Slovakia set for new constitution

The Slovak parliament has approved far reaching changes to the country's constitution, a key step towards gaining membership of the European Union and NATO.

The changes were a central plank of the government's reform programme.

The new constituiton decentralises power in Slovakia, increases the authority of the state audit office and strengthens the independence of the judiciary.

All three measures are crucial in preparing the country to join the EU.

The changes were approved by a narrow margin but it's still being seen as a major victory for the prime minister, Mikulas Dzurinda.

The BBC correspondent in Prague says the government, a shaky coalition of ten different parties, has shown that it can stick together on key issues. The European commissioner for enlargement, Guenter Verheugen, has ended a visit to Slovakia by suggesting the country might enter the EU in the first wave of expansion.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service