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A look at an unusual tourist trade that's transforming an area of western Poland, and getting itself a name across the Atlantic too.

The Czechs are the world's number one beer drinkers, at least that's according to a report by the Czech Association of Breweries and Distilleries. The Czechs traditionally top world league tables on beer drinking, last year consuming on average, 162 beers per person - more beer per person than people in any other country in the world.

Hungary's new Finance Minster-to-be, Tibor Draskovics has been outlining his priorities this week. He takes office next month - replacing Csaba Laszlo, who was recently dismissed by Hungary's Prime Minister for allowing the budget deficit to spiral out of control. The new finance minister has worked as a banker, tax advisor and spent 16 years in the Finance Ministry - more recently as the head of the prime ministers cabinet. He's pledging to pursue stricter economic policies in a bid to keep Hungary on track to join the euro zone in 2008.

Women in many parts of the world can now choose different methods of child birth - from Hypno-birthing to water births - when some or all of labour is spent in a birthing pool filled with warm water. But In Slovakia such birthing methods are a novelty and many women head across the border to the Czech Republic and Austria to give birth. Now a couple of hospitals are offering alternative deliveries in Slovakia but acceptance is slow...

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy sacked his finance minister this week. Csaba Laszlo was dismissed after last year's budget deficit turned out to be much higher than forecast. 2003 saw the Hungarian currency - the forint - lurch from crisis to crisis amid growing investor concern over big budget deficits. And rising inflation. The new finance minister, Tibor Draskovics, now has his work cut out to get Hungary's finances in shape in time for joining the Euro Zone - which Hungary says it plans to do in 2008. Sandor Laczko talked to professor

Slovenia's president has launched a blistering attack on what he calls "elements of intolerance" in his country. He was speaking after parliament approved a referendum, which seeks to overturn a Constitutional Court decision to restore permanent residency status and other rights to minority groups living in Slovenia. It concerns around 20,000 people, mostly Croats, Bosnians and Serbs who were living in Slovenia before it won independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. They were originally stripped of their permanent residency because they

We've often brought stories on the movement of workers from Eastern Europe to Western Europe but now one that breaks the rule. An increasing number of Germans from the East of the country are moving further East for jobs in neighbouring Poland. Apparently tired of being denied employment at home. It's a reversal of a centuries old pattern, whereby Poles travelled to Germany in search of better lives.

The 11 official languages of the European Union already make for quite a mouthful, but when a fresh batch of member states joins in May - not only the official EU translators but also European citizens will also have to cope with more foreign languages. And Slovakia is particularly concerned that its citizens are not doing too well when foreign languages.

The Czech Republic's public broadcaster Czech Television is showing a program, which tries to teach Czechs good manners. It seems Czechs need to brush up their etiquette? So have the twists and turns of the country's modern history taken their toll on the country's manners? Radio Prague's Ian Willoughby has been finding out.

Ireland now holds the rotating EU Presidency. A major challenge will be to oversee EU enlargement on the 1st of May. When another 10 countries join up. Dublin will also have to set about repairing some of the political damage from Europe's failure to reach agreement on its much-promoted constitution. The constitutional negotiations collapsed in December over the voting rights in the enlarged EU with Poland arguing to keep the power it gained in the Nice Treaty three years ago. For a look at Ireland's EU priorities Kerry Skyring spoke to Irish televisions