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President Vaclav Klaus appeared on Czech Radio on Monday afternoon, urging the Czech people to take part in this weekend's EU referendum. But what Mr Klaus, often described as a Euro-sceptic, didn't say, was whether people should vote "Yes" or "No".

Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda has denied statements calling the Czech Republic a Euro-sceptic country. Speaking after Monday's meeting with his Slovak counterpart Eduard Kukan in Bratislava, Minister Svoboda said he hoped Czechs would confirm that in the upcoming referendum. Mr Svoboda also denied accusations that the Foreign Ministry's information campaign ahead of the referendum was a failure. The Czech and Slovak foreign ministers agreed that the cooperation of the four Visegrad countries, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, should continue after EU accession.

President Vaclav Klaus has called on Czech citizens to take part in the upcoming referendum on the Czech Republic's EU accession. Speaking on Czech Radio on Monday afternoon, President Klaus called the referendum a historically unrepeatable moment. Mr Klaus did not suggest how people should vote but he said he believed Czechs would follow their own reason and decide cautiously.

An important step in the expansion of the European Union was made this weekend, when Poland - by far the largest of the ten candidate countries - voted a clear "yes" in a referendum on EU membership. This took place just one week before a referendum in the Czech Republic on the same issue, and the Polish result could also influence the vote here.

With less than a week before the referendum on EU membership is held in the Czech Republic, activists used the week-end to make a number of last-minute attempts at convincing Czechs to go to the polls. While pro-EU gatherings, attracted numerous passers-by, only a small group of people held protests against EU membership in Prague on Saturday and a similar event planned for Sunday in the town of Havlickuv Brod was only attended by two protesters with information leaflets and a group of journalists.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla said on Sunday that it was not certain whether the cabinet would be dissolved if Czechs vote "no" in the referendum. Speaking in a TV discussion programme on the commercial station Nova, Mr Spidla said his cabinet would first have to evaluate the consequences of a "no" vote. The leader of the opposition Civic Democrats, Mirek Topolanek, said in the same programme that a government call for a vote of confidence in Parliament would be appropriate in such a situation. Mr Spidla also agreed to a propsal from the Civic Democrats in which Czechs should approve the European Union constitutional treaty in a referendum if they say "yes" to EU membership.

The Czech Republic goes to the polls on Friday in a two-day referendum on joining the European Union. Unlike in neighbouring Poland or Slovakia, the result will be binding. Should Czechs say "no" to EU membership, the country will have to wait two years before a new referendum can be held.

A small group of some twenty people gathered at Prague's Old Town Square on Saturday to protest against the Czech Republic's accession to the EU. Representatives of the Citizens' Against the EU Association urged Czechs to vote "no" in the upcoming referendum, saying EU membership would threaten the Czech Republic's independence, as it would be greatly influenced by international organisations, and affected by more corruption and organised crime. The Czech Republic goes to the polls on Friday in a two-day referendum on joining the European Union. Unlike in neighbouring Poland or Slovakia, the result of the EU referendum in the Czech Republic will be binding. Should Czechs say "no" to EU membership, the country will have to wait two years before a new referendum can be held.

The opposition Civic Democrats' shadow foreign minister Jan Zahradil has criticised the Czech government's EU accession campaign. In a Czech TV discussion programme on Saturday, he said the ongoing campaign lacks objectivity and leaves citizens misinformed. However, according to Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda, who was also a guest in the programme, the campaign hides nothing from Czech citizens. He added that all open queries on EU membership are furthermore attended to by the ministry; in May alone, it replied to 40,000 telephone calls and one million e-mails.

In this week's , Poles head to the ballot box for the country's EU referendum, as the final leg of the Czech referendum campaign gets underway. We ask why the Slovak government has decided to introduce doctor's fees and increase the cost of prescriptions. Meanwhile in neighbouring Austria, strikes are held across the country in protest at the government's plans to reform the pension system. And as we hear in this week's programme, the thorny problem of pension reform is a region-wide issue.

EU commissioner for expansion Gunter Verheugen on Thursday began his two day visit to the Czech Republic by sampling a cold beer in the west Bohemian city of Pilsen, taking a tram ride and going on a walkabout. I was looking forward to visiting the city whose beer has made this country famous around the world, Mr. Verheugen told the crowd of reporters dogging his footsteps. On Thursday evening the EU commissioner is to meet with President Vaclav Klaus at Prague Castle.

Act now or die, that is the imperative of today for small and medium-size enterprises as the time for preparation for the vast, highly competitive, borderless EU market is running out. A recent survey in ten Central and East European candidate countries showed that although companies are widely optimistic about their future on the single market, the state of their overall preparedness suggests that the level of optimism may be unsubstantiated.