Valença (PT)

The train station of Valença in the past. Nowadays there is a train museum near the station.

Valença (PT)

River Minho Greenway. The railway Valença-Monção was closed in 1989. As a consequence, the railway and the adjacent stations were deserted. By 2004, the railway was converted into a greenway.

Valença (PT)

The fortress in the 20th century: three 18th-century cannons.

Valença (PT)

The fortress in the 21st century.

Valença (PT)

The main square of Valença in the 20th century.

Valença (PT)

The fortress looks down to the river and Spain. Its walls have been destroyed in several occasions, the last time by the French troops in the 19th century, but they have always been restored and are still very well preserved.

Valença (PT)

A group of friends of our parents when they were kids, in the 1980s

Valença (PT)

Kids working in the school library, in 2018.

Environmental protection I , Poland

Before Poland joined the EU the factories, mines and power plants polluted more the environment. The photo shows an explosion in oilfield in Karlino in 1981.

Environment protection II , Poland

Now in Poland, we are switching to wind farms. They are much better for the environment.

Indentity I , Poland

Poland has always been a close nation, not much has changed, we are still patriots.

Identity II , Poland

The biggest Polish flag spread out at a football match.

Tolerance I , Poland

Formerly Poland was a single, simple nation. The photo shows a parade in Warsaw in 1983.

Tolerance II , Poland

Now Poland is open to different countries and tolerates all views. The photo shows equality parade.

ITC 1 , Poland

Before Poland joined the EU, technology was hard-to-reach and mainly used to gather information.

ITC 2 ,Poland

Now in Poland the technology is at a very high level and often serves people for entertainment.

Cultural Identity in Sweden Before and After EU

Before EU we mostly dealt with domestic affairs and even if we were looking at the world with interest, it wasn’t until the entrance that we became interested in a european assimilation for real. Due to open borders in aspects of immigration and emigration, work opportunities and tourism we are more open minded today, open and interested in other cultures, people and businesses. This has changed our own culture. Today we are a multicultural society.

Tolerance in Sweden Before and After EU

Tolerance is difficult to measure but the general opinion in Sweden is that it has increased since we joined the EU, in many aspects.
When we joined we grew bigger, as from being a rather large but isolated country with a small population, to becoming a part of Europe. That forced us to become interested and tolerant towards other influences.

Sustainability in Sweden Before and After EU

After the EU entrance there has been an adjustment in pricing and an increase of market competition. This has led to cheaper products, for better and worse. This means that more people can afford things, a more equal society, but it also means that we consume more. Today we over consume in Sweden, which is very negative sustainably.

Food is one of many things that has become cheaper. This increase demands on recycling. Before the EU we recycled but not to the extent of today. Today almost all households sort garbage and we have recycling stations everywhere, that for free allow people to dump waste materials. It is then taken care of in a sustainable way. A total of 75% of all packaging are recycled.

Cultural Identity in Spain before EU

Before joining the UE we didn´t know much about other European countries until the boom of foreign tourism started .People from other countries used to think that Spain mainly consisted of flamenco and bullfighting . (This stereotype still remains ) . However , our language was the third one most spoken in the world and we have a solid cultural background . Celebrations and festivities used to be related to religion .The peseta was the national currency The change from pesetas to euros was a landmark in our identity.

Cultural Identity in Spain after EU

After becoming members of the UE, we had more contact with other UE countries and travel was easier because we didn´t need the passport and we had the euro as the common currency. We have had more events to show our cultural heritage. At the same time, our famous celebrations like Sanfermines, Feria de abril in Sevilla or the Tomatina, a fight of hundreds of people throwing tomatoes, attract visitors from all over the world. You are all invited to enjoy a good fight!.

Sustainibility in Spain before EU

When we still didn´t belong to the UE, Spain wasn´t aware of sustainability: the landfills were almost everywhere and the rubbish wasn´t processed. There weren´t any laws about pollution , so high levels of it were permitted. The phenomenon of tourism, which helped our economy and opened the country to the world, caused a new problem. High blocks of flats were built along the coast with no restrictions

Sustainability in Spain after EU

When we became members of the UE, landfills and pollution were controlled and rubbish started to be recycled. Nowadays, there are big infrastructures to produce sustainable energy as well as recycling plants . We have laws to reduce pollution in big cities like Madrid.
However, the problem of the negative impact of tourism has not been solved and many natural areas have been destroyed to build touristic resorts. Altough the UE has helped us to be more aware of nature and create more biological reserves.

Technology in Spain before EU

Before our entrance in the UE, technology wasn´t very developed in Spain. Transport had many problems because trains were quite slow , the roads were not in a good condition and we only had a few motorways. Besides, there were lots of houses without a land telephone or a TV. Agricultural work was hard because of the lack of tractors or harvesting machines.

Tolerance in Spain before EU

We have always been a welcoming country and quite tolerant, but we didn´t always understand the differences among people. However, when thousands of Spaniards had to emigrate to other countries to find a job, something started to change. The woman´s role used to be a housewife and girls and boys studied in different schools where there didn´t use to be students from other countries, with different races or religion. Borders between countries were more strict and controlled.

Tolerance in Spain after EU

After our entrance in the UE , when we had just become a democracy, we have received loads of migrants from Africa and from American countries . Now, there are foreign students at schools who socialise and share experiences with Spanish students. People are getting more tolerant with other people´s way of life. Moreover, young people travel around Europe thanks to all sorts of Erasmus projects which help them be more open-minded.

Technology in Spain after EU

After joining the UE , things have changed and improved: we have AVEs (High - speed trains) all over the country, new motorways and better roads have been built , and the ITs are available to almost everybody. We cannot live without a mobile phone.

...

The contrast between the past and the present in Romania