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Hundreds of abattoirs in Hungary have been given until the 1st of March to improve hygiene and animal welfare standards - or close. But the Hungarian government is stepping in to bail them out, with a credit line of 100 billion forints - that's almost 400 million Euros to help Hungarian businesses, including slaughterhouses, comply with the EU's food safety standards. Tibor Szanyi is state secretary in the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture. He says slaughterhouses-in need- can also get help from the EU' SAPARD program.

The European Commission head is in dispute with the Slovak government over 500 million dollars of subsidies to a U.S. Steel Corporation Plant - - it's a state aid row, which threatens to cast a shadow over the country's EU entry this May. In the EU, state aid to the steel sector is tightly controlled, and government bailouts must be linked to cuts in capacity - something it's says is NOT happening at Slovakia's Kosice plant which was bought by U.S. Steel in 2000.

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...

Poland and Slovakia are competing to attract investment in a new car factory by South Koreas KIA Motor Corporation. The factory will turn out 300 thousand cars annually from an investment of around 600 million US dollars. Three thousand jobs will be created. With so much at stake, and unemployment high in both countries - it's not surprising that Warsaw and Bratislava are both keen to attract the KIA plant. Well this week the government in Warsaw upped the stakes offering to incur certain costs if the factory came to Poland. Richard Mbewe is Chief

In Austria there's concern that young people are being drawn into a life of drink by snappily marketed "Alcopops" - blends of alcohol and sweet juices. In fact a new report on youth and alcohol consumption says two thirds of 15 to 24 year olds are drinking alcohol at least once a week and a surprising number are drinking almost every day.... And it says these sugary mixtures are leading teenagers into a life of heavy drinking. Chris Cummins reports on Alcopops...

Marjan Krajnc, a Slovene, was a General in the Former Yugoslav People's Army and a member of Tito's Secret service. He's just published a book called "Conspiracies and attempts on Tito's life". It gives an insiders look at Marshal Tito - the man who led Yugoslavia from the end of World War II until his death in 1980. As an officer of the secrete service, Marjan Krajnc says he helped prevent attempts on Tito's life.

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.

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.