And this is taking place right here in europes largest economy germany. Our reporter met a 65yearold pensioner from hamburg. He lives hand to mouth and doesnt believe politicians promises of change. While the countrys welloiled economic engine has motored on, the elderly it seems have been left behind. Reporter hamburgs latest landmark is the elbphilharmonie concert hall. Herbert, who doesnt want to state his real name, is a pensioner whos come to see the highprofile project that apparently symbolizes germanys prosperity a prosperity that he has no share in. His wallet contains all of two euros and 20 cents. Herbert thats all i have left this month. I have to wait until friday for money, and make sure i dont overspend so it lasts the whole month. Reporter no money in the bank . Herbert no, its all gone, maybe except 65 cents. Reporter herbert likes coming here to watch the boats. He spent his fair share of time on the worlds oceans in his working days. Before that, he trained as a welder at this renowned hamburg shipyard. Herbert it was a good job. Well paid. Not when i was working as an apprentice, but i learned a profession, and that was a good thing. Reporter did he ever think about what it would all be like when he retired . Herbert not at all. I didnt think about getting old period. Reporter today, herbert lives in a small rented apartment in steilshoop. 45 years ago the area was considered a model of modern housing design. But now it has an image as a rundown neighborhood associated with a high crime rate. The rents are relatively cheap, but even so, herbert cannot afford any hobbies or holidays. His only luxury is his cat. And now and then he does treat himself to some cigarettes. Almost half of his 900eurosamonth pension goes on rent. Does he sometimes think he wont manage . Herbert yes, sometimes. I start to despair and think how bad everything is. But then i say to myself, there are others who are worse off than me. Reporter once a week herbert visits this food bank, where homeless and poor people can stock up on all the supplies they want for two euros. Herbert worked his entire life, but even so, he cant get by on his pension. And hes not the only one. Ten years ago, some 10 of germanys pensioners were officially poor. Now the figure is over 15 an increase greater than in any other demographic in germany. What was it like when he first came here . Herbert to be honest, i felt a bit scared. Reporter why . Herbert it felt like begging. But i got used to it. Reporter a matter of pride . Herbert yes, but you get used to it. Reporter the social workers here say the retirees dont just lack money, they also feel they are becoming social outcasts. Angela the safety net has gone. They dont feel part of society. The gap between rich and poor is noticeably widening. Reporter does she think the general election will change anything . Angela it would be nice, but i dont see any major change happening. Reporter things were different when herbert was a boy and his family lived in the heart of town, and in the heart of the community. Herbert that was the entrance to the house. Reporter his father died prematurely, but his mother got by on her widows pension. Now herbert is worried about his grandchildren and their generation. Herbert todays youngsters, in their early 20s with qualifications what kind of pension will they get . Things look really bad. Pensions only increase minimally. Reporter while politicians in germany are currently talking about pension increases, herbert doubts that they will keep their preelection promises. Michelle compared to retirees in germany, pensioners in france are fairing rather well. Most are financially secure in old age. But that soon may change. New french president Emmanuel Macron wants to reform the labor market to make the country more competitive. That means reducing welfare contributions for employers and increased Flexible Working hours. While critics fear a shift in retirement incomes, young entrepreneurs welcome the changes. We met a young man, who despite running a promising new business in paris, still struggles for economic survival. Reporter here in the heart of paris, gaetan mazo works tirelessly all day, every day washing, painting, and repairing to ensure his business is a success. Mazo teamed up with two other friends from the suburbs to found a rather original kind of startup a sneaker care service. Mazo expects Emmanuel Macrons election as the new president of france to give his business a boost. Gaetan macron supports young entrepreneurs. In school, i always got the impression i was expected to just find a job and subordinate myself to some boss. But macron has said, dont look for a job, look for customers. Reporter theyve already found their first customers on the ground, although their business isnt posting a profit yet. So far, the three have had to do almost everything themselves they cant afford to hire more than one employee. Gaetan Social Security contributions and taxes are extremely high. I have to pay so much that when we earn 10,000 euros, only 3000 are actually left over at the end of the month. Reporter hiring staff to service sneakers is expensive. Plus, getting into a conflict with employees can seriously harm a Small Business operation. French labor laws are very employeefriendly, and make it almost impossible to fire them. Butcher sacha milo, for example, has lost several court cases against employees. Now, hes much more careful. Sacha its as if youre married to them. Its hard to break up. Every time, you have to pay significant compensation and ensure that they get vocational training. Thats a major burden for a Small Business. Reporter but the unions insist on the stipulations. If labor law were to be softened, they say, Big Companies would exploit the situation to hire younger staff. The unions are concerned that macron is too businessfriendly. Michel macron wants to exempt Big Companies from having to report profits earned abroad. That means they can declare french profits via branches abroad. It isnt difficult. Then they say theyve made losses in france so they can fire people. And employees will then be unable to go to court to demand compensation. Reporter but major corporations and Small Business are worlds apart. Even so, the unions wont budge. Wouldnt startup owners like gaetan mazo be better off finding a permanent position elsewhere . Michel what will they do when there are no more sneakers . Theyll be out of work. Reporter experts think macrons reforms are a step in the right direction. As it is, the proportion of french workers with permanent contracts has already been decreasing, leaving many to get by on temporary jobs. Emmanuel theres a kind of twotrack system. Many older employees enjoy the protection of permanent contracts, while many younger people are on fixedterm contracts. Thats unfair, because without a permanent contract you cant get an apartment or a bank loan in france. Reporter gaetan mazo has never wanted to work for another company. He insists his little business has a Bright Future and demand is certainly there. Expensive designer sneakers are very popular among rap musicians, athletes and everyday parisians. I was going to throw them away, but this model is no longer in production. Now, theyve got a new lease of life. Reporter mazo is part of the young, creative and hardworking france that president macron envisions, and that more and more french people are identifying with. Michelle how does a man end up leaving a small fortune to the place where he was once held captive . During the second world war, Heinrich Steinmeyer was a german p. O. W. In the scottish highlands. The kindness and generosity he experienced from locals prompted him to stay in scotland after the war. And in his will, he donated his life savings to benefit the elderly of the village where hed initially been the enemy. Reporter George Carson remembers the german as a friendly older gentleman who always enjoyed coming back to Heinrich George heinrich always said that he was very, very glad that he was captured by the scots and not, say, the australians or the canadians. He might not have fared quite so well had he been captured by somebody else. And it probably saved his life. He said himself that he might not have survived the war otherwise, had he not been captured when he was. Reporter Heinrich Steinmeyer was 19 years old and in the notorious s. S. When a scottish battalion took him prisoner in normandy in 1944. He was taken to the Cultybraggan Camp on the edge of the highlands, which held 4000 prisoners of war. At first, the villagers were wary of their neighbors. These were men representing the nazi regime that the allies were fighting against, and which at one point had threatened to invade britain. But some of the p. O. W. s would soon win the villagers trust. Laura when they got off the train, they sang. And this caused a great feeling of well, theyre people, the same as we are people, and this to bolster their confidence in their situation. They didnt know what they were walking into. It bolsters their confidence, and the villagers treated them with respect. Reporter among the prisoners who marched into the camp singing was a young Heinrich Steinmeyer. Today, cultybraggan is the largest p. O. W. Camp of the period still preserved. The simple corrugatedironcovered huts have occasionally been used as a setting for movies. The village of comrie is working to protect this piece of its history. Theres little record of steinmeyer aside from a photo of him in the visitors center. After the war, he stayed on in scotland, working on farms. Even after he returned to germany in 1970, he often came back to visit comrie. He died childless at age 90. Then news came that hed left the village over 400,000 euros, specifying that it go to benefit elderly locals. Laura i think it was the humanity and respect he was shown as a man rather than a foe that impressed him so much. And, at 19, people are very impressionable. Reporter in germany, rumors persisted that steinmeyer had remained an unrepentant nazi right up to his death. George doesnt believe them. Hes sure his parents would never otherwise have been lifelong friends with him. George certainly not that. I never got anything like that from heinrich, at all. And he had long conversations with my dad when he was across. And my dad wouldve mentioned, you know, that oh, heinrich, he had these views. I dont know anything about any conversations like that, at all. No, quite the reverse, to be honest. Reporter comrie explicitly rejects criticism that it accepted money from a man alleged to be a staunch nazi. George yeah, i cant understand how anybody could even put a negative spin on that. That would be awful. People who are making these kind of accusations, really, i think they should have a wee look at themselves and wonder what is their own agenda that they would be coming up with things like that. No, no. Reporter the one real problem is that comrie hardly has any needy citizens. Its Elderly Population is generally welltodo. So what should the money be used for . A regular transport service might be of help to many seniors. So what do locals think . I think it should be spent, but not on a building or benches round about the village or that. For trips out, again, for the elderly for Christmas Party or parcels, christmas parcels, which we used to do years ago anyway. It was lovely, i think. It was a very, very generous donation to the village, but it will be very difficult to work out where it should all go. Reporter and Heinrich Steinmeyer was so taken with the place, that he chose it as his final resting place. George they arranged for heinrichs ashes to be delivered to comrie. They spread his ashes in the hills over there, overlooking the camp, just as per heinrichs will, but there was some money was that we planted this tree in heinrichs memory planted it here at the entrance to the ltybraggan camp. Reporter now a small plaque commemorates Heinrich Steinmeyer, the german p. O. W. Who wanted to do something good in the place of his former incarceration. Michelle just over a decade ago, spain was undergoing a property boom. But early on in the Global Financial crisis, the bubble burst. It left entire complexes, nuering in t hundreds thousands, vacant across the country. With unemployment skyhigh and a severe shortage of subsidized accommodation, a black market for cheap housing emerged. Organized criminal groups routinely install squatters. Many are poor families, like zulay and juan alberto, who say they know they are breaking the law, but would otherwise be homeless. Reporter zulay is glad to have a roof over her head. The 46yearold has mobility problems. She lives with her husband and son in barcelona. Rents are very high. Her husband alberto is unemployed and zulay earns a small wage working in a call center. Zulay we couldnt find a place we could afford. Then someone said we could move into this apartment. It belongs to a bank, and we could squat here. We had no choice. There are long waiting lists for social housing. Reporter they moved in overnight back in february. A helper had broken open the front door and put in a new lock for them. Zulay he said the apartment had stood empty for three years. We paid him for the keys. Now we can stay here until Something Else turns up. We had to pay him 850 euros. Reporter now the bank is taking zulay and her husband to court. But an eviction order could take years, and until then they are safe. Juan i can take a lot, but i cannot allow my wife to end up sleeping on the streets, especially considering she is disabled. Reporter poverty is becoming increasingly widespread in spain. Many people lost their jobs in the economic crisis and their homes, because they couldnt pay the mortgage. This is why many apartments now belong to the banks and are vacant. Some 90,000 apartments in spain are now believed to have people squatting in them. Squatting is not a serious offence in spain, and Property Owners are angry. Its almost impossible to get the unwanted residents evicted. Some of the apartments here are squats. Others are lived in by their owners, like fulgencio. Fulgencio its a mafia, and we owners are the losers. Its a mafia protected by law. Reporter fulgencio says his neighbors apartment stood empty after he left. Now, squatters have moved in. They tore out the meter and now they get their electricity for free. Fulgencio the owner was on vacation in rio. When he came home, he couldnt get in. He went to the police, but was told he was forbidden by law from forcing his way in. More and more squatters are breaking doors open, but no one protects us. Reporter many expensive apartments stand empty in spain. Too many were built during the property boom. Now the squatters are wellorganized and Exchange Information on how to deal with the local authorities and face legal proceedings. Salvador, a volunteer worker, says the government is to blame for the situation. Salvador since franco, governments have always tried to persuade people to buy apartments. But theyve failed to ensure there were enough homes available to rent, like there are in Central European countries. Reporter zulay and alberto hope they will soon find somewhere affordable. They are slowly renovating the rundown apartment, but some neighbors still see them as illegal residents. Zulay i dont know how long we can stay here. If they change the law, the police could come and evict us, like criminals. That makes me scared. Reporter but for the time being, they need not worry. No new legislation is in sight. Although squatting does remain illegal in spain, and they are very well aware of that. Michelle like spain, greece is looking to its tourist industry to boost its struggling economy. In recent years, Chinese Tourists have begun flocking to the countrys holiday islands. Santorini, with its volcanic sand beaches and stunning views, is a notable example. And while the local economy is now booming with many shops and Services Changing to cater to the tastes of their new clients, some residents are less concerned about the debt crisis and more about an identity crisis. Reporter with its black volcanic sand, perissa is one of the most popular beaches on santorini. It starts to fill up in early april, and stays busy through october. European tourists have been flocking here for decades, even in times of economic crisis. And an increasing number of chinese visitors are now joining them. 150,000 in 2016 alone. Their numbers are growing by 20 a year. On average they spend three days here sightseeing, taking photos, and soaking up that special santorini atmosphere. Liu it is so beautiful. In our country we cannot see such things. And because were on our honeymoon i think its one of the best places to spend honeymoon. Reporter santorini is wasting no time catering to its new guests. The lunchtime entertainment might still be traditional, but these days, the restaurants menus are often in chinese. Santorinis main town, fira, has famously spectacular views. Many chinese couples come here to get married. 1500 euros and upwards for a pictureperfect wedding. All thats missing are the wedding guests. Antonia veskou and dimitra bratika are wedding planners who specialize in chinese clients. At the moment, they say, chinese couples come by themselves. But they predict that greece will soon be playing host to huge chinese wedding parties. Antonia theyre very open to other cultures, and theyre really keen to learn about greek history. But in many respects, they lack experience. Theyd still prefer to eat chinese food, and when we organize trips, they like to do things their way. Reporter and that explains why asian restaurants are booming here. Its a development that suits some Chinese Tourists. But local hotel and Restaurant Owners have mixed feelings. Manolis karamolegos says that the growing numbers of chinese visitors ensure his hotel is full even offseason, but on the other hand, hes not keen on the way the island is changing to accommodate them. Manolis the challenge were facing is figuring out how we Greek Society and greek businessowners can preserve what makes this island so special. We cant gear ourselves to a particular category of visitors. Weve got to maintain our uniqueness, and that means local products, local culture and architecture our local character. Reporter the kind of greek sunset that all visitors appreciate. Its been forecast that greece will soon be welcoming 1. 5 million chinese visitors per year, once direct flights from beijing to athens get going later this year. And as for this summer, santorini is already fullybooked. Michelle and if, like me, you havent yet booked your vacation, dont worry greece has plenty of other gorgeous islands to choose from. Thats it for today. Thank you for watching. If youd like to find out more until next time, its goodbye from me and the whole team. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. 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