New Europe and the economic crisis

The EU's new member-states have been hit hard by the credit crunch and collapsing export markets. The Central and East Europeans sense that their post-Cold War growth model – consisting of liberalisation and EU integration – is broken. The risk is not so much political upheaval but policy procrastination. The new members have to keep preparing for ageing populations and shift towards a more diversified, innovation-based and climate-friendly growth model.