The fresh Central Europe

Central Europe is arguably 1 of the large success stories of post-1989 Europe – and yet, the past 15 years of economical convergence embedded in European integration and NATO membership have not paradoxically produced the political and societal stableness 1 might have expected. The region’s economical growth and well-being of citizens, especially erstwhile overcoming the 2008-09 economical crisis, continued to steadily grow. This is besides actual of life expectancy and general prosperity in the region. Central Europe, especially if we focus on the Visegrad Four, continued to benefit from its membership in the EU and NATO. These organizations delivered stability, prosperity and above all safety that their neighbours to the east, primarily Ukraine, could only envy.

Yet despite these successes, all 4 countries have experienced considerable social disillusionment, polarization and societal fragmentation. In turn, these trends have contributed to political revanchism, a backlash against the EU, and the growth of anti-system tendencies. In any cases, they have even encouraged closer relations with the Kremlin or, to a lesser extent, the Chinese Communist Party. This raises an crucial question: what went wrong, and what lessons can be drawn for the future? The question is peculiarly striking given the comparative prosperity these countries have achieved, even as that prosperity is increasingly threatened by Russia’s aggressive imperialism as part of its war against Ukraine and wider confrontation with the West.

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