ASSESSMENTS

Eastern Europe Witnesses a Quiet Revolution

Jul 15, 2019 | 10:00 GMT

An anti-government protester shouts at supporters of Romania's Social Democratic Party (PSD) coming to attend an EU elections rally in Targoviste on May 19, 2019. Protests to demand transparency might close the gap between the European Union's eastern and western halves.

(DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

Civil society organizations in several countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans are likely to continue their vocal rejection of perceived shortcomings in democracy and the rule of law in their countries.
While these groups will not always succeed, they will become a political force that governments in the region will have to take into consideration in their policymaking.
Anti-government feelings will contribute to the emergence of new anti-establishment political forces, which, in turn, will contribute to growing political instability and increasing political risk in the region.

A quiet revolution is sweeping Eastern Europe. From the Czech Republic to Albania and from Slovakia to Romania, people are taking to the streets to demand greater transparency from their governments. So far, the results have been modest, but it's a trend that will play an important role in the region for years to come, as well as one that will influence future government decisions and election outcomes. At a time when the European Union is harboring growing worries about the state of democracy and rule of law in its eastern members and candidate countries, voters are sending the message that they want their governments to become more transparent -- something that might ultimately help mend the growing rift between the Continent's western and eastern halves....

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