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In Slovakia hundreds of Roma, have been demonstrating this week against government cuts in welfare benefits. Slovakia's centre-right government introduced the welfare cuts at the beginning of this year, as part of its efforts to strengthen the economy ahead of EU membership in May. But these cuts have hit the impoverished Roma community especially hard.

The EU Commission has been deciding where it's 10 new members will work before getting their own portfolios - a kind of work shadowing. Current Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen is to be twinned with Slovenia's upcoming EU commissioner Janez Potocnik. Ksenjia Samardzija-Matul asked Mr Potocnik what he hopes to achieve over the next six months.

The European Union is warning Russia that it must extend existing trade and political agreements to the central and eastern European countries set to join the bloc in May. Russia is balking on extending the so-called Partnership and Cooperation agreement but the EU says it may impose sanctions on the Moscow if it doesn't comply. Gerhard Mangott, Russia specialist from the University of Innsbruck looks at why won't Russia sign.

The Czech government decided this week that its EU ambassador Pavel Telicka will be the country's first European Commissioner. Mr Telicka would seem to have the right experience - he was the man who led the accession negotiations on behalf of the Czech government. But his nomination follows an embarrassing few days for the Czech Republic: he was only asked to do the job after the government's first choice, former Environment Minister Milos Kuzvart, changed his mind at the last minute. That's being linked to a collapse by Prime Minister Vladimir

Hungary says it needs to invest up to 500 million euros in renewable energy over the next six years, if it's to comply with European Union regulations. The development of renewable energy - particularly energy from wind, water, solar power and biomass - is a now a central aim of the EU's energy policy in order to reduce green house gases. Miklós Pós, head of the department of energy production in the Hungarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, talks about the requirements and the possibilities.

The relationship between the EU and it's biggest neighbour has not always been trouble-free and right now it's re-assessing that relationship as it prepares to spread eastwards. Russia is also watching the EU's enlargement with some concern...But what are relations like between Moscow and the soon-to-be EU members - formerly soviet bloc states? Michal Kubicki takes a look at how Moscow and Warsaw are getting along.

A large number of refugees leaving Slovakia head across the border to Austria. But Austria is also having troubles dealing with the inflow of asylum seekers - its main reception centre at Traiskirchen near Vienna is full to capacity. One response from Austria has been to ask Slovakia to move its asylum centres further East - but will this solve the problem? Kerry Skyring puts the question to Roland Schönbauer - a spokesman for the UNHCR in Vienna.

Although presidential elections are not due to be held in Poland until the end of next year, there's already a good deal of speculation on the possible candidates for the post. More than that, there's already been one victim of the race.

The Czech Republic saw the number of people using the Internet rise 10 percent in January, and one person in four now has some regular access to the web. But the numbers are still low in comparison to richer neighbours like Austria or Germany, - and the main reason is the cost. Radio Prague's Rob Cameron has this report from Prague.

Asylum seekers and how to deal with the numbers arriving in Europe continues to dominate the headlines: For example, the Dutch parliament approved controversial plans this week to expel up to 26.000 so called "failed asylum seekers" - some of whom have lived in the Netherlands for years waiting for legal status. The move is unprecedented in Europe and has been condemned by human rights groups. But it's not just Western Europe countries that are debating what to do with their asylum seekers - Slovakia too, has recorded an increasing number of asylum-seekers