Anti-virus policies may hurt democracy in eastern EU
Subject Eastern EU’s handling of COVID-19 pandemic. Significance Central-East European (CEE) authorities are more reactive than proactive on COVID-19 management and have devised an ad hoc patchwork of measures; all are relying on 'stay-at-home' strategies to curb excessive demand on health systems. Politically, COVID-19 is not creating new attitudes but amplifying existing ones. It offers national-populists a fertile environment for centralising decision-making further and adopting measures incompatible with normal democratic standards. Impacts The next EU budget may take into account the latest revelation of less affluent members’ structural weaknesses. However, EU solidarity will be further stretched, creating new tensions between east and west. Although working online is less advanced in most CEE countries, appreciation of and investment in big data and technology will increase. Lockdowns will hold back education, with teachers, even at university level, underprepared to deliver courses remotely.