A public debate in Budapest has revealed two opposing interpretations of Hungary’s economic model: one celebrates the expansion of the “middle class”, the other sees a situation of political dependency rather than real autonomy.

In the runup to the recent elections in the Czech Republic, party programs were full of promises about building modular nuclear reactors. That technology basically does not exist, though. The Czech state is subsidizing the stagnating nuclear industry instead of developing clean, modern power production.

For several weeks, the contentious legacy of the so-called Beneš Decrees has once again surged to the forefront of political discourse in Slovakia and neighbouring Hungary. A legislative amendment proposed by the Fico government—which prohibits any questioning ofthe post-war expulsion of ethnic Hungarians and the confiscation of their property from legal challenge—has created a significant rift between these two EU allies. This resurgence of historical grievance comes at a sensitive political juncture, with the potential to become a volatile wildcard in Hungary’s parliamentary elections this April and Slovakia’s own polls next year.