The Tyrannical EU Commission

Die Kommission ist ein Tyrann

La Commission est un tyran

Komisja Europejska jest tyranem

La Comisión es una tirana

La Commisione europea è tiranna

For many European citizens and some heads of state the EU Commission is an overbearing bloated bureaucracy that has too much unaccountable power. But the reality is much more nuanced.

program_content

True or False: Challenging Euromyths

ARTE at the European Elections

Europe 2019

<p>For many European citizens and some heads of state the EU Commission is an overbearing bloated bureaucracy that has too much unaccountable power. But the reality is much more nuanced.</p>

Euromyth No.4

program_playNext

Since 2015 hundreds or thousands of migrants have arrived on Europe’s shores from sub-Saharan Africa, Syria and Afghanistan. Many have criticised the EU’s lack of response to the crisis. But an EU system controlling migration and asylum seekers is in place, and is working.  

Euromyths

Europe is Swamped with Migrants

Some see Angela Merkel as a dominant figure in Europe with Germany imposing its will over other EU member states. If it is true that many Germans hold key roles in EU institutions, Germany has just one vote in the Council, the same as any other member state.

Euromyth No. 2

Some see Angela Merkel as a dominant figure in Europe with Germany imposing its will over other EU member states.

Germany Controls Europe

Many European citizens and heads of state accuse the European Union of imposing too many directives and regulations, especially in social affairs. In reality it is national governments that hold most power in this domain.

Euromyth No.3

Too Much Regulation

Laws made at EU level override laws at a national level. But the power of member states in shaping these laws are considerable.

Euromyth No. 5

EU Law Trumps National Law

MEPS have decent pay and pensions but do not get a salary for life.

Euromyth No. 6

MEPs Get a Salary for Life

When the euro finally arrived in January 2002, many in the Eurozone felt that prices rose sharply. In reality price inflation  was minimal.

Euromyth No. 7

The Euro Made Everything Expensive

Since the Euro was introduced, economic inequality between member states has risen. Some EU citizens believe that the single currency and the Stability and Growth Pact are entirely responsible. As ever, the reality is more nuanced.

Euromyth No. 8

Since the Euro was introduced, economic inequality between member states has risen with many blaming this on the single currency. 

The Euro Only Benefits Rich Countries

A common misconception in Europe: Our representatives in the European Parliament are too old to understand younger generations and to launch ambitious political projects. In reality MEPs are hardly bedridden!

Euromyth No. 9

MEPS are Too Old

So this euromyth is arguably true: Working as an MP is a good career move. Transport and office expenses allocated to MEPs are generous and although payments are capped there is no transparency on how the money is spent.

Euromyth No. 10

MEPs Have Lots of Privileges

Many think that the European Union is not doing enough about green issues. But the EU is beginning to implement concrete measures to counter-act climate change.

Euromyth No 11

Many think that the European Union is not doing enough about green issues.

Europe is Letting Our Planet Die

This is no myth! All across the EU populist parties are on the rise with the far-right making significant gains by exploiting the migrant crisis. It’s up to European citizens in European elections to decide what kind of Europe they want.

Euromyth No 12

A Populist Future

program_recommendations

In Kharkiv, Dmytro, Roman and Vitaly have become brothers in arms. All three joined the Ukrainian Territorial Defence this year at the start of the Russian invasion. All three had already lost their legs in previous combat which would have enabled them to avoid going to war. A report by Ukrainian journalists Nataliya Nagorna, Volodymyr Cherenkov, Irina Krylenko and Sergii Semeniuk for TSN 1+1.

The Defenders of Kharkiv

Dispatches From Ukraine: Local Journalists Report

A personal account of the daily life of a country devastated by the Russian invasion. Journalist Anastasiya Gorpinchenko lives in Kyiv. She recently travelled to the Donbass region to meet wounded soldiers and the rescue services that evacuate them from the front line.

My Week of War (17 June)

Last year, Ukraine harvested a record 105 million tonnes of grain. Much of this production is destined for export. But since the Russia invasion, Ukrainian ports have been paralysed by a blockade. With a new harvest coming, Ukraine is looking for other ways to export its goods. A report by our Ukrainian colleagues Iryna Kovalenko and Andri Vetushkine for TSN 1+1.

Ukraine Awash with Grain

In Ukraine, at least 800 children have been orphaned by the war. Others have been separated from their families during the evacuations. Kyiv is trying to simplify the administrative procedures to allow these children to be adopted or fostered. A report from Kharkiv by our Ukrainian colleagues Iryna Markevytch, Andrii Marchenko and Gennadiy Shulga for TSN 1+1.

Orphans of War

When she heard that she could escape with her parents and children to Crimea, Tatiana set off towards the border in southern Ukraine. But halfway there, they found themselves in the middle of a minefield, targeted by Russian troops who were waiting for them. Our Ukrainian colleagues Ruslan Yarmolyuk and Mikhaylo Putiata report for TSN 1+1.

Ambushed in a Minefield

Ukrainian Journalist Anastasia Volkova gives us her personal account of her experiences of war in a series of war diaries. In this report she discusses how journalists cope in wartime with the harrowing things they see.

My Week of War (6 June)

Universities in Ukraine are preparing for the new school year, determined to accommodate as many students as possible, even if it means building shelters. Entrance exams have been simplified for a generation of students marked by Covid-19 and the war. Some plan to continue their studies abroad. Report by Ukrainian journalists Victoria Nikonenko and Valentin Galcop for TSN 1+1.

Studying in Safety

program_bonus

Bonuses and Extracts

program_external

Discover more

program_categoryMostViewed

Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish perform at Hellfest 2022.

Nightwish

Hellfest 2022

In Europe, the last primary forests are found almost exclusively in the mountains in the east or south-east of the continent. These virgin forests have never been exploited or cut down, and have remained as they have always been. Few studies have been done on this forests, which are presumably havens of biodiversity. We go on a research trip to the Dinaric Alps in Albania.

The Green Lungs of Europe

We go on a research trip to the Dinaric Alps in Albania

Geo Reportage

Just a few weeks before the release of their new album, The Sick and the Dying… and the Dead! Thrash metal stars Megadeth perform at Hellfest 2022.

Megadeth

Dutch band Epica returns to Hellfest to present Omega, a new album showing off their inimitable symphonic heavy metal sound.

Epica

According to the latest calculations by the OECD, South Korean women could live to be over 92 years old on average in 2070, and men over 89. That would be a world record. What's the secret?

South Korea: An Obsession With Health

South Koreans are on track to be the longest-lived people in the world

ARTE Reportage

Anglo-French guitarist Laura Cox presents the Scorpions, probably the most successful German rock band ever, headlining at Hellfest 2022. For more than five decades the German five-piece has been producing international hits and have sold more than 100 million records.

Scorpions

Anglo-French guitarist Laura Cox presents the Scorpions, probably the most successful German rock band ever, headlining at Hellfest 2022. 

The philanthropic foundation set up by US billionaire Bill Gates quietly co-finances experiments with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in several African countries. In the age of philanthropic capitalism, billionaires "save the world" and make money in the process. But who is helped the most, ordinary Africans or the food industry?

 In the age of philanthropic capitalism, billionaires "save the world" and make money in the process. An investigation into GM experiments in Africa.

Africa, GMOs and Bill Gates

Why does the European Union allow deadly pesticides banned at home to be exported to developing countries? Brazil, especially, uses large quantities of harmful pesticides imported from Europe with terrible effects on the population’s health.

Why does the European Union allow deadly pesticides banned at home to be exported to developing countries? 

Pesticides: European Hypocrisy

Drockick Murphys are perhaps the most Irish of American bands. The Bostonians baptize their new album Turn Up That Dial at Hellfest 2022.

Dropkick Murphys

Punk rock fans note: The Offspring have released a new album: The Californians perform tracks from their latest work at Hellfest, Let the Bad Times Roll.

The Offspring

Brazilian cult band Sepultura is back at Hellfest! They unleash their intense thrash metal in front of a white-hot audience.

Sepultura

The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad sits between Lithuania and Poland. Once German East Prussia, it is now home to 1 million Russian citizens. What is life like in this small territory now practically cut off from its EU neighbours since the war in Ukraine began?

Kaliningrad: Putin's Enclave

The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad sits between Lithuania and Poland and is now practically cut off from its EU neighbours since the war in Ukraine began.

JInjer are Ukraine’s official ambassadors of metal. Led by the voice and charisma of singer Tatiana Shmayluk, they are bringing their special blend of progressive groove metal to the world.

Jinjer

Hellfest invites a heavyweight of crossover and thrash metal: Los Angeles natives Suicidal Tendencies make the main stage tremble!

Suicidal Tendencies

The trio led by Matthew Bellamy is one of the most explosive and creative forces in rock music over the past two decades. There is no one else quite like Muse. Be impressed by their committed performance at Berlin’s Tempelhof Sounds Festival.

Tempelhof Sounds 2022

 There is no one else quite like Muse. Be impressed by their committed performance at Berlin’s Tempelhof Sounds Festival.

Muse

Yazidi women box in a gym in the heart of a refugee camp in northern Iraq. To recover their sense of dignity and self-confidence, they train in self-defense. They are survivors of horrific abuse, having been kidnapped and used as sex slaves under IS rule.

Iraq: Return to Sinjar

Yazidi women box in a gym in the heart of a refugee camp to recover their sense of dignity and self-confidence.

On the French Caribbean island of Martinique , large-scale use of insecticides caused serious damage. But the earth is being revitalised by several initiatives inspired by age-old agricultural practices. 

A Documentary by Florence Lazar

Revitalising the Earth

Since the 1990s, total insect biomass has declined by 75 percent. The rapid decline affects all food chains: fish and birds can no longer find enough to eat and are becoming fewer and fewer. Studies show that neonicotinoids used in pesticides aren't just destroying the insect popualtion, but also affect human health.

Since the 1990s, total insect biomass has declined by 75 percent

How Chemical Giants Destroyed our Ecosystem

With their latest album Soul on Fire, The Last Internationale brings a rebellious spirit to the main stage of Hellfest 2022.

The Last Internationale

Known for their incandescent, fiery performances, Swedish black metal band Watain perform their pyrotechnics at Hellfest 2022.

Euromyth No.4

True or False: Challenging Euromyths

Europe is Swamped with Migrants

Europe is Swamped with Migrants

Euromyths

Germany Controls Europe

Germany Controls Europe

Euromyth No. 2

Too Much Regulation

Too Much Regulation

Euromyth No.3