Eastern Europe looks in its cupboard and finds resentment of the EU

More than a decade after joining the EU, residents of Eastern Europe believe they are getting the short end of the deal, and the resentment is taking form in complaints about sub-standard food, reports the New York Times. “With rising passion, prominent politicians and local news media have taken up the issue of whether Eastern Europeans are being sold inferior products.”

Leaders of Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic have asked the European Commission to investigate the issue. The subject “is ready-made for politicians looking to prey on the region’s festering grievances as a wave of nationalism sweeps the continent,” says the Times. A polling expert told the paper: “Politicians need some enemies to mobilize support. And they like the food issue, because it can be blamed on foreigners.”

Foodmakers say it is natural for products to vary by region because of local tastes and traditions. “But bitter Eastern Europeans insist their situation is different,” said the Times, and they argue that food quality should be consistent within the EU. In the Czech Republic, the food issue is being promoted by a populist party whose founder owns some of the country’s leading food companies. The Slovak prime minister, “has seized on the food issue too,” says the Times.

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