In this edition, we zoom in on dwindling press freedom in Europe and check how Europe is doing 20 years after the big bang enlargement.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Hello there and welcome to Brussels My Love, Euronews' weekly talk show about European
00:18news. I'm Maeve McMahon, thank you so much for tuning in.
00:22Coming up this week, do or die, the Frank message, Paris recently sent the EU, French
00:29President Emmanuel Macron warned that Europe is on the path to decline if it does not tackle
00:34authoritarian regimes and protectionism. As many here celebrate 20 years since the last
00:40big wave of enlargement, we ask if the bloc is up to the task of welcoming more.
00:46And this Friday, the world celebrated Press Freedom Day, but with newsrooms closing across
00:52the globe and independent journalists few and far between, there's not much cause for
00:57joy. From Bratislava to Rome, press freedom is coming under pressure in Europe, alarming
01:03given the big elections this year. Brussels has managed to pass a law to protect media
01:08independence, we hear how it will work with our panel this weekend. Olena Abramovic, Brussels
01:13correspondent for Ukrainian TV, Ricardo Borges de Castro, analyst in European and global
01:19affairs, Andrzej Bawicz, Polish correspondent for TV Poland. So lovely to see you all, thank
01:26you so much for being with us. Let's just hear first, though, what the EU quarter of
01:30Brussels was talking about this week.
01:34It's known as the Big Bang enlargement, 1st of May 2004, when 10 countries joined the
01:39EU. Shortly after, Romania and Bulgaria followed suit, Croatia too.
01:47After decades of communism, millions of people became members of a club based on democracy
01:52and a social market economy. It was good news for economic prospects and security, but the
01:59challenges were immense. Two decades on, in a dramatically different world, the EU is
02:06getting ready to expand again. But with some saying that Europe needs to choose between
02:12a fast wake-up or a slow decline, we ask if the EU would be able to serve another enlargement
02:17wave.
02:21So already 20 years since this Big Bang enlargement, let's look at the first. Remind us how it
02:26felt for you personally, and of course, for your nearest and dearest.
02:30I think for people from my generation, people who are born in the 80s, in the 70s, enlargement
02:36is not only a political story, but it's a very personal story. And because we were there
02:42before being part of Europe, and since two decades, we are experiencing being in Europe.
02:49And I think everything changed, you know, I was a student and I was actually already
02:54studying European integration when Poland was joining the EU. So what I was learning
03:01about just three years before was actually happening. So that was really amazing. And
03:08as soon as we joined the EU, I was, as many Poles, many young Poles, trying to get advantage
03:16of it. So actually, I went on Erasmus programme straight away to England. And actually, I
03:22never came back to Poland.
03:24As you said yourself, it changed everything, so politically and also personally for Georgia.
03:28And of course, Ukraine has a very long border with Poland. So 20 years ago, was it something
03:33that you were keeping an eye on as well, that story? How did Ukrainians feel?
03:36Well, I believe I was probably too young to keep an eye on that story. But basically,
03:41I think Ukrainians were looking forward to it for many years. And just before the full
03:46scale invasion, it felt like it's an aim which we are going to go for many, many more years.
03:53And it was something like really distant, taking into account what was happening with
03:59other countries who were at the EU doors. Right now, I hear discussions when people
04:05say that finally, we believe that it's a reachable goal for our generation, actually.
04:11And Ricardo, from your perspective, as a political analyst, how do you believe Europe
04:15changed since this big wave of enlargement for better and perhaps as well for worse for some?
04:19I mean, I think some have already called it actually the first geopolitical enlargement
04:22of the EU. But I think it's really the political significance of that enlargement,
04:26of bringing, of reuniting the continent. I think politically, this has a huge significance,
04:32I believe. And also, because it comes with a geographical expression, it is also of geopolitical
04:38and geostrategic importance. So I think, even though you can say that the story has not always
04:42been rosy over the past 20 years, it has been a great story. I mean, I look at my country,
04:47we just celebrated 50 years of democracy and freedom. And Europe also played a key role in
04:53Portugal becoming a more democratic country. So I think, I mean, this is a success story.
04:58Even though we do remember back then, well, some of us remember back then,
05:01how there was a lot of criticism as well, or a lot of people reluctant to see that
05:05wave of enlargement. But again, in Brussels this week, there were a lot of smiles and a
05:09lot of celebrations about that anniversary. And Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission
05:14President was in Strasbourg and saying that this wave was a win-win scenario for all.
05:19In so many different ways, Europe has made you stronger. But you have made Europe so much
05:28stronger too. People and companies across Europe have enjoyed new opportunities to study and work,
05:36export and invest in a wider union. And let's stay ambitious on enlargement and reform. This
05:44is how we will make good on that European promise once again, just as we did 20 years ago.
05:53Long live the generation of 2004 and long live Europe. Thank you.
06:02So, Dorothea, this is your generation that she's, of course, alluding to. And how is trust today,
06:0720 years later, between Poles and the establishments here in Brussels? And
06:11what bumps were there perhaps along the way?
06:13I think this wave was very bumpy and straight from the beginning. I think Poland was thinking
06:18that Europe is only positive and we will be gaining everything. And they didn't realise
06:25enough that there are also expectations and obligations. So straight at the beginning,
06:29there were problems when the European Commission asked Poland to shut down the Polish shipyards
06:35because they were not competitive enough. There have been lots of problems linked to environment
06:43and climate requirements when Poland was always trying to put a brake on these ambitious EU plans
06:49from the very beginning. And finally, there were this ideological conflict because the Polish
06:55society is very conservative. And actually, this led to the longer conflict in the future also with
07:03the former right government of Poland.
07:06Yeah, a lot of bumps along the way and inevitably could be a similar path for Ukraine when or if
07:11one day it does join the European Union. But do you feel encouraged by those words from the
07:16Commission President there saying that enlargement needs to stay on track and we need to make good
07:21on these promises? Do you think the European Union will deliver here?
07:24Well, I think Ukrainians are watching closely every step and every announcement and every phrase
07:30which has been pronounced in Brussels and I'm frequently reporting on that. But I would also
07:36mention that actually the experts are right now looking at the Polish way, looking at which way
07:43Polish farmers actually were fighting for their rights and got into EU. So I mean,
07:48this experience of Poland and all those countries which joined before Ukraine is being deeply
07:54discussed right now, analysed to see which way Ukraine can also progress because
07:59I think on political level, there is understanding that this is also a bumpy road where you have to
08:08kind of look closely and fight for your own benefits and rights.
08:14And of course, Ricardo, elections are coming up. They're just around the corner here
08:18for the European Parliament. Do you think EU enlargement is very present in manifestos for
08:22the political groups?
08:23I don't think enlargement or I would say Ukraine and the problems or the war and what
08:30revolves around enlargement in whatever is happening in Georgia. I think these issues
08:35are looked upon, but I'm not convinced that in many countries, particularly in mine,
08:40enlargement has not been a big topic of campaign. Okay, the campaign is about to start. So I'm
08:45actually curious to see whether enlargement will feature very high. I think probably the
08:49Commission will try to have these frameworks of negotiation approved in the June Council.
08:55That's what I hear. But I don't think that this probably is going to be sort of a topic
08:59of high discussion, maybe more on what might be some of the risks or some of the costs that
09:07this, because as both were saying, I mean, this is not a cost-free process for those that want
09:12to come in and for those that are already here. So I think this might come, but I think it might
09:16be niche in some respects.
09:18And is corruption being addressed adequately, do you think, in Ukraine? Is that something
09:21that you report on?
09:22Corruption in Ukraine, you mean? The view of European Union on the corruption in Ukraine,
09:27of course, is always being discussed. But I think right now during the war, the big accent
09:34is actually on watching what is the EU reaction on the reforms, what are being done in Ukraine.
09:40It's a very broad field of the aspects. And I wouldn't say that corruption is like on the flag,
09:49I mean, from what I see being discussed in the media. It is mentioned, but it is mentioned
09:56with some other structural reforms in the country.
09:59And interesting how you say that your country is looking towards Poland for some tips as well
10:03on that long and bumpy road.
10:05The other way around also, the European Union institutions are actually also thinking about
10:11what happened with this Big Bang enlargement. Where are the problems? And they are trying
10:17to be a bit more proactive and to avoid the same scenario with Ukraine.
10:23To avoid the same scenario with Ukraine. And just briefly on the currency, because you
10:26still have the slothy, but obviously one day you're obliged, I suppose, to have the euro.
10:31That will, of course, come with economic hardship for Poles. How do they feel about that?
10:35Yeah, but there is at the moment, there is still not big support for euro in Poland.
10:41We were quite close with the first Donald Tusk government to start the way to implement
10:48the common European currency. It was back in 2007. But then financial crisis happened,
10:55actually. And we found out that not being in the eurozone was an advantage.
11:00And actually, since that moment, instead of going closer, we actually got back.
11:07And at the moment, there is not a big will for euro, because actually after the last
11:14eight years of quite euro-sceptic government in Poland, we need to first work to reintroduce
11:21the pro-European moods.
11:23It's like you're starting from scratch, right? It's like a rebirth in Poland. Well, 20 years
11:27ago, when the EU did enlarge, the Irishman Pat Cox was the president of the European
11:32Parliament then. And we checked in with him this week to hear what that moment was like,
11:36and if in his eyes, the EU is ready to enlarge again.
11:40It was a very special day, a sense of a moment of reunification. And to borrow the words of the
11:46late Pope John Paul II, a day when Europe could breathe on both its lungs, east and west.
11:53I think we're living in very different times.
11:56This model that we've worked in is under stress from the outside and the inside.
12:01I don't believe the enlargement will happen in the course of the next five years.
12:05But if it's to happen soon after that, it will happen on the foundations being laid
12:11in the coming period and mandate of the European Parliament and the next European Commission.
12:17So Pat Cox there speaking to me earlier this week, the former president of the Parliament.
12:21Would you agree, Ricardo, with that statement, that the next five years,
12:25the upcoming Commission would really prepare those stepping stones for more countries?
12:30I think there's no other option. If enlargement is to be serious,
12:34if it's seen as a priority for the EU, that's what the Commission needs to do.
12:38I think it needs to take enlargement as a serious policy and priority,
12:44also with all the implications that it has in all policy areas that we know.
12:47And we just discussed, we just mentioned some of them.
12:50So I think we need to take this very seriously.
12:52Also, because it's about the credibility of the EU globally.
12:55Because in a sense, I mean, there's a war going on in Ukraine.
12:59There's a war in the battlefield.
13:01This is the other side of the coin.
13:02It's really, it's the fight also for the political and for our union,
13:07in a sense, where these countries, in my view, also belong.
13:11So this, I think, if this is of this strategic nature,
13:15then the Commission needs, and the Commission and not only,
13:17the member states, we need to prepare for this.
13:19So we keep an eye as well on who is appointed as the Commissioner
13:23in charge of that portfolio.
13:25But we know that Montenegro is hoping to be the next member in 2028.
13:29They have just over half a million population.
13:32But Dorota, from your perspective,
13:33do you think the EU needs to reform internally first?
13:37I think this process should be done at the same time as getting closer with Ukraine.
13:42And actually, in my opinion, it has to be done.
13:45I cannot imagine this Europe of over 30 member states
13:50which has to decide unanimously on everything.
13:53I mean, we have a perfect example with Viktor Orban that it doesn't work
13:58and it actually paralyzed the work of the European Union institutions.
14:03And I cannot imagine in the future, in this enlarged Europe,
14:08that Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia is blocking some important decisions.
14:15So I think these reforms have to be done.
14:18But for sure, the Eurosceptics already used that story to scare the society
14:24about even bigger sovereignty laws.
14:29So the European Union institutions should think how to address this,
14:34how to do that.
14:35I've actually learned from some MEPs that maybe these changes can be introduced
14:40in the accession treaty of Ukraine.
14:43And like that, the EU treaties don't have to be changed.
14:48It can be done either way.
14:50I'm sure that would be something you would welcome
14:52because if you needed to wait for the EU to reform itself.
14:55Yeah, we've heard many times from Ukrainian foreign minister
14:58that Ukraine shouldn't be a hostage of this reforming process,
15:02meaning that Ukraine shouldn't be blocked
15:04because EU is waiting to reform itself,
15:07that those should be the processes with a goal in parallel,
15:11but not blocking each other.
15:13And it's not only a reform of decision-taking,
15:15it's also an agricultural reform to be able to absorb such a huge market
15:22which Ukraine has with agriculture to reform the subsidies, etc.
15:25So it's really a great piece of work.
15:28But of course, Ukrainians are hoping that this work
15:32won't be a barrier on their way to joining EU.
15:36I'm curious how you say Ukrainians are following every word
15:38that's uttered out of this town,
15:41but just on what Pat Cox there said about Europe being stressed
15:44from the inside and also from the outside.
15:46I think that's interesting given as well the recent speech
15:48from the French president Emmanuel Macron,
15:51one and a half hours,
15:52he delivered a speech to the university officer Bonn
15:55reminding us here in Europe that it's mortal
15:57and we could potentially die depending on our choices.
16:01Macron also added that there's a huge risk
16:03that we will be weakened,
16:05that the rules of the game have changed.
16:07Would you agree with this wake-up call, Ricardo?
16:10Oh, yeah, absolutely.
16:10I mean, I think actually to a certain extent,
16:12the Europe that we knew already died on the 24th of February 2022
16:16when Russian tanks crossed Ukrainian borders.
16:19So, I mean, OK, it comes already from 2014,
16:22but to a certain extent that Europe, that world ended on that day.
16:26So I think now, I think that this speech is a good speech,
16:29maybe lengthy, as you said,
16:31probably too detailed in some parts.
16:33It's almost like the State of the Union speech
16:35plus the Commission Work Programme put together.
16:38So it can be very detailed,
16:40but it's really focused on three key points,
16:42which is power, prosperity and people.
16:44And these are the three conditions for the EU
16:46if we really want to be a geopolitical union.
16:48These are the areas.
16:49I mean, as I've said many times,
16:50he's really the think tanker-in-chief at the EU level,
16:54you know, among European leaders.
16:55There's not so many leaders that think as much
16:57and as profoundly as he does.
16:59I think the reverse side is that he, as a think tanker,
17:02is not very successful when he's a president
17:05because he, as a president,
17:07does not always follow what he says as a think tanker.
17:09So I think there's also a need for the French also
17:12to be more assertive when they put out the ideas,
17:15then they also need to give the example.
17:17And I'm particularly on Ukraine.
17:19I think they could be supporting much more Ukraine
17:20than they are, for example.
17:21Well, indeed, back home, he's not doing so well.
17:23And whether or not young people would have tuned
17:25into that one and a half hour speech
17:27and then eventually vote for people
17:29which have similar views to him for the political elections
17:31or the European elections coming up remains to be seen.
17:34But on that note of him being seen
17:35as this kind of European statesman,
17:37would that be your impression from Poland?
17:41What impression?
17:41The impression that Emmanuel Macron
17:44is this kind of European statesman
17:45with these great ideas that people will turn around
17:47and listen to, or he's not taken seriously at all?
17:49Yeah, I think he was addressing the domestic public,
17:52first of all.
17:52And we all know that actually the Euroscepticism
17:56in France is huge.
17:58We don't talk about it so much.
18:00But I think France is at the moment,
18:03one of the countries where the support
18:05for Europe is the smallest one.
18:08So maybe he was actually using this kind of wording
18:12to get popularity,
18:13which is maybe not the most clever thing to do.
18:16But this kind of criticism,
18:18I find quite constructive for Europe, finally.
18:22Last time he criticized NATO,
18:25actually a few years ago,
18:26he said that NATO is experiencing cerebral death.
18:29And ever since, also with other criticism of Trump,
18:34the member states of NATO started to spend more on defense,
18:38which is also linked to the war in Ukraine.
18:41So maybe these words could have an impact.
18:43What was the take from Ukraine on that speech?
18:45Or did it make it that far?
18:49Well, of course, Ukrainians are following
18:51also speeches of Emmanuel Macron,
18:53also taking into account his recent words
18:56that he doesn't exclude bringing troops to Ukraine,
18:59for example, which also made a lot of noise in Ukraine.
19:03I wouldn't say that this last speech
19:04was followed that closely,
19:07maybe because it was also focusing
19:09a lot of European politics, et cetera, et cetera.
19:13But the very first point he mentions
19:17when he say about the death of,
19:20possible death of Europe is defense.
19:23And this issue, the issue of defense,
19:26is being actually followed by Ukrainian audience.
19:31Ukrainian government was also emphasizing
19:33that it's a time actually to move to this new strategic.
19:41I'm going to have to bring that discussion
19:42to an end on that conclusion.
19:44But do stay with us here on Euronews,
19:46because after the break,
19:47we'll be digging into a very gloomy report
19:49on dwindling press freedom in Europe.
19:51See you soon.
19:57Welcome back to Brussels, my love, with me Maeve McMahon.
20:04Now, this week, the world marked
20:05International Press Freedom Day
20:08to shed light on the plight of the press globally.
20:11Here in Europe, press freedom is fairly good in Norway,
20:14Ireland, Denmark.
20:15That's according to Reporters Without Borders.
20:17But the situation is worrying in Greece,
20:19where journalists have been spied on by powerful spyware.
20:23Slovakia is a case for concern,
20:25with reports that the government
20:26is trying to take control of the state broadcaster.
20:28And this week, Italian students interrupted their classes
20:31to read excerpts from a famous author
20:33that were censored by the national broadcaster, Rai.
20:36So I'd like to ask you first,
20:37have you been following these trends?
20:39Are they a big cause for concern?
20:41It's very worrying.
20:43At the same time, unfortunately, it's not very surprising.
20:47I think the democracy in Europe
20:49is not living its best days at the moment.
20:52And media freedom is one of the victims of it.
20:56And attacks against journalists in Greece?
20:58And attacks against journalists.
21:00I mean, me, myself, I experienced that on many occasions.
21:07Online and offline?
21:08Of course, of course.
21:09Because online as well can be horrific.
21:12What about the situation in Ukraine,
21:13the state of press freedom there?
21:15Have you ever been censored?
21:16If my media is present there, I work for Radio Free Europe.
21:19That means that in the country,
21:21there are some problems with media freedom.
21:23Because, for example, in EU countries,
21:25it's only in Hungary and Romania
21:27where Radio Free Europe is present.
21:29So basically, of course, yes,
21:31we do experience from time to time.
21:34Usually it happens during election campaigns.
21:37We have cases, we remember in our history cases,
21:40when journalists had to,
21:42the anchors had to address the public
21:44after the elections and apologize, for example,
21:47for being not very trustful, etc.
21:52So, I mean, journalists, they also work with their faces.
21:55It's their reputation.
21:56And if politicians would change
21:59every certain number of years,
22:01for journalists, it's always important
22:04to keep the trust of their audience
22:07and to stay very firm and independent.
22:11And if such episodes happen during elections,
22:14of course, it's very harmful for the trust
22:17to the media itself in general.
22:20Well, the European Union now has,
22:21after years of negotiations,
22:23a media law that aspires to protect journalists
22:26and the press from political and economic interference.
22:30The Romanian MEP Ramona Strigaru
22:32is the lady who was in charge of the file.
22:34And she told me that getting this regulation
22:36across the line was historical.
22:38Take a listen.
22:39This is happening after very long negotiations.
22:42It is happening after years
22:44when journalists were harassed
22:46and where we have definitely seen
22:49monopoly and interference.
22:51And where we didn't understand enough
22:53that basically free media is the fourth pillar
22:57of an independent and democratic state.
23:00From now on, we will have sanctions
23:04for those like Mr. Jansa or Mr. Orbán
23:10who are refusing to understand
23:13the significance and the meaning of free media
23:19and ensuring that there is no interference,
23:23political or of any kind,
23:26in the work of a journalist.
23:27So Ramona Strigaru there saying that this law
23:29sends a message to anyone who wants to transform
23:32their state media into a propaganda tool,
23:34spread fake news or destabilize democracy.
23:37Ricardo, do you think this will work,
23:40this media freedom act?
23:41I think it depends also.
23:42I think it has to do with enforcement,
23:43whether these violations do happen
23:45and then whether there is a way
23:46to enforce the rules.
23:47I mean, I think we need to retain,
23:49as Zoroto was saying,
23:51the trends all over the world are negative
23:53in terms of democracy or freedoms.
23:55In Europe, we do better than in most places,
23:57but in some places we are not doing well.
23:59And so I think what we need to retain
24:01is the possibility that journalists
24:02can independently and freely
24:04speak truth to power,
24:05can investigate,
24:06can question politicians
24:08and those that are in power
24:10about what they're doing.
24:11And so I think we need to retain this possibility
24:13because this is an essential pillar
24:14of our democracies.
24:15It's like one of the lungs as well
24:17of how democracies actually work.
24:19So I think media freedom
24:20is really a fundamental principle.
24:22And Zoroto, does it make you feel safer
24:24having this media freedom act?
24:25And also tell us about the situation
24:27in your country with the state broadcaster,
24:28which you've just recently joined again.
24:30Yeah, I don't know how it will work.
24:32We will see, as Ricardo said,
24:34how the reinforcement will be.
24:37I'm not sure that it will stop
24:40the politicians to nominate
24:42the boards and management
24:44in the national public media.
24:46And I think this is the biggest problem
24:48regarding the public state media,
24:51and that it is the politicians who decide
24:54who will govern them
24:55and what will be the coverage afterwards.
24:59And also, I think in this act,
25:03the spying of journalists
25:04is finally not forbidden.
25:07I was spied here in Brussels
25:09as a correspondent.
25:11My conversations were recorded
25:13and played back to me.
25:14Apparently, this spyware was not working
25:16so well, so it was easy to discover it.
25:21So we will see.
25:21I mean, it's good that the European politicians
25:24are finally doing something about it.
25:27But I think in the future,
25:28this legislation will probably have to be improved
25:31to be really efficient.
25:33And have you been reporting
25:34on the situation in Slovakia
25:35or the situation as well this week in Italy
25:37with Rai being censored?
25:40We haven't been reporting on that,
25:41but I should also mention
25:43that right now in Ukraine, for example,
25:45all the biggest TV channels,
25:46they work all together.
25:48We have this United News Marathon,
25:49which has been a bit criticized
25:52also by international observers
25:54that all the biggest TV channels,
25:57they are united and they kind of
25:59in times of war,
26:01are being used to, on the one hand,
26:03to calm down people.
26:05On the other hand,
26:06there are questions how independently
26:09those old journalists can work
26:10and if it's probably a time
26:13to let all those TV channels
26:15to work freely, everyone for themselves,
26:17but not to be maybe influenced
26:20by the office of president.
26:22So in Ukraine, there are also discussions.
26:24No one has the certain answer
26:27because we are in times of war
26:29and which is the correct work,
26:30way to work.
26:32But I would say that analysts,
26:35they are looking closely
26:36to this media reform
26:37in the EU being introduced.
26:40And there are big hopes also
26:42to have it established in Ukraine
26:44and to finally have some kind
26:46of independent public television,
26:48if that is possible anyhow.
26:50OK, we'll keep an eye on that.
26:51And just very briefly,
26:52fake news, disinformation,
26:54also a rampant,
26:56a key challenge as well
26:57coming up to these elections.
26:58I mean, I think it does also
26:59because it happens also
27:01on social media,
27:01which is much harder to control.
27:03Right. And I mean,
27:04the stories of these bots
27:05that you try to take them down
27:06and they appear immediately.
27:08And also the new frontier
27:09is really these deepfakes,
27:10which will be very hard
27:12or the damage can be done.
27:13A lot of damage before
27:14you actually identify
27:16or confirm that is a deepfake.
27:17So I think we are entering
27:18in a new media space
27:19that is very difficult
27:20also to control
27:21and to try to make sense of.
27:23Indeed. And there was a number
27:24of fake accounts about me
27:25on Instagram, TikTok
27:27in the last couple of weeks.
27:27So do watch out for them
27:29and make sure that the person
27:30you are speaking to
27:31via private message
27:32is really that person.
27:34Thank you so much to our panelists.
27:35The topic we will definitely
27:37come back to.
27:37And thank you so much for watching.
27:39See you soon on Your News.
27:48Welcome back to Brussels, my love.
27:51I'm Maeve McMahon.
27:52And along with my panel,
27:53we're taking a look
27:54at the news of the week.
27:55And one story that turned
27:57our heads was this.
27:59Turkey looking for special EU
28:01protection for its famous snack,
28:03the doner kebab.
28:04It would make it the very first
28:05Turkish product
28:06to get such recognition.
28:08Have you even heard about this story?
28:09Has it got into your radar
28:11there, Ricardo, this week?
28:12I mean, it was a total surprise.
28:14And I think, why not?
28:16You know, probably this won't make
28:17me many friends in Greece.
28:18I mean, I like very much Turkey.
28:21I live there as a student.
28:22So I would say emotionally, yes.
28:24Why not doner kebab
28:26becoming a demarcated
28:29product in Turkey?
28:30Well, you were surprised.
28:31And you're not the only one,
28:32because, of course,
28:33half a million Turks live
28:34here in Brussels and most born here.
28:36And of course, that means that we have
28:38a very vibrant Turkish
28:39quarter here in Brussels
28:41with many kebab shops.
28:42So we went down to pay them a visit
28:44to ask them how they felt
28:45about this potential
28:46new endorsement
28:47that will also perhaps come
28:48with more rules and regulations.
28:50Take a listen.
28:53There are several ways
28:54of making doner.
28:55For us, it wouldn't change much.
28:57But other restaurants might not
28:58accept these new rules,
28:59because they would no longer be able
29:01to call their product doner kebab.
29:05They buy doner that arrives frozen,
29:07and then you don't know how it's made.
29:08That's the problem.
29:12I don't think these new rules
29:13will have too much of an impact on us.
29:15But if they do, we'll have to adapt.
29:17They have to be minimum standard rules,
29:19but it shouldn't go overboard either.
29:22So many, they're not quite sure either
29:24why their government applied
29:26for this status.
29:27Have you been keeping an eye on this?
29:29Well, for me, it's probably
29:30another case to watch
29:32because we have Ukrainian borscht,
29:34which is also being discussed.
29:36And there is powers from Russia
29:39who are trying to call this dish
29:40Russian, et cetera.
29:41So we have it in Poland.
29:45This is the issue
29:47which just brought into my mind
29:49this issue of Ukrainian borscht
29:50and to follow how it works.
29:53And seemingly in Poland,
29:55you have these St.
29:56Martin's croissants
29:57that have this special protective status.
30:00Yeah. Are they amazing?
30:02I don't like very sweet things,
30:04but yeah, we usually eat them in November
30:06and it's a nice tradition.
30:08But actually with the Turkey story,
30:10I was surprised to be very honest.
30:12I didn't know that the country
30:14that this candidate can only
30:15can already apply for this protection.
30:18Well, actually, I think it's back
30:20since 1992 that the EU set up
30:22this special protection scheme
30:23as a way to safeguard and promote
30:25local agriculture and heritage.
30:26And you don't have to be an EU member.
30:27Seemingly, there's even
30:29Vietnamese fish sauce
30:30that have this special status.
30:32Ricardo, I mean, I think it's great
30:34that if we are also
30:35if the EU is also helping others
30:36preserve their cultural identity.
30:38And I mean, we all I think
30:39in all our countries,
30:40we have the stuff that we want to protect
30:43also because it speaks to our traditions,
30:45speaks to our regions even sometimes.
30:47So I think why not?
30:48I don't think that this is
30:49this is a big deal.
30:50And, you know, kudos for the Turks
30:52to to to have gone ahead with this.
30:54And of course, this is
30:55a massive industry as well.
30:56We're talking about 3.5 billion euro.
30:59That is what the donor kebab
31:01economy is worth here in Europe.
31:03That's according to the Association
31:04of Turkish Donor Producers.
31:06So there's a lot at stake here
31:07as well for their economy.
31:08I think probably.
31:09Yes, I mean, I don't do this anymore.
31:11But when I was in uni as a grad student,
31:12there was not an evening out
31:14that would not end up in a kebab van.
31:16So I think that, you know,
31:17kebab plays a role also
31:19not only in Turkey,
31:19but it plays a role in all
31:21European societies as well.
31:22And I don't agree quite with Ricardo
31:25because I think that Europe
31:26probably maybe should be
31:28a bit more protective.
31:29Maybe we are too good.
31:30And that's why all the problems
31:31with China, you know, and Chinese.
31:33But that's a different conversation.
31:36And Turkey is not
31:38is a very awkward partner.
31:40You know, it's a candidate state since 1999.
31:43It's negotiating its membership
31:45since 2005.
31:48And maybe it should be good
31:50if Ankara started to implement
31:52EU requirements and obligations
31:55and not asking for the privileges.
31:58Good conclusion there from Dorota
32:00because indeed those discussions
32:01when it came to a session
32:03were blocked for a couple of years.
32:04So the forum that they even had to talk
32:07ceased to exist.
32:08But on that conclusion,
32:09that brings our show to an end.
32:10Thank you so much, Olena Abramovic,
32:12Ricardo Borges de Castro
32:14and Dorota Babuic.
32:15And thank you so much for watching.
32:17If you would like to reach out to us here,
32:19our email address is
32:20brusselsmyloveateuronews.com.
32:23You can also private message us
32:24on social media, but make sure
32:25it's really us that you're speaking to.
32:27Take care and see you soon.