Society & Economy

Grrr! Europe! War or peace

How do we live in Europe? What do we really know about our ´fellow countrymen´? With its partners, Franco-German channel ARTE inaugurated an ambitious collection of twenty documentaries which explore the lives of various inhabitants of the European Union. Be they squatters, ministers, farmers or holidaymakers, they were followed by young film-makers from their country equipped only with a basic digital camera. These are entertaining portraits which both arouse our curiosity and encourage reflection, sometimes with a provocative and ironic tone.

Two young people, one a Finnish male, the other a Dutch female, get a taste of military life.
In Finland, Otso has refused to do his military service, which is compulsory as is the case in nine other countries in the Union. He risks a 6_-month prison term. In the Netherlands, Gwenda, 20, has signed up to an officer training school for four years. The training she receives includes military strategy games against Belgium, but she knows full well that it will not be against European countries she may have to fight in the future. She will be sent on a mission under the aegis of a world-wide organization like NATO or the United Nations.