The EU in a Neighbourly Way: How the Eastern Flank is Building Its Own Europe

Bratislava–Budapest: a New Axis of Old Reflexes

— Did you hear Fico stood in Moscow on May 9?

— I did. Like a monument to ambiguity. The only question is — a monument to whom? Himself, Putin, or the EU?

While Europe was busy discussing yet another package of sanctions against Russia, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico calmly attended the Victory Day parade on Red Square. His visit sparked sharp criticism not only inside Slovakia, but also from neighboring countries. Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Advisor Kęstutis Budrys called the decision “utterly incomprehensible,” stressing that not a single Western leader joined the celebration in the capital of a belligerent state (LRT).

But while Lithuanian diplomacy stuck to words, Slovak protest spilled into the streets. According to AP News, on May 13 thousands of people took to the streets in several cities, condemning Fico’s participation in the Kremlin’s spectacle and his pro-Russian political shift. Yet the prime minister’s reaction was as contemporary as ever: he declared he was not concerned about deteriorating relations with the EU and NATO, because “national interests come first” (The Slovak Spectator).

Budapest and Bratislava: A Partnership Against Principles

In a parallel universe where the euro is just another currency and democracy is optional, Slovakia and Hungary continue to deepen bilateral ties — step by step, quietly and deliberately. Just last week, reports surfaced about expanded energy cooperation, including deliveries of Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline (Reuters). 

Then, on May 13, both countries agreed to build three new border bridges and improve infrastructure (Global Highways).

Formally — logistics and energy. In reality — an axis of autonomous influence, an alternative to the Brussels model.

On the same day, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán took a hit from another direction: The Financial Times reported that the EU is preparing a mechanism to bypass Budapest’s veto on sanctions against Russia (FT). Brussels can no longer rely on Hungary’s “loyalty”: too many times Orbán’s government has blocked key EU decisions, including military and financial support for Ukraine. Now, the EU is working on tariff and capital measures that can be implemented without Hungarian approval.

When Economics Becomes Geopolitics

There’s little room for optimism in Bratislava or Budapest. The EBRD has almost simultaneously cut growth forecasts for both economies:

• Slovakia: lowered to 1.4% for 2025, mainly due to a drop in car exports and the impact of U.S. tariffs (Bloomberg).

• Hungary: down to 1.5%, for the same reasons (Bloomberg).

Economics is no longer the background — it’s the second front in the confrontation between political blocs. One union (the EU) restricts financial aid; the other (Russia) offers only symbols and parades. What’s left is to build bridges to each other — sometimes quite literally.

— So what do you think — is it a bromance of autocrats? Or just a neighborhood parody of Eurasianism?

— Maybe it’s just business: one supplies the pipeline, the other the license to look away.

Fico and Orbán are no longer pretending to be constructive members of the European project. Their approach is what one might call Europeanized sovereigntism: where national interest is defined not by people — but by their leader.

And therein lies the danger: autocracy in the heart of the EU is no longer an anomaly. It’s an institutional virus — one that now has its own logistics, its own energy, and its own foreign-policy flair.

Shadow of Europe: Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova between fear and integration

Bulgaria: Is the euro too European?

- And if they voted tomorrow, should we enter gravity?

- Better to go to a referendum. What if down is a conspiracy of Brussels?

There is another fault in Bulgaria. On May 12, President Rumen Radev proposes to hold a referendum on joining the eurozone in 2026. It sounds like democracy, but in fact it is a thinly veiled braking of European integration. The government reacts sharply, accusing the president of "sabotage" (Reuters).

On the same day - from a completely different world, but still Bulgaria - news comes from London: six Bulgarians were convicted of espionage in favor of Russia. The leader of the group, Orlin Rusev, receives almost eleven years in prison. They are accused of spying, falsifying documents, using fake passports and attempting to be introduced into British political circles (The Guardian).

Bulgaria, on the one hand, is allegedly preparing for the transition to the euro. On the other hand, it acts as a transshipment point for hybrid operations. Not surprisingly, the UK is now facing a lawsuit: human rights organizations accuse the authorities of deporting asylum seekers to a country where, according to them, "there is a risk of ill-treatment" (The Guardian).

Meanwhile, the EU supplies Bulgaria with drones to protect the borders with Turkey. Formally - migration control. In fact, European technologies guarding the country, which increasingly speaks the language of distrust (Euractiv).

Romania: Orderly and Green, Without the Parades

While Bulgaria splits itself between espionage scandals and currency referenda, Romania takes a different approach — it doesn’t shout, it builds.

On May 13, the EBRD allocated €50 million to Garanti BBVA Romania — strictly for investment in green projects (TradingView). On the same day, it was announced that Turkish energy firm Yesilyurt Enerji had acquired a 41 MW solar project in the country (SeeNews).

— So where are the military parades and sovereignty slogans?

— Here, instead of slogans — there’s a 3.5 GW renewable energy auction.

Indeed, Romania has launched its second national Contracts for Difference (CfD) tender, targeting nearly 3.5 GW of renewable capacity. This is one of the region’s most ambitious pushes for energy autonomy, and a clear message to investors: stability matters more than spectacle (Renewables Now).

The financial logic is also consistent: Romania is issuing two euro-denominated government bond tenders, worth a total of €500 million (TradingView).

Meanwhile, the Foreign Investors Council — a major business lobby — praises the country for its predictable economic policy. If in Bulgaria the euro stirs suspicion, in Romania it’s just a functional accounting tool — not a political totem.

Moldova: The Quiet One Who Gets Things Done

— You don’t hear much about Moldova. Everything calm there?

— No. They just don’t do parades — they do SEPA, air defense, and inflation.

Moldova may be the least visible of the bunch — but that’s exactly where its strength lies. The EBRD has lowered its 2025 growth forecast to 1.8%, not catastrophic, but far from stellar (TradingView). Inflation is easing — from 8.8% in March to 7.8% in April (SeeNews).

But what matters most are the steps that don’t make headlines, but transform the country:

• President Maia Sandu announced that Moldova will receive its first air defense systems in 2026 (Radio Moldova);

• The World Bank approved $90 million for economic growth and energy security (Moldpres);

• Seven Moldovan banks joined SEPA, simplifying cross-border payments with the EU (SeeNews);

• Moldova appointed an honorary consul in Gothenburg, strengthening diplomatic ties with Sweden (MoldovaLive).

There are no geopolitical spectacles here — but there is real integration: into payment systems, defense infrastructure, and energy transition.

If Bulgaria is a hesitant participant in the EU experiment, and Romania is the disciplined engineer at its core, then Moldova is the quiet technician rewiring the circuits while others argue about flipping the switch.

— Have you noticed? The closer to Russia you get, the louder they shout “sovereignty,” and the quieter they whisper “responsibility.”

Look at Eastern Europe today, and you don’t see geography — you see a map of internal tension. Between those who treat EU institutions like a cash machine, and those who build with them. Between parades and procurement. Between vetoes and SEPA.

Hungary, Slovakia, and to a degree Bulgaria — aren’t charging toward the Kremlin, but they are drifting sideways. They’re not burning EU flags, nor leaving its structures. They’re just cutting out what doesn’t suit them: rights, sanctions, solidarity. Not betrayal — strategic erosion.

Meanwhile, Romania hums with megawatts, and Moldova builds a quiet air shield. These states aren’t perfect — but they have direction. Their neighbors? Just a parade and a route map.

Maybe Europe hasn’t noticed that it now shelters a new institutional paradox: countries that take everything from it — and believe in none of it.

— So what, you’ll say. Business as usual.

— No, I’ll say. It’s just that this time, the virus didn’t come from Brussels. It came with a marching band and a Victory flag.