The more similarities we find in economic performance or structure, or in economic decision, the more likely that the group will share common interests, and it makes more economic and political sense to act as a group against other countries. However, if one or two EU member states are more similar to their other neighbors, they will have a motivation to undermine the V4 group.

About a thousand supporters of the far-right Jobbik party have participated in a peaceful march on the 90th anniversary of Horthy’s takeover in Hungary. Hungary has no real historical anti-Nazi and anti-Communist hero. That gives a little credit to the old man who had successfully beaten a Soviet uprising 90 years ago. However, it would be very unwise to believe that Hungary is developing a cult for Horthy or his regime. He is one of the most tragic and least successful Hungarian leaders whose regime casts a long shadow over Hungarians in other Central European countries.

I cannot say anything else against Mr. Van Rompuy’s election to the first first EU presidency except for the fact that he accepted his nomination. Mr Klaus’ artistic performance and Mr Van Rompuy’s elections is the first empirical proof that the Lisbon Treaty was indeed a failure… and we do need a European Constitution.

After all the gaffes of the Czech presidency and national government in general, they have chosen a commissioner who had served as the Czech Republic’s ambassador to NATO, the UK and Lithuania, had been a Europe minister in the current caretaker government and started his career in the Czechoslovak foreign ministry’s department for UN affairs. [...]

Now that Poland and the Czech Republic had their turns in bringing Central European surrealism into the EU, it is Hungary’s turn with naming the oddest Commissioner-in-waiting. Mr Andor’s my prove to become a surprising talent but his past makes him the least likely member of Europe’s (kind of)government, the European Commission.I still hope that Mr Andor will be stage a better act within the Commissioner than Mr Klaus among the heads of states. His nomination is just yet another sign of contingency within the transition elites in Central Europe.

It looks that the funny year of the Czech is over. r Klaus’ behavior and the Czech presidency’s story shows how difficult life can be in a Central European polity and why citizens in these countries trust the EU bureaucracy more than their own governments.

As the Euro-sceptic Polish president has promised to put his signature on the Lisbon Treaty, there remains a single obstacle in the way of leaving behind the decade-long institutional haggling to make the EU institutions work: Václav Klaus. The Czech pundit-president wants to have a strange footnote in history: he wants to add a personal [...]

I was really frustratd by the WP Hashcrash application that has killed a lot of useful comments and also replies, and made discussion on this blog impossible. I had not known about it’s activation and hopefully it is gone, so welcome again.

Hungary has joined the EU in 2004 after a referendum with overwhelming support. Five years on, accession would get a 74:26 majority a referendum if it was asked again

The new Eastern members, Central and Eastern Europe has been steadily catching up with the Western part of the Union, although at a rather slowish pace. The current depression has seroiusly hit some old and new member states, and less severely other ones, so the picture will be more varied at the end of this year. The next possible candidates, Iceland and Croatia are fitting well into the club.