Czestochowa factory brightens up Christmas for households all over the world
4.12.2004 - Elzbieta Krajowska

The city of Czestochowa in the south of Poland is well known for the Shrine of the Black Madonna on Jasna Gora Hill - one of the most important sites for Roman Catholics in Poland. But Czestochowa is also a city where an industry is striving to make Christmas a bright experience for everyone. We went to meet the makers of Christmas tree decorations, which sell like hot cakes all over the world.

This is one of the busiest times for the Komozja factory, situated in a lovely vine-grown building on the outskirts of Czestochowa. The factory was first created after the Second World War and because it was operative and popular, it was nationalized... twice. Some years ago the four children of the original founders of Komozja restarted the business. So, what is the business? Hand-blown and decorated Christmas ornaments. Wanda Muszynski is from Komozja:

"In the early 1990's when the transformations came, Komozja connected with a large importer of Christmas ornaments in New York - Kert S. Adler Ink and from there developed a brand called Polonaise that really took America by storm."

So, what otherwise popular patterns for export and for Poland?

"I'd say there are so many different things you can do in glass, and we have things that we do for the folks at Kert & Adler under the brand name of Polonaise that are very American. You know everything from Elvis Prestley to Marlyn Monroe to Wizard of Oz, to Coca Cola to a lot of traditional Santa figurines but, we also do work for a company associated with Kert & Adler called 'Joy to the World' in which we do university colleges. We do fashion items, we do a wonderful series of different pets and pet breeds.

Then, of course, we have our own brand which is called the Mostowski brand which is really meant to be the Rolls Royce of all glass. It is works of art, really works of art under glass. In fact, this year we've done a special custom design piece for Harrods, Harrods of London, and it is a wonderful little Harrods bear under a glass dome and it is Mostowski for Harrods."

Lisa Kelechava represents Joy to the World...

"Well, in the industry Komozja is known as being best in the world at creating Christmas ornaments. They definitely created the most innovative designs and we're very fortunate to be able to work with them exclusively and to create collections for the United States. The one big collection that we have that, I think, has international appeal, as well as a huge draw in the United States, is our pet set collection, where we actually do very detailed breeds, specific dogs and cats.

We also work with a woman named Betty White who's a very well-known television actress and an advocate for animals as well. And we raise a lot of money for a charity called Morris Animal Foundation in the United States by selling the dogs and cats. And that has done extremely well."

Srobar Institute in devastated High Tatra Mountains gathers strength to overcome horrors of recent natural disaster
4.12.2004 - Katarina Richterova

On November 19th the beautiful High Tatra Mountains in Slovakia experienced their greatest natural disaster in the last 100 years. Wind-speeds of more than 170 km per hour swept away almost half of the coniferous forest. The scenery in the Slovak National Park changed drastically for the next 50 - 70 years and the damage is immeasurable. Experts estimate the financial costs of the disaster at billions of Slovak crowns.

I am standing in the woods of Dolny Smokovec. From this spot, two weeks ago I wouldn't have been able to see anything except dense forest. Now, after the great storm, which broke and uprooted trees in a domino effect, I can clearly see the town of Poprad and houses up in Horny Smokovec, as well as the buildings of the Srobar Institute, hidden in among the fallen trees. This institute for child tuberculosis and respiratory illnesses was one of the buildings most seriously damaged on November 19th.

As we are entering the institute all I can hear are cracking branches as civilians and soldiers are burning the fallen branches. Wood piles are lying beside the road. It's clear it took a lot of effort to make the place accessible. Miroslav Skvarek, deputy director at the Srobar Insitute says that a week after the storm, a great deal of work has been done:

"The rooftops of the institute are covered and should last until spring. Our employees have been helping us the whole week and now even the army is working on our campus. There were 22 soldiers working on the area."

The institute stands right in the middle of the damaged area. The storm took all the roofs off the sanatorium buildings and, worse still, destroyed all the beautiful green park area so necessary for healing respiratory problems. On Friday the children were in the middle of their usual afternoon routine. But it was not an ordinary day. Miroslav Skvarek remembers Friday November 19th this way...

"It was in a way hectic and terrible. I was caught in the storm on the way from work. Luckily I was able to come back to the institute, and maybe it is good that I was here then. What happened here in the course of approximately two and a half hours. The whole institute campus was destroyed and now it really looks like the surface of the moon ... I can't even describe it. We've never seen anything like it and hopefully we won't ever have to again."

Because the storm and branches from trees were smashing windows of the buildings employees of the institute started evacuating children into the basement where they stayed all night.

"Some of the children were scared at first, but as soon as they got down to the basement they turned the whole situation into great fun. The kids that are here now asked us whether there will be something similar coming soon. They are looking forward to it. One of them even said - Well we had a storm, now all we need is a flood in here, and we really will have experienced everything."

Rachel, Ivana and Gabriel were some of the courageous children that witnessed the event with their own eyes.

"It was terrible, everything was breaking ... we were really afraid. The area around, it doesn't look nice here anymore."

"At first I was looking out of the window and saw the trees fall down. Then we had to go down to the basement and there we slept. It looks terrible here now. The next day my mom said that she could hardly recognize it here."

"My parents came here the next day. I was very afraid, all of us were."

The resilience of the people here is immense, and cooperation with the crisis team and the Tatra National Park administration has been excellent, says Miroslav Skvarek, deputy director at the institute. Aid also came from the state. 350 soldiers were employed in the rescue works in the High Tatras. The soldiers now helping to clear the surroundings of the Srobar Institute came to the Tatras voluntarily, says their captain.

"I was here last in September, and it was beautiful and now... Oh my God, it was something terrible. But now we are here to help remove the wood."

The Srobar Institute is a perfect example of the atmosphere in the High Tatras. People may mourn over their great loss - after all 24 thousand hectares of forest were destroyed and it will take 50-70 years for them to grow back. But life goes on and instead of just lamenting they are working hard to make their mountains as beautiful as ever. The same goes for the children at the Srobar Institute. Having experienced such a damaging storm perhaps they will have extra strength to fight their respiratory problems.

Slovenian Parliament approves new centre-right coalition government
4.12.2004 - Ksenija Samardzija-Matul

Slovenia is about to get its eighth government since it gained independence thirteen years ago. Incoming Prime Minister Janez Jansa had his ministerial line-up approved by Parliament on Friday - it will be only the second centre-right government since 1991.

Fifteen ministerial candidates put forward by Prime Minister-designate Janez Jansa waited for the approval by the Slovenian Parliament. Prior to the session, all ministerial nominees had to undergo hearings in the relevant parliamentary committees. The nominee for minister of local self-government and regional development in the new cabinet of Janez Jansa, however, withdrew her candidacy due to her part in a real estate scandal.

In his first address to Parliament in the role of Prime Minister, Janez Jansa stressed that the new government's main goals would be to increase economic growth, Slovenia's entry into the European monetary union, and reduction in inflation. The main goals of the foreign policy will be:

"The first task is to assert Slovenia as a new member of the European Union, the next is Slovenia's presidency of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe in the New Year, the presidency of the European Union in the year 2007 - 2008. We also have to prepare for the possibility that the European Constitution will not be ratified by all member states and in that case our work will be much more difficult than in the case that the constitution is passed. The economic and cultural promotion of Slovenia; regional cooperation, strengthening of relations with neighbouring countries and the strengthening of relations with the United States of America will follow. "

The former Prime Minister Anton Rop who now leads the largest opposition party LDS wished the new government great success in their coming term. He criticized some of the targets set by the coalition:

"The new government has promised greater benefits for Slovene citizens; the budget will be increased by 500 million Slovene tolars, but it has not been defined from where the government will obtain the money."

Now that the new government is known it is time for the ministers to prove, whether they are capable of fulfilling their promises.

Young Albanians discuss future of country, EU membership
4.12.2004 - Rob Cameron

Now for a trip beyond the borders of the ICE region - to Albania. Under Communist dictator Enver Hoxha, Albania was Europe's heart of darkness. Then came the fall of Communism, and years of instability culminating in widespread looting and riots in 1997. All that's a very different picture from the Albania of today. The country is now trying to catch up with the rest of former Communist Europe.

I'm sitting in a revolving restaurant on top of one of Tirana's newest landmarks - the Sky Tower. The Sky Tower is in the heart of the fashionable Block neighbourhood. The Block was once home to Enver Hoxha, now it's awash with trendy bars and clubs, full of lots of very well-dressed and very prosperous looking young Albanians. Joining me are three of them - Migena Kapllani, Leida Memoci and Ened Janina.

The image of Albania is an overwhelmingly negative image, it's very unlike the life that we can see here all around us. It's a country seen as very poor, politically unstable and troubled by blood feuds, a country which seems to export only drugs and illegal immigrants. Is that image of your country fair?

Migena: I don't think so. Things are different. I've met many people who come here from abroad and when they are here they surprised. They're surprised at what they know, and what they see here.

Ened: I think the image is very exaggerated. You see Tirana, it's not very poor. The clubs are full. Everyone's outside, wearing good clothes, driving beautiful cars. It's not true that Albania is exporting drugs, because we don't produce drugs here. Drugs come from Afghanistan, they pass through Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia, maybe Greece and then come to Albania. So Albania is not the problem.

Leida: No, the problem with Albania is not drugs or something like that. There are difficulties at the moment because we're in a transition period. But there aren't that many problems.

Nonetheless, other former Communist countries like the Czech Republic, Hungary have made far greater progress in the last decade than Albania. Why is Albania relatively so poor?

Migena: There have been many problems. Albania has lived in Communism for more than 50 years, and each country goes through this period of transition on its own.

But what has gone wrong with Albania's transition?

Ened: There's nothing wrong with the transition, the problem was with the nature of the Communist regime here. Communism in Albania was the worst form of Communism in Europe, maybe the world.

So it's because things here were far worse than in Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland.

Ened: Albania didn't even have roads; Czechoslovakia had roads. We didn't have a lot of other things.

What about your country's prospects of joining the European Union? Do you think that will ever happen?

Migena: Well, yes. I have faith in this.

And when do you think that will happen?

Migena: I don't know. I can't say exactly.

Leida: I have faith too, because there are many countries that are worse than us, and they're on their way.

Ened: I think we'll go into the European Union, but not now. In fifty years, maybe more.

Migena & Leida: Fifty years?!

Leida: Fifteen maybe, but not fifty!

Ened: Knowing Albania, knowing Albanian politicians and knowing Albanian people, I think it will be fifty years.