On this week’s programme: Bulgaria makes EU history – for all the wrong reasons--Turkey and Armenia move towards normalizing relations--Poles afraid of new arms race—Italy discovers facebook--Commercialism and the Palace of Versailles--Greenland moves closer to independence--More autonomy for Corfu--Spike Lee’s new wartime Italy film and the world’s first commercial wave farm in Portugal. Tune in to Inside Europe on the radio or sign up for the Inside Europe podcast! You can also download the programme from the website.Bulgaria makes EU history – for all the wrong reasonsFor the first time in the history of the European Union, Brussels has cut regional and structural aid to a member state.The European Commission announced this week that it will strip Bulgaria of 220 million Euros in funds for failing to curb corruption – and there are threats of more action to come. Reporter: Sabina Casagrande Turkey and Armenia move towards normalizing relationsEfforts to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia, took another step forward this week with the visit of the Armenian foreign minister to Istanbul.His visit was officially to attend a meeting of the Black Sea cooperation committee. But the trip also gave him an opportunity to meet his Turkish counterpart. There have been no diplomatic relations between the two countries since 1993, but over the last months there have been growing bi-lateral efforts to normalize relations. Reporter: Dorian JonesItaly's Facebook frenzyItaly is better known for its ancient monuments than its modern digital networks. The country lags behind most of Europe in internet usage. But is facebook frenzy in Italy affecting productivity?Facebook has captivated Italians in the last few months - to such a degree that some workplaces are blocking the site from office computers. Reporter: Nancy Greenleese Commercialism and the Palace of VersaillesA restrospective of the works of the pop artist Jeff Koons is currently on display inside the Palace of Versailles in France. And the choice of venue has raised eyebrows there.Some critics have called it a sullying of French culture. Others claim that Versailles is selling out to commercialism. Reporter: Eleanor Beardsley Greenland moves closer to independenceThis week Greenland moved one step closer to independence from Denmark. In a referendum on Tuesday, Greenlanders voted overwhelmingly in favour of more autonomy.This Arctic island has had Home Rule since 1979 but under the new law it will control its mineral and oil resources. And it will eventually take charge of additional fields of responsibility from Denmark, including justice and legal affairs. Greenlandic will become the official language. Per Berthlesen is Foreign Minister with Greenland’s Home Rule government. Helen Seeney asked him what the mood was like in the capital Nuuk following the referendum. Interview: Helen Seeney/Per BerthlesenCalls for more autonomy on the Greek island of CorfuA bid for more autonomy has been taken up by business and community leaders on the Greek island of Corfu. But do they have a chance?They want to emulate Spanish provinces like Catalonia which have strong regional differences and exert control over their own destiny. The Corfiots claim disproportionately heavy taxation by the central government is threatening the tourist industry on which the island depends. Reporter: Malcolm Brabant Does Spike Lee’s new film about wartime Italy distort the facts?A new film by American director Spike Lee, called "The Miracle at St Anna", has aroused the anger of Italian wartime resistance survivors.They say it distorts the truth by suggesting that a real-life Nazi massacre of villagers in Tuscany took place because of the actions of a resistance fighter. The film has also focussed attention on the role of Nazi war criminals still at large in Germany. "The Miracle at St Anna", which is based on an American novel, tells the story of black US soldiers who fought in Italy and depicts the relationship they struck with local people. The director, whose previous films include "Malcolm X" and "Do the Right Thing", says he wanted to counter Hollywood's traditional portrayal of white war heroes. Reporter: Alasdair Sandford The world’s first commercial wave farmOver the last decade, Spain and Portugal have invested heavily in renewable energy, with generous subsidies from both country's governments.As a result, companies in these countries are world leaders in exploiting solar, wind and other energy sources. Jerome Socolovsky went to see the world's first commercial wave farm in northern Portugal.Poles concerned about new arms raceRussia successfully test-fired its new RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday. It’s designed to counter air defence systems like the controversial US anti-missile shield. Preparations for installing that shield are already underway in Poland. And there’s growing unease there about Russia’s reaction to its deployment.Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned that Moscow may place more missiles in its enclave of Kaliningrad in response to the shield. Kaliningrad borders Poland and many Poles there fear a new arms race is developing Reporter: Hardy Graupner

[ Sat, 29 Nov 2008 07:05:00 +0000 ]

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