Comm: "The Gaja Club are re-enacting an ancient legend.

"The legend tells of the Polish people's anger over the destruction of their lifeblood - the river Vistula.

"They are summoning up the spirits to vanquish the devils destroying their culture, their land, their rivers, and their environment.

"This legend lives on today, warning of new threats. But, it is not just Poland that is agonising over environmental issues.

"There are 12 countries that want to join the European Union. Each will bring a wealth of new life and potential problems into the EU.

In today's Earth Report we look at what joining the EU will mean for the environments of three of the countries knocking on Europe's door: Hungary, Poland and Latvia.

"The Latvians are tackling the Soviet Legacy of pollution.

"For Poland's farms membership will mean new challenges?

"How can Hungary's national parks enrich the EU?

"Time was when these grasslands stretched all the way from Hungary through Central Asia to the Pacific.

"Today, only a few thousand hectares of this ancient landscape remains. It is part of the rich heritage that Hungary will bring to the EU when it joins.

"Already the authorities are taking the protection of their environment seriously. There are more than 40,000 animals and 2,000 plant species native to Hungary. And the national parks are rigorously policed.

"Tamas Toth is responsible for the Nemzeti Park."

Tamas Toth: "I think Hungary will greatly benefit the European Union by providing the Union with its unique biodiversity. That is because Hungary has more natural, richer and bigger protected areas compared to the other developed countries in the EU.

"As you can see there are lots of birds which is why this is a restricted area. These endangered birds need to have quiet and seclusion.

"I am here to check if you have fishing permits."

Woman: "I was hoping you weren't going to ask for that."

Tamas: "I am not going to fine you this time, but I am going to have to ask you to pack your things and leave. And you have to release the fish.

"Let's agree that the fish which are dead you can take - and those that are alive - you have to release."

Comm: "In the park these grey cattle are enjoying a revival. Instead of using pesticides to clear the area of weeds, WWF has introduced these cattle to eat them up. Ridding the land of invasive weed species allows the native grasses to flourish.

"Hungary doesn't just bring rich bio-diversity to the EU. It also brings a traditional farming system that is good for people and for nature."

Natacha Yellachich: "Much of Hungarian farming is extensive which means that it uses low levels of pesticide and fertiliser and it is basically a wonderful habitat for important species like the stork. Hungary has really some of the jewels in the crown of European agriculture in terms of bio-diversity, and we really hope that these will be maintained and that people can prosper in these regions. It's a real challenge to embrace all of the farmers from Central and Eastern Europe into the European Union. And we hope is that the Hungarian government will use European Union funds to promote sustainable rural development and environmentally friendly farming."

Comm: "As yet the future is unclear. Hungarian farmers like Mihaly Volosinovsky are apprehensive about what joining the EU will mean for them."

Mihaly Volosinovsky: "I think that the European Union is not waiting for us with open arms. And I don't just mean cherries but all our agricultural produce. I don't know how it's going to turn out but I hope that Hungarian products will always be wanted because they are very good quality."

Comm: "Mihaly's future will be determined not in the countryside but in the city. Margot Wallstrom, the EU Environment Commissioner is in Hungary to impress upon politicians the importance of the environment."

Margot Wallstrom: "They have to be very careful about how they construct the agricultural sector and the risks of the heavy industrialised agricultural sector. Unfortunately they have many bad examples to learn from. We would like the applicant countries not to repeat the mistakes already done by the member states. It would be much more difficult for them to become members if they don't show that they take the environment seriously."

Comm: "Hungary has already seen the damage that ensues if the environment is not taken seriously. An industrial cyanide spill last year into the Tisza river in Romania had catastrophic effects on Hungary downstream. Both tourism and fishing were badly hit. But Hungarian fishermen did receive money from the EU for the months that they couldn't work.

"A disaster like this could have happened anywhere in Europe. And it prompted the EU to scrutinise its own legislation for the management of hazardous waste.

"But for now the fishermen can only hope it won't happen again.

"Poland is another of the 12 countries knocking on Europe's door, and hoping to join by 2003. Rivers are one of the greatest natural assets that Poland will bring to the EU."

Ireneusz Chojnacki: "This is one of the last wild rivers in Europe. 180 species are breeding on the Vistula river. This is something very rare and special in the whole of Europe."

Jacek Bozek: "The Vistula river is very important not only for Poland but for Europe because it is a very important ecological corridor for many, many different beings."

Comm: "And Club Gaja wants to keep it that way.

"They've taken their performance all around Poland to raise public awareness of the threats that face the Vistula river."

Jacek Bozek: "We use art to talk to people about environment. We need wildness in our hearts - in the environment - and this is the title of our little entertainment 'the wild river in the heart of Europe.'"

Comm: "A big threat to the Vistula is the sewage and waste water that comes from cities and factories - about half is discharged straight to the rivers and sea without treatment. An EU report named this the biggest environmental problem facing Poland."

Alexander Kedra: "The biggest hotspot is definitely the drinking water the waste water, and the urban waste water management. And it is estimated that it will take about 10 years to comply fully with EU legislation."

Comm: "But time may be running out for the country's rivers.

"Jacek Kolendowicz is one of Poland's three million anglers. Every weekend finds him fishing on the Vistula, and he's familiar with the problem."

Jacek Kolendowicz: "There is a very high level of biological - bacterial pollution. The limits for e-coli are greatly exceeded.

"This is the biggest sewage outlet from all of Warsaw and its surrounding areas. You can see the water is very dirty here and there is a bad smell.

"I think that joining the European Union would be good for Poland, particularly from an environmental point of view. The EU has higher standards which are enforced. So there would be less pollution than there is here."

Comm: "But pollution isn't the only problem for the Vistula. This dam was built 30 years ago and groups like Club Gaja and WWF want it dismantled - they say it disrupts the movement of wildlife up and down the river."

Ireneusz Chojnacki: "When you look at this big dam - it's a huge wall. Only 4% of the migrating fish come through the fish passage over this dam."

Comm: "And now the Government wants to build a new 250 million dollar dam to support the old one."

Ireneusz Chojnacki: "When we build another dam what we have from the 4% that comes from the first dam we have nothing at the end. So this will stop the migration of fish completely."

Comm: "After pressure from the European Commission, the Polish government set up an independent panel to look at options for the old dam, and the EU has said they won't finance a new one.

"But there may be another threat to the Vistula - from farming along its banks. There are fears that joining the EU could encourage the intensive production that has polluted many of Europe's rivers with pesticides and chemical fertilizers."

Jacek Bozek: "Our farms are not very big and people produce food in a very organic way and I suppose if we will be part of European Union it will be very bad for many farmers."

Comm: "With farmland covering some 60% of Poland, whatever happens to agriculture will have a big impact on the environment. But many farmers are just worrying whether they'll still be in business next year.

"Tadeusz Pryborowski has been running his small 30 hectare farm for 20 years. But for how much longer?"

Tadeusz Pryborowski: "Polish agriculture is experiencing a crisis - a serious crisis. At the moment the politics of the government are such that it doesn't protect its own producers. It's allowed the European Union to come in with their own products into our markets and we have difficulties selling our produce.

"My finances are getting worse. My production is the same as it was 10 years ago. Costs have increased ten-fold, but my profits are zero."

Comm: "At the local market, there are more voices of dissent."

Lady in market: "Under the Communists it was better. It was easier to make a living. Today, there are no earnings to be made, no jobs, there is nothing."

Natacha Yellachich: "Joining the European Union is of course scary for the 2 million Polish farmers. I mean uncertainty is always scary. But I think there is a great opportunity for these farmers to take forward sustainable forms of agriculture, to embrace organic agriculture.

"It is going to be very difficult. It's not something they're used to. But if we try to bring together the environmental, the social and the economic, opportunities that these very rich rural areas have, then there is a future, a positive future I hope."

Comm: "A decade after independence from the Soviet Union, Latvia also wants to join the EU.

"The Soviet military machine may have pulled out, but the army left a host of environmental problems behind them.

"One of the worst hotspots in Latvia is the former Soviet military port of Liepaja, which at one time housed 25,000 soldiers and their families.

"The dismantling of the military hardware is in full swing. But some problems are not so easily solved."

Mara Zeltina: "There's many different types of pollution left in the canal - abandoned ships that have sunk to the bottom, chemical pollution from oil products and heavy metals - copper, lead, zinc and cadmium - that have formed a toxic sludge of up to a metre thick."

Comm: "And the Latvians are left with the task of cleaning up the toxic waste. But not all Soviet installations have left such a nasty legacy.

"Today, there is not a soldier in sight at this former ammunitions depot. This Latvian ornithologist and his Swedish colleague are in search of the new inhabitants - the Roller birds.

"They've almost disappeared from the EU due to intensive agriculture and logging of its habitat."

Edmunds Racinskis: "We've come to the largest known area of breeding known for the Roller in Latvia. This is one of the last remaining strongholds we have. Only about 10 to 15 breeding pairs are found here.

"We estimate that in the beginning of the century we had up to 10,000 to 15,000 breeding pairs. So there's been a decline of over 95%."

Comm: "Lennart Carlsson from Birdlife International is here to advise on the protection of Latvia's many bird species."

Lennart Carlsson: "It's a juvenile probably been out for one day or something like that. So it was very easy to catch it. It's a nice one.

"You can see it's the tail feathers are not fully grown they're very short, and if you look at the underpart of the wing you can see that there's very young feathers."

Edmunds Racinskis: "They leave nest about 2 weeks or so. Could mean it's 15 16 days old."

Interviewer: "And where will he go?"

Edmunds Racinskis: "Southern Europe."

Lennart Carlsson: "What do you think, where are you going? Southern Europe North Africa perhaps.

"Bye Bye. Probably he will be back here next year and breed in the same area.

"The main feeling is that it is like taking a big step backwards - 50 years back. Sixty perhaps. The birds and the landscape are more like I thought it was in Sweden 50 - 60 years ago. It's very amazing for me to be here."

Ilona Jepsen: "We have 44 per cent of Latvia is covered by forests, and a lot of healthy rivers and lakes, and landscapes rich in mosaics that brings a lot of species diversity, rich populations of species which are almost extinct or endangered in EU."

Comm: "The Latvians are proud of their natural resources, but new threats to the environment have come with independence.

"Following the western model everyone aspires to own a car. And traffic has taken over as the number one air polluter, leaving industry far behind.

"But as in the West the car brings its own problems with it. Asthma is on the increase here in the Children's Hospital.

"Some of these young patients have asthma caused by dust or mould. For others the cause is unclear. But the increase in air pollution could be making the problem worse."

Dr. Dace Gardovska: "We have younger children than before. We have more children than before in the hospital with athsma. The problem is very actual in our country - in many countries. So I think it's the problem of civilisation."

Comm: "This so-called 'civilisation' may be taking a toll on residents of Latvia's capital, Riga. A recent study by the Latvian Medical Academy compared the health status of policemen in the city centre and the suburbs."

Linda Matisane: "We found that the policemen in Riga have more respiratory diseases than policemen out of Riga.

"The main diseases are respiratory diseases, so viral infections and acute bronchitis. Almost everyone who lives in Riga is influenced by this air pollution."

Comm: "Traffic pollution is not the only problem facing the Latvians in the aftermath of Communism. As Western consumerism has taken off - so have large heaps of waste like this.

"During the Soviet times there were no plastic bottles or bags. Now they've flooded the market, and as in the West they're piled high.

"But awareness of these issues is on the rise. Largely thanks to new press freedoms that came with independence.

"Vides Film Studiya broadcasts a weekly environmental programme.

"Broadcast on state TV it highlights issues like waste and air pollution. And their message is getting through."

MArgot Wallstrom: "We have to get all stakeholders and all citizens involved. Because we will demand a lot from them in the future to be able to change reality and to make a better environment. And we will ask them to be more conscious consumers. We will have to change different products. We will ask them to go by bike or by foot instead of taking the car. We have to then give them the information and the tools to act as a conscious citizen.

"It matters. I think ordinary people understand that because can also see the deterioration of the environment in their respective countries - we can see those who live along the Tisza or the Danube rivers - they see how dependent we are on clean water and we share the same waters and the same air.

"Cleaner air, cleaner water and a better quality of life and better health in most of these countries. I think they have a lot to gain. And I think they know it."

Comm: "The next 10 years will bring great changes for the citizens of East and Central Europe.

"Many hard choices lie ahead - that will affect their environments and their quality of life.

"They have a lot to gain from joining the EU.

"But the EU will also be enriched by its new members."