Luxembourg, 22/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - In the last quarter of 1999, the unemployment rate in the 53 regions part of the ten Central European countries candidates for membership (CECCs) varied between 3.2% in the region of Prague and 23.7% in the Bulgarian region of Yugoiztochen, according to figures published by Eurostat on 19 January. These data were established through the methodology used to determined unemployment rates in the Union (EU) and are therefore comparable with the latter. It is in Slovakia that the greatest regional differences were recorded, with rates of between 5.9% and 21.9%. Conversely, differences were narrower in Romania (3.4 and 7.3%). In addition, women seem the least affected by unemployment in these countries (3.8 to 25.4%) than in the EU (2 to 41.4%). As for youth unemployment, it stood at between 7.2 and 48.8%, against 3.5 and 65.2% in the EU. Remains that the young in these countries were relatively more affected than those in the EU. Indeed, unemployment among the young in was lower than among the young in the EU (17.8%) in only 16 of the 53 regions of the CEECs.