Putting a Cost on Solidarity - The Politics behind the Euro

Europe has become more unequal than ever - the very opposite of the EU's original intentions. It now spends billions of Euros to reduce the prosperity gap. But inequality could actually be Europe's real strength.

Considering the state of today's 28 EU member countries, including those that are still reeling from the financial crisis of 2008, and those who are not yet ready to join the Eurozone, might it be time to do away with the old goal of harmonization and to embrace divergence? This film takes us through Italy, Spain, Ireland, Poland, Bulgaria and Germany - countries that reflect the EU's great diversity. We look at prosperity and poverty, satisfaction and frustration, countries that are on the up - and those on the way down - and what the future might hold for Europe and its peoples. And we examine everything you thought you knew about Europe: "Germany is the EU's paymaster;" "subsidies just trickle away;" and "The Euro is more like a flashpoint than a guarantor of prosperity." Former European Central Bank chief economist Peter Praet sees the Euro as a scapegoat: "The Euro cannot generate prosperity in a country where there is poor education, too much bureaucracy and too many obstacles and no entrepreneurial culture. I really think the Euro is often used as an excuse to hide one's own weaknesses." Economic historian Werner Abelshauser, on the other hand, thinks the Euro is completely superfluous. He says, "I believe that economic conditions across Europe differ so much that a single currency does not make a lot of sense."