* reuters://realtime/verb=Open/url=cpurl://apps.cp./Apps/fx-polls?RIC=EURCZK= euro/koruna poll data

* reuters://realtime/verb=Open/url=cpurl://apps.cp./Apps/fx-polls?RIC=EURPLN= euro/zlotý poll data

* reuters://realtime/verb=Open/url=cpurl://apps.cp./Apps/fx-polls?RIC=EURHUF= euro/forint poll data

* reuters://realtime/verb=Open/url=cpurl://apps.cp./Apps/fx-polls?RIC=EURRON= euro/leu poll data

* reuters://realtime/verb=Open/url=cpurl://apps.cp./Apps/fx-polls?RIC=EURRSD= euro/Serbian dinar poll data

PRAGUE, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Hungary's forint is likely to gain close to 3% over the next 12 months to recover ground after recent falls while Poland's zloty should make a retreat after hitting nearly three-year highs in recent weeks, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday.

Central European currencies have seen choppy trade as they get pulled to the downside by economic weakness and expectations of interest rate cuts this year, and to the upside by still high carry and better current account balances as energy prices ease.

The divergence has been seen as the zloty is near its highest since the third quarter of 2020 against the euro and has overtaken the forint as the region's best performer. The forint, meanwhile, touched more than four-month lows this week.

In the poll, the forint was tipped to regain recent losses over the next year, with a median forecast seeing it at 378.0 to the euro in 12 months, a rise of 2.8% from Tuesday's closing levels and stronger than a forecast of 380.0 a month ago.

Analysts said the high carry for the forint - backed by what are still the European Union's highest interest rates - was supportive.

"The high rate difference gives backing to the forint," Mariann Trippon, head of research at CIB bank said, adding the central bank would be mindful of currency strength as it continues monetary policy loosening.

With an inflation surge to double-digit rates slowly receding around central Europe, Hungary has been the first to cut interest rates. Markets are betting Poland and the Czech Republic can follow this year.

Currencies should still stay around stronger levels despite the expected rate cuts, according to the poll.

The Czech crown is forecast to gain 1.2% over the next year, to reach 23.685 per euro. It hit a nearly 15-year high of 23.233 in February but has lost 3% since.

Much of its future direction will also come from future rate cuts delivered by the central bank, which has so far pushed back against markets pricing in steep cuts this year.

Jiri Polansky, an economist with bank Ceska Sporitelna, said an economic recovery next year would help the crown kickstart gains.

The zloty is forecast to gradually fall, by 1.3% to 4.51 to the euro. Romania's leu should also fall 1.4% to 5.00 to the euro, an unchanged 12-month forecast from the previous poll in July.

"Growing FX reserves provide sufficient cushion (for the leu) in case of larger stress but modest guided depreciation is still the main scenario in longer term perspective," said Jakub Kratky, an analyst at Generali Investments CEE.

(For other stories from the August Reuters foreign exchange poll:)

(Reporting by Jason Hovet; Additional reporting by Boldizsar Gyori in Budapest Additional polling by Sujith Pai, Veronica Khongwir and Vijayalakshmi Srinivasan Editing by Mark Potter)