On Saturday, the GLOBSEC security conference ended in Bratislava, having brought some findings regarding trends within central Europe. As a report on the occasion of GLOBSEC pointed out, the geopolitical and cultural position between East and West remains a dominant self-identification preference of Central Europeans and significantly increased among Czechs and Slovaks in 2018.
This is according to Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok the most remarkable finding. He believes that it is a problem that the edges between these two alternatives are being rubbed down. "It may be because we're becoming victims of our own success. Politicians may also be contributing to the situation. They perceive this 'between' position," he says. This is why they are not defending so loudly the pro-Western orientation and are letting people decide. "And suddenly, 14 years after joining the EU and NATO, we don't know where we belong," said Korčok.
Another finding is that young Poles are surprisingly the least pro-Western youth in the region. According to the report, the gap between perceptions of the EU has narrowed. While support for the EU rose among Czechs and Slovaks positive perceptions decreased in Poland and Hungary. Czech and Slovak youth are increasingly pro-NATO. Poles and Hungarians are revising their stance. Approval of world leaders' policies never exceeds 50% among Central Europeans. Moreover, the region knows less about Jean Claude-Juncker compared to Macron, Merkel, Putin or Trump.
According to the report, 53% of Slovaks think that secret groups control world affairs and are aiming to establish a totalitarian world order. 52% believe Jews have too much power and secretly control the world.
Moreover, on the side-lines of the conference two personalities received honours. Executive vice president of the Atlantic Council think tank Damon Wilson and a Czech personality, NATO Military Committee chairman Petr Pavel received the Czech and Slovak Transatlantic Awards.
