TRANSITION TIMES: We don't have to travel to learn about our new European partners. The Web is at our fingertips, writes Louise Holden.

Until now they were just names on the Eurovision scoreboard. But from next week nations such as Slovenia, Hungary, Poland and the Slovak Republic will be our partners in Europe and in case you think this doesn't affect you, think again. From now on you are far more likely to visit one of the 10 new member-states, to meet travellers from the new partner countries and to buy goods that come from Cyprus, Estonia or the Czech Republic. In a few years' time you could be travelling to Slovenia or Hungary to study, work or do business.

So how much do you know about the new EU members? Did you know, for example, that Hungary has the highest number of poets per capita in the world? That Lithuania has Europe's best basketball team? That the Slovak Republic produced the helicopter, the parachute and Andy Warhol?

Short of packing your rucksack and heading east, the best source of information on the new Europe is the Web. There are two new websites specifically aimed at Transition Year students which you might like to check out as part of Europe week next week.

The first, produced by the Department of Foreign Affairs, is full of quizzes, interesting facts and figures, ideas for classroom activities and links to other youth sites around Europe.

There are three sections of activities designed especially for use by Transition Year students and teachers. These include word games, maps, a Eurovision game and an A to Z of the EU. You can also snoop in the European Parliament president Pat Cox's diary or learn the meaning of some of the EU's funnier jargon - including, for example, the EU term for a museum (a "memory organisation").

You'll find the Department of Foreign Affairs Youth site at www.eu2004.ie. Enter the Youth section on the top of the page. The quizzes and content change and teachers can access printable worksheets and maps for use in the classroom.

A second website designed to help young Irish people make sense of the European Union was launched this month by the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI). The website - www.eurog.ie - explores each of the European institutions and invites young people to get involved and express their views.

It's hoped the new website will stimulate young people's interest in the EU and encourage those old enough to cast their ballot in the European Parliament elections on June 11th. "It is very important that young Irish people are aware of the EU institutions so they can understand who or what is making decisions that affect them, how they can contact them and how they can make their voices heard," says NYCI vice president Valerie Duffy.

The interactive website suggests ways in which young people can actively engage in Europe. Visitors are asked for their opinions and feedback on current European issues. The website's first online survey, for example, asks young people if they feel they understand what the presidency of the EU is all about. The development of the www.eurog.ie website, which is being funded through the Government's Communicating Europe initiative, will also be determined by young people.

"The website is at stage one right now," says Valerie Duffy. "This time next year, it could look completely different and contain completely different information depending on the feedback and input of young users themselves. It's up to them to tell us what they want to know."

Other interesting sites about Europe aimed at students include the European Year of Education Through Sport page at www.eyes-2004.info. A Europe-wide site that looks at every issue you could possibly have been given a project on is available at Generation Europe www.generation-europe.eu.com.

If you have any plans to travel in Europe this summer and need some advance information, pay a visit to the Irish website www.youthinformation.ie. Youth Information Centre provides free information on a wide range of subjects including careers, education, employment matters, rights and entitlements, leisure, sport, travel and European opportunities.