CEA Magazine

18/09/2026

Is the United Kingdom beginning to come apart?

Brexit was supposed to restore British sovereignty. But could it ultimately strengthen the movements seeking to reshape the United Kingdom itself?

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are now led by parties that see their nations’ futures differently from Westminster — and increasingly look towards Europe when describing what might come next.

Yet their paths could hardly be more different. Scotland would need another legally agreed independence referendum before seeking EU membership. Wales still has much further to travel politically. Northern Ireland, meanwhile, already has a recognised constitutional route to reunification with an EU member state.

The Cardiff memorandum will not break up Britain. But it highlights how profoundly the constitutional debate has changed since Brexit.

Ten years ago, the question was whether Britain should remain in the European Union.

The next one may be whether the United Kingdom itself can remain united.

Read the full analysis:

https://centraleuropeanaffairs.com/2026/09/18/is-the-united-kingdom-beginning-to-come-apart/

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are now led by parties that see their future in Europe. But leaving the United Kingdom is one thing. Getting back into the European Union is another.

17/09/2026

Could Canada become the European Union’s first “associate member”?

Ursula von der Leyen’s 2026 State of the Union address opened the door to a potentially new form of EU external integration — one that could go well beyond trade and conventional strategic partnership, without amounting to full membership.

Our latest analysis looks at what such a status could mean in practice for EU–Canada relations, including:

• the possible role of Article 217 TFEU
• how a future framework could build on CETA, Horizon Europe and defence cooperation
• the question of regulatory alignment and participation in decision-making
• whether this could become a broader model for the EU’s relations with close third-country partners

The key issue is not simply whether such a model is legally possible, but how much political, institutional and economic substance the EU and Canada would be prepared to place behind the concept of “associate membership”.

Read the full article here:
https://centraleuropeanaffairs.com/2026/09/17/canada-as-the-eus-first-associate-member-the-emergence-of-a-new-model-of-transatlantic-integration/

The idea of Canada becoming the European Union’s first “associate member” could signal more than another upgrade of transatlantic cooperation. With trade, research, defence, economic security and strategic technologies already drawing the two sides closer together, the proposal raises a broade...

14/09/2026

A name on a screen gradually becomes someone we want to tell about our day. Messages turn into familiar routines, and a person hundreds of kilometres away becomes part of everyday life. Yet the closer we feel, the more we may notice the one thing a screen cannot offer: physical presence.

In “The Legend of Closeness”, we explore how online relationships develop, where genuine understanding meets imagination, and what happens when emotional intimacy comes before the first meeting.

This essay opens CEA Magazine’s new series examining how the online world shapes our relationships and everyday lives.

Read the full article:
https://centraleuropeanaffairs.com/2026/09/14/the-legend-of-closeness-when-two-people-find-each-other-across-the-distance/

11/09/2026

For years, family life revolves around school runs, packed lunches and the question, “What time will you be home?” When the children leave, parents can find themselves missing both their company and the everyday routine of being needed.

In her personal essay for CEA Magazine, Szilvia Filó reflects on this quieter chapter of family life and how a tiny Pomeranian named Molly brought new routines, laughter and some very serious conversations about whether the dog had eaten her breakfast. Along the way, she finds herself understanding her own parents a little better.

Read the full article:

https://centraleuropeanaffairs.com/2026/09/11/when-the-children-leave-home-and-four-tiny-paws-move-in/

There is a period in parents’ lives that we talk about surprisingly little. For years, even decades, someone needs us. We get up in the morning, organise, worry, cook, do the laundry, ask questions, wait, drive them around and offer advice, even when it has not been requested. Meanwhile, almost wi...

08/09/2026

Germany’s political discontent carries consequences far beyond its borders. But do the AfD’s German supporters and its Central European admirers actually want the same economic future?

Writing for CEA Magazine, Mihaly Barcza argues that Germany’s mainstream political elite has left critical questions on migration, economic competitiveness and relations with Russia unanswered. He examines how a German turn towards economic nationalism could expose fundamental conflicts of interest within Europe, from the location of industrial production to the future of EU cohesion funding.

His central warning: shared political grievances do not necessarily translate into shared economic interests. What some see as Germany’s national renewal could come at a considerable cost to Central Europe.

Read the full opinion piece, “The AfD’s Victory and the Responsibility of Germany’s Mainstream Elite”:

https://centraleuropeanaffairs.com/2026/09/08/the-afds-victory-and-the-responsibility-of-germanys-mainstream-elite/

The social and economic problems left unanswered by Germany’s political elite have become a matter concerning the future of the entire European Union. Yet the AfD’s rise may also expose conflicts of interest that the party’s Central European supporters scarcely seem to anticipate.

03/09/2026

Oktoberfest is one of Europe’s most recognisable cultural traditions, yet its history reaches far beyond beer tents and mass tourism.

What began in 1810 as a public celebration of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese gradually evolved into the Wiesn we know today: a temporary city built each year on Munich’s Theresienwiese, shaped by more than two centuries of Bavarian history, brewing culture and local tradition.

In our latest Central European Affairs Magazine article, we look at how Oktoberfest developed from a royal wedding and horse race into a global cultural phenomenon, why only six Munich breweries are permitted to serve official Oktoberfestbier, how the festival’s famous beer halls emerged, and why the Wiesn remains deeply rooted in Munich despite attracting millions of visitors from around the world.

The 2026 Oktoberfest will take place from 19 September to 4 October.

Read the full article here:
https://centraleuropeanaffairs.com/2026/09/03/one-wedding-six-breweries-six-million-visitors-the-story-of-the-wiesn/

18/08/2026

Are we facing a labour shortage, or a hiring crisis?

Companies say they cannot find people. Yet qualified candidates are screened out by keywords, rigid templates and algorithms before they ever reach a hiring manager.

After seven interviews and countless applications, the pattern became clear: career gaps are treated as risks, honesty can count against you, and rehearsed answers are often rewarded over real ability.

This is not about blaming HR professionals. Many are trapped in the same risk averse systems. But if companies genuinely want to solve their workforce problems, they must look beyond optimised CVs and put human judgement back at the centre of hiring.

Perhaps there is no labour shortage.
Perhaps there is a hiring crisis.

Read the full article in CEA Magazine:

https://centraleuropeanaffairs.com/2026/08/18/the-hiring-crisis-when-hr-lost-sight-of-the-human-being/

One of the greatest contradictions in Central Europe's labour market is that, while companies complain of labour shortages, qualified people who genuinely want to work are being caught in increasingly rigid selection filters.

09/08/2026

What does it really mean to feel at home in another country?

The Pineapple Effect: Not Easy to Get Into, but Worth It Once You Are explores what integration in Germany looks like beyond statistics and first impressions.

From the unexpected comfort of silence and the slow building of trust to volunteering, community life, learning the language and discovering Munich by bicycle, the story offers a personal perspective on how belonging can develop over time.

It is also a story about roots and return. About a family history connected to the Danube Swabians and the unexpected feeling of reconnecting with Germany almost 300 years later.

Perhaps integration is not about becoming someone else or leaving your past behind. Perhaps it is about learning to belong while carrying your own history with you.

Read the full story:

https://centraleuropeanaffairs.com/2026/08/09/the-pineapple-effect/

Judit Szilos-Zongor has been living in Munich for three years. Inspired in part by the story of her Danube Swabian ancestors, she explores what it means to find a sense of home in a country to which her family’s history reconnects nearly three hundred years later.

22/07/2026

Who does the nation belong to after an election?

CEA Magazine’s latest opinion article examines a question that reaches far beyond Hungary’s current presidential debate: can national unity exist if political belonging is treated as a privilege reserved for the winners?

The article argues that democracy depends not on uniformity, but on the mutual recognition that citizens with different political histories remain equal members of the same national community.

It also explores how social media has intensified political tribalism. Algorithms reward conflict, emotional language and binary identities, making it easier to divide citizens into “patriots” and “traitors”, legitimate participants and political outsiders. What once appeared as political disagreement increasingly becomes a struggle over who is entitled to belong to the nation at all.

A President of the Republic is constitutionally expected to embody national unity. That principle cannot begin with the exclusion of entire political communities on the basis of their past.

The nation is not a hashtag, a comments section or a club for electoral winners. It is a shared political community that must remain larger than any government, party or generation.

Read the full article:
https://centraleuropeanaffairs.com/2026/07/22/the-nation-is-not-a-club-for-winners/

Hungary is preparing to elect a new President of the Republic, but the debate is not merely about filling a constitutional office. It is also about whether we understand the nation as a shared political community or as a club belonging to the winners of the latest election.

17/07/2026

What does modern fatherhood really demand from men?

Fathers are increasingly expected to be emotionally present, actively involved in childcare and equal partners at home. At the same time, many still carry the traditional pressure of providing financial security, remaining strong under stress and never appearing vulnerable.

Our latest CEA Magazine opinion piece explores this collision of roles and the silent mental-health crisis affecting many fathers. It examines the culture of emotional suppression, the responsibility of partners, the marginalisation some fathers experience after divorce, and the striking gender gap in su***de mortality across the European Union.

Supporting fathers does not diminish the challenges faced by mothers. Stronger, healthier families require us to recognise the vulnerabilities of both.

Read the full article:
https://centraleuropeanaffairs.com/2026/07/17/the-silent-crisis-of-fathers/

The modern father is expected to be a provider, an emotionally available partner and an actively involved caregiver at the same time. Yet while his performance is constantly scrutinised, we rarely ask him the simplest question: how is he?