In recent weeks, Slovenia has been under discussion as the next candidate for the European bailout scheme. The country’s government, which is headed by a five-party coalition, has been unable to agree on austerity measures. As the crisis has demonstrated, Slovenia is particularly vulnerable because much of the economy - including major financial institutions - remains in state hands. Slovenia is now struggling with the after-effects of a collapsed real estate boom and the massive debt accumulated by its largest banks.

In Poland, if you end up in financial difficulty, run up debt, fail to pay your rent and lose your apartment, you are likely to find yourself living in a container. The state is legally obligated to provide everyone with a place to live, but in some parts of the country, there are few vacancies. After a number of mines closed in the industrial town of Sosnowiec, local authorities resorted to putting people up in a container village. Conditions are appalling. Sosnowiec isn't the only place in Poland where people who have lost their homes are shunted off into makeshift housing.

Often, they end up with so little they are unable to afford their return from Bangkok airport to their villages. Their plight has come to the attention of human rights activists, who have described it as tantamount to modern slavery. The Finns themselves would never work so hard for so little money, they say.

A year ago, cod stocks in the Baltic Sea were practically exhausted. But the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is now recommending raising catch quotas in eastern parts of the Baltic. Cod stocks are starting to recover. Regular checks conducted on fishing boats have contributed to this success. But the inspectors are powerless to act when they see unwanted baby fish, or bycatch, simply being thrown overboard. Not only is this a huge waste, it also endangers the future of fish populations. But it is in fact impossible to fish without hauling in bycatch.