The participants of the first panel discussion of the Central European Summit, an international conference organised by the Oeconomus Economic Research Foundation and the Center for Fundamental Rights on 15 April, discussed what it really means to be Central European, whether there is a common identity between the countries of the region, and what the main points, values and other connecting elements are that can be used as a basis for further developing cooperation between the countries of the region and the United States.
Where to next, Central Europe?
Magor Ernyei, Director for International Relations at the Center for Fundamental Rights, moderated the discussion and stressed that Central Europe is not only a geopolitical concept that can only be understood in the literature of international relations. In his view, Central Europe is the future: not only for the people of the region, but also for the wider world. According to Ernyei, Central Europe is at a crossroads: the countries of the region are divided on many issues, but at the same time, common values and similar thinking unite the individual nation states.
Radek Vondracek, member of the Czech Chamber of Deputies, underlined that in the Czech Republic there is a strong focus on further developing cooperation in Central Europe, and that many people are researching what it really means to be Central European and on the basis of which points cooperation between countries can be most effectively strengthened. As an illustration, he mentioned a survey in which Czech people were asked whether they felt themselves to be Western, Eastern or Central European. The results show that the majority of respondents clearly identify themselves as Central European, which highlights the importance of strengthening regional cooperation, without which pan-European cooperation is also unthinkable.
According to Lőrinc Nacsa, Secretary of State for National Policy of the Prime Minister’s Office, being a Central European means being at the centre of all events, processes and happenings. He said the region is a multi-divisional junction where many cultures, peoples and nations have met and continue to live side by side. It is a meeting point for politicians from the West and the East, for trade and investment, which regional cooperation initiatives (Three Seas Initiative, V4, etc.) are intended to further strengthen. According to the Secretary of State, infrastructure cooperation in Central Europe should be stepped up to further strengthen existing links. In his view, it is necessary to find and emphasise common points of convergence between the nation states of the region. Nacsa also stressed that the sooner there is a ceasefire in Ukraine, the sooner Central Europe can get back on track, as it is the region, beside Ukraine and Russia, that is most affected by the war.
Croatian MEP Stephen Nikola Bartulica stressed that his own experience has confirmed that Brussels is dominated by the conformity of the mainstream, which Central Europe must counterbalance with common sense. According to the MEP, the region is the future of Europe, because the suffering under communism brought Central Europe together. He believes that if one can survive such a tragic period, one can draw from it the strength and perseverance that can lead to long-term results. Bartulica underlined that it is intimidating that if someone wins a democratic election and does not reflect the views of the mainstream, they are prevented from taking power according to the law. He stressed that a narrow minority feels that they are special and know more than others, and therefore have the exclusive right to rule over others. He said that Croatia has a key role to play in ensuring energy security in the region, which will be further strengthened by the expansion of the Krk LNG terminal.
Central Europe: identity or future cooperation?
Magor Ernyei underlined that Central Europe is united by suffering, which at the same time gives the region strength. From this shared historical suffering can be drawn the perseverance that can shape the future history of Central Europe. He believes that the current political trends in Europe, such as the disregard for constitutional rights and the trampling of democratic norms, further reinforce the priority of Central European cooperation. At the same time, Ernyei stressed that the Trump administration could be a great step forward for Central Europe and that it has opened hitherto closed doors in the cooperation between the region and the US, which can put cooperation on a completely new footing.
According to Radek Vondracek, Central European cooperation should follow the principle of unity in diversity. The MEP stressed that pan-European cooperation should return to the foundations on which it was originally built. He said that it was particularly disappointing that Europe’s once thriving and world-leading industry is now in serious decline. The European Union cannot solve any geopolitical problems, he said, because Brussels cannot negotiate and communicate effectively with either Washington, Moscow or Beijing.
According to Lőrinc Nacsa, stopping USAID’s extremely damaging activities will give Central Europe the opportunity to go its own way and continue building regional cooperation. He illustrated the situation with a joke that the Biden administration was so stable because there was no US embassy in Washington.
According to Stephen Bartulica, the undermining of democratically elected governments is a practice that has been partly reduced by the closure of USAID, but he believes there is still work to be done in this area. The MEP underlined that a significant number of journalists have become extended tentacles of power instead of fulfilling their original role as a check on power. According to Bartulica, a European DOGE is needed to make the EU bureaucracy more efficient and to limit those in power, which would also strengthen fundamental democratic rights.
In his closing remarks, Ed Corrigan noted that US President Donald Trump has strong ties in Central Europe, from which both sides stand to benefit greatly in the near future. The director added that similar values bind Central Europe to the US, as shared goals such as protecting national interests as well as circumventing and undermining the bureaucracy of the global elite could open up new and unprecedented dimensions of cooperation.