Unity on Ukraine is at risk in EU’s eastern members

Significance

Most eastern EU societies continue to support Ukraine in its fight for independence, back Western sanctions, the EU and NATO, and view Russia as a security threat, according to a recent survey undertaken by Bratislava-based think tank Globsec. However, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia consistently exhibit the weakest pro-Western orientation, which has in some cases weakened further over time.

Impacts

• Latent divisions and uncertainties could undermine the EU’s ability to take decisions collectively, quickly and effectively.
• Effective legislation against disinformation and malign influence will now have to address artificial intelligence-generated content.
• Slovakia’s elections are hard to call: the system allows many small parties and the Progressives are eroding Fico’s polling lead.