This week: The EU prepares to take on pirates off the Somalian coast -- Has EUFOR fulfilled its Bosnian peacekeeping mission? -- The Great War through the eyes of the Avant Garde --The Polish exodus from the UK -- The Swiss army goes fishing for an unlikely catch -- Swedes head to Norway to work -- Slovaks prefer to live in Austria and the ethnic group that wants a country to call home. 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.EU prepares to take on pirates off the coast of SomaliaThe EU’s so-called Operation Atalanta is the bloc’s first-ever naval mission and will be led by Britain. It will include contributions from 8 to 10 countries and will replace a NATO led force in the area next month. But how effective will it be?The European Union is launching a security operation off the coast of Somalia to combat growing acts of piracy and to help protect aid ships. These waters constitute a key maritime route and pirates in the area are responsible for nearly a third of all reported attacks on ships, often using violence and taking hostages. Bjoern Seibert is a Visiting Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London from the MIT. Interview: Helen Seeney/ Bjoern SeibertHas EUFOR fulfilled its peacekeeping mission in Bosnia?Militarily speaking the job has been done, and some defence ministers argue it’s time to put an end to EUFOR. Nevertheless, the EU has postponed any decision on the future of EUFOR until early next year. But has it really succeeded in what it set out to do?An important issue on the agenda of EU defence and foreign affairs ministers this week was Bosnia Herzegovina. The European Union is concerned about the country’s stability, and the bloc reiterated its will to play a greater role in this Balkan country.Four years ago the European Union launched the military operation EUFOR Althea in Bosnia Herzegovina. Its mission was to contribute to a safe and secure environment, and make sure violence between Serbs, Croats and Bosnian Muslims doesn’t resume. Report Barbara Gruber The Great War through the eyes of the Avant GardeNovember 11th was Remembrance Day and commemoration ceremonies took place all over the world to mark ninety-years since the end of World War One.To coincide with the anniversary, the Thyssen-Bornemisza gallery in Madrid opened an exhibition called ‘The Avant-Garde and the Great War’. The display brings together a range of works from before, during and after the war, by artists including Wassily Kandinsky, Marc Chagall and Paul Klee. The paintings show the transformation in European culture that occurred as a result of what was then the world’s bloodiest ever conflict. Report Danny Wood The Swiss army goes fishing for an unlikely catchSwitzerland maintained a neutral stance during the two World Wars, despite being surrounded by warring parties.But neutrality doesn’t mean having no weapons or all the problems that can go with them. Imogen Foulkes has been finding out more.The Polish exodus from the UKUp to one million Poles flooded the British Isles when the UK and Ireland decided to allow in migrant workers from the new EU member states back in 2004. But four years on and the Poles are heading home.Britain is facing a financial crisis fuelled by the global credit crunch while the Polish economy has gathered pace, partly owing to the money sent home by migrant workers. These two factors have helped turn the tide of Polish job migration. It’s estimated that around 50 per cent of Poles working in the UK and Ireland have now left. Reporter Rafal Kiepuszewski Norway attracts Swedish workersNorwegian employers are more than happy to give the Swedes jobs.It is not only Poles who are now heading to Norway to find work. Young Swedes are also finding that their non-EU neighbour offers good pay and opportunities. Report Lars Bevanger Slovaks prefer to live in AustriaWhen the Schengen border-free zone expanded last year to include much of former communist eastern Europe, one of the least enthusiastic EU members was Austria, where fear of foreigners has long coloured the national debate.Recent elections in Austria saw a sharp rise in support for far-right parties, which have campaigned heavily on a xenophobic, anti-immigrant platform. But in the very eastern tip of the country, along the River Danube that forms the border with Slovakia, the reality of Schengen is changing attitudes and lives. Report Rob Cameron The ethnic group that wants a country to call homeThe Turkish government has relaxed its restrictions on the use of the Kurdish language in public, but for many Kurds, one of the main sources of news and entertainment is ROJ TV - a satellite television station headquartered in Denmark. So why have Turkish authorities in the past wanted Denmark to close the station?Turkey is home to more than half the world’s Kurdish population, who for decades have been seeking an independent homeland. The media is often a virtual battleground of breakaway regions or for a people seeking greater autonomy. Turkish authorities have in the past pressed Denmark to close the station, but it was Germany that took steps to ban ROJ TV in June. The German government argues ROJ TV is a propaganda mouthpiece for the Kurdistan Worker's Party - the PKK. The PKK is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and the United States. Guy Degen visited their main production studios just outside Brussels.

[ Sat, 15 Nov 2008 07:05:00 +0000 ]

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