Food fears will add to insecurities in eastern EU

Subject

Alleged discrepancies between the quality of foods on sale in the western and eastern EU.

Significance

Governments in eastern EU member states are recycling long-heard rumours that multinational food brands sold there are of poorer quality than in western states. Tests by some national authorities appear to confirm these fears. Such practices would not be illegal, but they exacerbate broader worries about second-class citizenship in Central-Eastern Europe (CEE), compounded by uncertainty over the direction the EU will take in coming months.

Impacts

• The east-west divide will deepen as a new front is opened ahead of a likely EU reform push later this year.
• CEE’s political significance will receive a momentary boost as countries show a united front on one of only a handful of issues.
• A reaction against multinationals from within the EU could make protectionism more respectable elsewhere in the world.