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Thousands of Polish coal miners have protested against government plans to close four pits. It's an attempt to restructure a loss-making industry. In the latest demonstrations on Friday, Miners blocked off more than 10 major highways in the southern industrial area of Silesia. And a march in Warsaw earlier this month ended in some of the worst rioting Poland has seen in recent years. So why are Polish miners so desperate?

Grapes are being harvested in the Slovenian city of Maribor - not unusual in this wine-making region but in this case the fruit comes from what's believed to be the world's oldest living vine. To support this claim there'll soon be a new entry in the Guinness Book of records.

Slovakia's government has been warned that it needs to take account of an aging population. Kristian Fodor reports...

The Florence-based Innocenti Research Centre of UNICEF has released a report on "child maltreatment and death" in the OECD countries. The study shows that about 3500 children under the age of 15 die every year because of abuse and maltreatment - and that Hungary has one of the worst child abuse records amongst industrialised nations.

The Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla narrowly survived a vote of no confidence this week. The vote was called amid widespread criticism of a package of public finance reforms driven by European consideration. It's the second vote of no confidence since Prime Minister Spidla's three-party coalition came to power in June 2002. Rob Cameron talks about why is the government is in trouble.

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia made plans to join the Schengen agreement together in 2006 or 2007. They're encouraging Slovenia to join with them. But there may be problems - for instance Austria has often complained of cheap labour from its neighbours flooding the local job market. Demographer Rainer Muenz talks about what Schengen means for the candidate countries of Central Europe.

European integration suffered a blow last weekend, when Swedes voted overwhelming against the euro ... the final result shows 56% rejecting the single currency. The effects are being assessed throughout Europe and in the candidate countries. Hungary plans to join the euro zone in 2008. We talk to Professor of Economics Tamas Bacskai about the possible effect of the Swedish NO on Hungary's Euro plans...

Slovenia may have just 26 kilometres of coastline, but this hasn't put a damper on the country's international boat racing aspirations. The Maxi Jena, the first big racing yacht to be designed and made in Slovenia, has just set out for the high seas.

Much of Europe enjoys border free travel. Thanks to what's known as the Schengen agreement, there are no passport or customs checks for travellers between most different European Union member states. But the enlargement of the EU to take in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland - will not mean immediate border free travel. In fact it could be some years before a trip from Prague to Vienna doesn't require patience and passports.

From 2004 Poland will be the eastern gateway to the European Union. This eastern frontier is likely to be the main entry point for refugees and illegal migrants to the EU so Poland is busy modernising its border crossing facilities. But it's also trying to avoid becoming a fortress to its eastern neighbours. Danuta Szafraniec makes a trip to the Terespol border crossing point with Belarus