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Poland's bigger towns and cities where virtually deserted this week as the country kicked off the summer season with a customary long May weekend. Throughout the many decades of Communist rule, Poles celebrated May 1 with parades, picnics and concerts. Today, just like in most countries in Europe, it remains a national holiday but one on which Poles relax away from home.

The only car manufacturer in Slovenia, Revoz, is expanding its plant and production. The Renault subsidiary Revoz plays an enormous role in the national economy of Slovenia. It is the country's biggest exporter, and also one of the biggest employers, with more than 2,500 employees. And in a country that has no automobile brand of its own, it's also become a point of pride.

Is freedom of speech in Slovakia threatened? Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused the media of publishing information about the government and its representatives that is false, biased and distorted. To make it easier to censor such reports, Mr Fico has proposed a change in the media law.

In Poland, fans and politicians are celebrating what will surely prove to be a major event for the nation - the European Football Championship in 2012. Poland and Ukraine beat Italy and joint bidders Hungary and Croatia in the race to host the event, which will surely go far beyond just a sporting competition. But the organisation of the Euro 2012 is seen by most Poles first and foremost as a big opportunity to boost the country's economic growth:

The Jewish community in Slovenia is a very small one and not much is known about their life. An exhibition on Jewish religion and culture at Ljubljana City Museum was billed as a good opportunity to find out more about their everyday life.

The future of the Serbian province of Kosovo was one of the main points of discussion during talks between Slovak Foreign Minister Jan Kubis and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Earlier this year, UN commissioner Marti Ahtisaari submitted a proposal in favour of supervised independence for Kosovo - a recommendation supported by most EU states. But Slovakia is among the few that have reservations about granting Kosovo full autonomy. Radio Slovakia International's Emilie White reports:

"There are more places like this one in the country but as far as size, uniformity, and fame are concerned, we can rightfully claim that Chanov is our Ghetto No. 1." - a quote from a new 90 minute documentary on one of the most infamous Roma housing estates in the country. For almost a year, Czech director Ivan Pokorny filmed the daily life of its residents and explored why Roma and non-Roma Czechs find it so hard to co-exist.

Budapest has been recording alarming levels of violence at public places around the capital. A TV soap star was beaten up on a bus in the centre of Budapest on Easter Monday; during an argument between two passengers on a busy tram route one of them pulled out a gun and shot the other in the face; and, a guest in a restaurant gas-sprayed the chef in the eye because he did not enjoy the food. Sociologists say Hungarians are frustrated with life and are becoming less patient and less polite. Gyorgyi Jakobi spoke to Dr. Pal Tamas, head of a Crisis

Umanotera is an non-governmental organisation promoting sustainable development in Slovenia. In a rare study that it conducted last year, it assessed whether the government had delivered on the promises it makes in its policy programme. It also explored to what extent the public interest is considered in the process of drafting new legislation. The NGO has no presented the results of the "Mirror to the Government 2006" study, and as Ksenija Samardzija Matul reports, they were not pretty:

The Codex Gigas, also known as the Devil's Bible, is the biggest book in the world. Made at the start of the 13th century in a Bohemian monastery, it was one of the country's most prized works of art. In medieval times, its uniqueness was even put on a par with the wonders of the world. But at the end of the Thirty Years' War, it was taken by the Swedes and has been Swedish property since then. The National Library in Prague has now been allowed to borrow it for an exhibition that opens later this year.