Groups from landowners in Latvia to shopkeepers in Slovakia have been expressing concern about what EU enlargement will mean for them.
Many in the former Communist states see entry into the European Union on 1 May as an historic opportunity, hard won after the struggle to overthrow one-party rule and reform their economies.
But according to the region's media, others fear they'll see their livelihoods go up in smoke.
Land and property
The press in Latvia has highlighted a sudden rise in foreigners buying land and property. The paper Latvijas Avize warned that if this went unchecked, Latvians would become "renters and servants" in their own country.
Farmland in Latvia is being sought by farmers from Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands looking to cash in on EU subsidies, the paper said.
"Laws which limit the sale of real estate in Latvia were implemented too late and are too confusing to put up any great obstacles against the arrival of foreigners in Latvia."
In areas of high demand, land and property prices will rise to West European levels in four to seven years, the paper predicted.
"Tax increases will force even those who are now swearing 'never to sell the land slaked by their father's sweat' to think about doing exactly that," it said.
Some countries like Poland have won deals in Brussels restricting the sale of land to foreigners to stop richer Europeans taking advantage of its comparatively cheap land.
Workforce movement
The imposition of restrictions by EU countries fearing an exodus of migrants from the East has prompted angry press reaction in Poland.
"Aren't you ashamed, Holland?" asked Gazeta Wyborcza after Dutch measures were announced. "The joy of unification has been replaced by bitterness: they don't want us."
Nonetheless, Hungary's EU ambassador floated the possibility that Hungary itself might take similar measures to stem a migrant inflow from poorer countries.
Ambassador Peter Balazs' comments - identifying job-seeking Poles and Slovaks but also Turks from Germany - were quickly deflected by the foreign ministry, which said there were no plans for restrictions, according to Hungarian Radio.
Czech officials also expressed concern over an influx of Poles and Slovaks, Slovakia's TASR news agency said.
Farmers' concerns
In Hungary and Slovakia, farmers and food retailers are concerned that EU regulations will mean drastically reduced subsidies, driving many smaller farms out of business and cutting demand for local produce.
Istvan Jakab, chairman of National Federation of Hungarian Farmers' Associations, told Hungarian Radio during farmers' protests: "The farmers are more resolute than ever."
Brussels is to delay full agricultural aid to the new members. Farmers in the 10 countries will initially get only one quarter of the subsidies paid in existing states.
Ivan Oravec, head of the Slovak Agriculture and Food Chamber, insisted farmers were not afraid of competition but of unequal conditions.
"Our sector is so vulnerable," he told Slovak radio, urging Slovak citizens to buy Slovak produce.
Ethnic minorities
In the Czech town of Usti Nad Labem, a spokesman for the Roma "Gypsy" minority, Jan Husak, said its situation could deteriorate after Czech EU entry.
He told CTK agency the EU would not scrutinise the observance of minorities' rights in the new member states as carefully as it had done so far.
In Slovakia, the Roma community rioted after the government cut welfare payments to strengthen the economy ahead of EU membership.
Slovak media said the drive to slash spending hit the Roma in high unemployment areas particularly hard.
But for Vaclav Havel, the playwright and former Czech president who led his country out of communism, told Czech media the sacrifices were worthwhile.
"I can't stop rejoicing that I live in this time and can participate in it. Whether potatoes will be more expensive seems negligible compared to this," he said.
BBC Monitoring , based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.