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Tag: Central Europe

The story that is still being written

When we published the first issue of New Eastern Europe, we did not start by claiming to know what Eastern Europe was. Instead, we began by asking what does Eastern Europe mean – to the people and societies in the region, but also to those who often looked at it through the lens of outdated stereotypes. We saw our task as examining what connected the very different countries and societies placed under this geographical label.

September 11, 2026 - Adam Reichardt Iwona Reichardt

The new Central Europe

Central Europe has become one of the great success stories of the post-1989 transformation. Yet economic convergence, EU membership and growing prosperity have not shielded the region from political fragmentation, social disillusionment and democratic backsliding. Today, the question is no longer whether Central Europe belongs to the European mainstream, but what role it wants to play in shaping Europe’s increasingly uncertain future.

September 11, 2026 - Pavel Havlíček

A forgotten hussar

Across Central and Eastern Europe, governments and civic and cultural organizations have revived internationally active historical figures or even lesser-known diplomats, scientists, and explorers as evidence that their respective nations were always globally connected. One of these figures is Mihály Kováts de Fabriczy, a Hungarian hussar whose legacy is richer than his unwarranted obscurity suggests.

September 10, 2026 - Adam Reichardt

Fico’s precarious balancing act in Slovakia

Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, is now in a precarious position. He cannot overly offend his country’s partners and Brussels as he depends on European funding. At the same time, he has promised his electorate a hard-line approach to Ukraine and a more confrontational approach to the West. As he floods the media space with misinformation to distract the society, he may find in the end that this balancing act is more difficult to maintain than he realizes.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has had a tough time balancing his efforts to keep his hold on power, all while grappling with contradictions in his policies: sending military assistance to Ukraine, despite campaigning on the promise to “not send another bullet”; travelling to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin; keeping his nationalist coalition allies satisfied; and managing his pro-EU image in Brussels.

May 5, 2025 - Jakub Ferenčik

Between pro-Russian rhetoric and pragmatic cooperation with Ukraine

Between 30 and 40 per cent of Slovaks have positive feelings towards Russia, which makes Slovak society one of the most pro-Russian in Europe. And yet, pro-Russian Slovaks do not want to leave either NATO or the EU. This simultaneous support for Russia and western alliances is a phenomenon that demands a deeper look.

At this year’s NATO summit in Washington DC, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico sent, not for the first time, a radically pro-Russian message to his voters. In a video posted on Facebook he said that Ukraine’s NATO membership was unacceptable and “a guarantee of a third world war”.

September 17, 2024 - Jakub Łoginow

A bottom-up approach to the history of the region

An interview with Jacob Mikanowski, author of Goodbye Eastern Europe. An intimate history of a divided land. Interviewers: Adam Reichardt and Nina Pániková

September 16, 2024 - Adam Reichardt Jacob Mikanowski Nina Pániková

Adolescence is over. Time for updates to the Central European growth model

The 20th anniversary of the 2004 European Union enlargement should constitute an occasion not only to celebrate the numerous economic successes of the last two decades, but also to reflect on upcoming development challenges. Although growth since the accession has been pretty solid and stable, its foundations are still not robust enough, especially given the current uncertainties concerning geopolitics and geoeconomics.

Twenty years of EU membership for the Central European countries have seen great success from an economic point of view. The dynamics of GDP growth have been relatively high, with the convergence process progressing and foreign trade developing at the same time. The inflow of direct investments has also been fairly intense, while unemployment decreased to the lowest levels in Europe. In addition, the region's countries have generally managed to maintain stability in their public finances.

June 22, 2024 - Konrad Popławski

Through Lendvai’s eyes. A unique perspective on Austrian politics

A review of Austria Behind the Mask. Politics of a Nation since 1945. By: Paul Lendvai. Publisher: Hurst, London, 2023.

February 7, 2024 - JP O'Malley

The Queen and Central and Eastern Europe: A personal relationship

The death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has led to an outpouring of tributes from around the world. In this regard, Central and Eastern Europe has been no exception. Such a response is emblematic of a human relationship that increasingly transcended politics.

September 19, 2022 - Niall Gray

Central European sensitivity towards Ukraine

After Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, people who live in Central and Eastern Europe were able to quickly assess the situation and express their empathy for Ukrainians. They felt a sense of connection with them and started to help them straight away.

We have always had difficulty when trying to explain what it means when we say “Europe”. Indeed, this concept is dynamic and has undergone many changes over time. That is why in his “Letters to the European Deputies” (Lettres aux députés européens), a Swiss writer and promoter of European federalism in the 1950s, Denis de Rougemont, wrote that it was difficult to place Europe in one space and time. Clearly, the Europe which is seen from nearby, from within or on the periphery, is different from the Europe that is seen from afar. For example, from a remote continent.

July 14, 2022 - Kinga Gajda

Israel: The last Ottoman state

The modern Israeli state is deeply rooted in both Central Europe and Ottoman Palestine. It is a place where Central Europe’s dominant ideology of ethnolinguistic nationalism meets the post-Ottoman ideology of ethno-confessional nationalism.

June 2, 2021 - Tomasz Kamusella

Tigray: A very Central European war

The Tigray War is being fought between the proponents of the ethnic federation of Ethiopia (similar to Yugoslavia) and those of the ethnolinguistic nation-state of Tigray (similar to Slovenia or Croatia).

March 31, 2021 - Tomasz Kamusella

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