34:54Over the border to pray.
34:57Nine thousand people don't have one place to pray.
35:00Can you imagine the impact, social impact, because they're banned every place?
35:05It's a right to be able to pray.
35:07So 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.
35:28It is on the minds of voters right across the continent.
35:31And 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,
35:57rather 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,
36:18where asylum 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.
36:53Just a few thousand people live on Lampedusa, but during the summer months, its population goes up more than five
37:00-fold,
37:01with largely Italian holidaymakers blocking hair.
37:07I am loving driving this car now.
37:12She 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 on to 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 feet.
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.
39:11This 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.
39:33Enzo?
39:34Hi.
39:35Hi.
39:36Buongior.
39:37I'm meeting fisherman Enzo Bilecci.
39:40Bella Barca.
39:41What a lovely boat.
39:42Grazie.
39:50The Italian government says they're resolving the problem of illegal immigration.
39:54Sì, sì, sì, infatti l'ha risolto.
39:56Ma in TV, non qui sul posto a Lampedusa.
40:02Right along the coastline are migrant boats that have been washed ashore.
40:24But despite all these boats along the coastline, Meloni's government has had real success in reducing numbers.
40:33Small boat arrivals to Italy are down almost 60% in the last couple of years, thanks partly to deals
40:40with North African countries to stop the boats from leaving.
40:46For any boats that do get close, the government has imposed restrictions on where they can be rescued and by
40:53whom.
40:54As far as Enzo's concerned, this more hardline policy has a human cost.
41:11Yeah, they made it illegal, no?
41:15Sì, certo.
41:16But that's been really difficult, because you were stuck not just with the humanitarian situation, but also you were in
41:21illegal fines, because at the time you could have been fines for helping the people.
41:28Did you feel alone?
41:29Solo, solo, abbandonato, perché nessuno mi dava spiegazioni.
41:35E che devo fare io?
41:36Devo essere io a decidere chi deve vivere, chi deve morire.
41:39E io lo posso abbandonare per mare e me ne vado a casa tranquillo.
41:43E cosa dico a mie figli?
41:44Ho fatto morire 18 persone?
41:46No, io 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, 18 persone.
41:57Ma non è sempre possibile salvare le persone, e Enzo ha visto primaverso i horrors che possono succedere quando i
42:04migranti sono lasciati senza rischio.
42:07Ho sentito le grida, le urla delle mamme, dei sopravvissuti che piangevano i loro cari.
42:16Però ero presente nell'hangar in tutte quelle barre allineate.
42:21E ho chiamato mia moglie a telefono e ho detto, io non devo vedere più queste cose.
42:29Mi emoziono ora, figurati prima, ho pianto tantissimo.
42:33È una cosa straziante, straziante.
42:36È una cosa che io non vorrei più vedere.
42:38E non l'ho auguro a nessuno di vedere.
42:40È una cosa bruttissima.
42:43Bruttissima.
42:50Enzo è sulla front linea di migrazione di migrazione.
42:54Per lui, questo non è un problema di politica, o anche di quello che è meglio per l'Italia.
42:59È un problema di persone.
43:10La tensione di migrazione di migrazione non finiscono qui, sul sudore.
43:16È un problema di migrazione di migrazione di migrazione.
43:18È un problema di migrazione di migrazione di migrazione.
43:23Migrazione di migrazione.
43:25tidak di migrazione di migrazione.
43:33one 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, after global titans America and China.
44:03And traditionally it's been driven by its exports.
44:10If there's one thing that screams Germans are good at making things, it's got to be
44:15cars.
44:16Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Audi, they'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, home
44:33of German racing.
44:35It is busy.
44:37Petrolhead's paradise.
44:39This was once Germany's Formula One circuit.
44:43It's nicknamed the Green Hell and 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.
44:58Nice to meet you.
44:59What are we driving today?
45:01It'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, you know, but maybe
45:44I should have thought about that before.
45:51You're ready?
45:52Um, I'm ready.
45:54If you're ready.
45:55Oh, yeah.
45:55Okay.
46:01Curb stones.
46:02One or two.
46:03What's better not three?
46:06A little jump.
46:07Wait.
46:09This is my favourite part here.
46:12Look at this.
46:13This is the famous cowes.
46:15Oh, yeah.
46:15Nooo!
46:16Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
46:22Oh!
46:23Driving over 150 miles an hour, we're really putting German engineering through its paces.
46:30Ha ha ha!
46:30Oh, my God!
46:31Oh!
46:35Oh!
46:36Oh!
46:39Oh!
46:39Oh!
46:40Oh!
46:42Oh!
46:43Oh, God.
46:44Oh!
46:45Good 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.
47:12UW up ahead.
47:14This is Wolfsburg, but you may as well call it Volkswagensville, because the whole town
47:20has grown up around the plant 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
47:34in the world.
47:36The factory is absolutely ginormous.
47:41It started all the way back there.
47:43It's still, it's still going.
47:45It's like a city within a city.
47:47And it's not completely unusual to have three generations of one family working in 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.
48:12And I'm not a car person.
48:14But that is quite, quite impressive.
48:22Volkswagen is still a family-run business, with a reputation for looking after its workers.
48:29Hello.
48:30Hello.
48:30Hi.
48:30Do you speak English?
48:31Yeah, I do.
48:32Oh, excellent.
48:33Can I please get Volkswagen part 199 398 500 A?
48:43I will lock that up real quick.
48:45Give 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.
48:58Thank you so much.
49:00The Volkswagen currywurst.
49:01I do.
49:01I 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,
49:21and they in turn make up to three and a half thousand cars a day.
49:25All of it run on state-of-the-art German efficiency.
49:32This is great.
49:41Wow.
49:41So if 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,
50:13it's all been built on three specific things.
50:17So cheap gas from Russia to feed energy-hungry German industry,
50:22including the car industry that the economy relies on.
50:25Also 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,
50:43Germany largely stopped buying cheap Russian energy.
50:46And China's booming domestic car industry,
50:48and 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.
51:07And being an exporting powerhouse and having a recipe for a booming economy,
51:14that has long been part of the German identity.
51:18But now that it's not working so well anymore,
51:21I think you can say that this country is having a bit of an identity crisis.
51:33Unfortunately for Germany, when times were good,
51:36the government didn't invest enough in its infrastructure,
51:39its rail network, its telecommunications, even its famous autogons.
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,
52:28around 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
52:44to replace bridges like this one.
52:46But somehow it's kind of magnificent and impressive at the same time.
52:50But there are so many bridges in need of repair
52:54that 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.
53:11Mobile coverage in Germany is really ropey.
53:15People still use faxes here.
53:18I 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.
53:49Hello.
53:50Hello.
53:51Hi.
53:52Hi.
53:53Hi.
53:53Hi, I'm Katja.
53:54Hi, Christian.
53:54Hi.
53:55And who's this?
53:57Who are you?
53:58Felix.
53:58Hello, 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.
54:06This is our entrance area here completely.
54:08Yeah.
54:09Here it goes to the top.
54:10Here we have the rooms, sleep rooms, children rooms.
54:12Here we have the bedroom.
54:14And the kitchen.
54:15This is all over the corner.
54:16We can go into it.
54:17Okay.
54:18Fantastic.
54:19This is the most beautiful view we have.
54:21That is, it's so beautiful.
54:25Go down here.
54:26Go down here.
54:27Go down here.
54:27Show us the way.
54:30One of the most striking features of this house lies deep underground.
54:36Okay.
54:37Also, this is the Keller.
54:38Okay.
54:39Just a second.
54:39And now we're going to one more deeper.
54:42It's about 8 meters deep.
54:44Oh, right.
54:44Okay.
54:49A little bit of light.
54:50A little bit of light.
54:54Wow, where are we going?
54:57Wait, I have light.
55:02That is it.
55:03Wow.
55:05This is the bunker.
55:08Christian is building a nuclear bomb shelter under his house.
55:13Also, the outside walls have 45 cm.
55:16Okay.
55:17The deck and the floor also.
55:19We are in a safe space.
55:21And we are on the military standard.
55:24This is the Panzertür.
55:28Wow.
55:29That's massive.
55:30That's massive.
55:31That's massive.
55:32Yeah.
55:32What's in there?
55:33Yeah.
55:33That's our Technic-Raum.
55:36That's right.
55:36That's right.
55:37That's right.
55:39That's right.
55:40That's really cool.
55:42I am not that that is right.
55:43That's right.
55:46That's right.
55:47I can also hide again.
55:48But I can't see the air to the air.
55:59That's right.
56:02That's right, right.
56:05That's right.
56:09The 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
56:21Russia.
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.
56:31So why are you thinking about protecting yourself from Russia?
56:53Building a bunker in your family home feels really extreme.
56:58But 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
57:13still be used and it's going to set aside funds for a new nationwide building program for bunkers.
57:23German intelligence warns that Russia could launch an attack against a NATO member state
57:29as early as 2029.
57:36Next time...
57:38Wow!
57:39..I'll see a completely different side to Germany.
57:42It's the biggest single turnaround I've seen in this country in all my years reporting on it.
57:48..before 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
58:08trafficked in Belfast on BBC iPlayer,
58:11while on sounds the devastating side effects caused by prescription drugs,
58:15listen to Shadow World, available now.
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