Judy Dempsey: The puzzle of Central Europe
Demonstrators wave the Polish flag during the annual march commemorates Polish Independence Day in Warsaw on Nov. 11.
When the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia joined the European Union in 2004, they added a special element to the idea of Europe. It was not only that these countries, which had endured Communist role from 1945 to 1989, afterward managed to make the very difficult transition to democracy and the market economy system. It was also that they-and the Baltic states and Slovenia, which joined at the same time-confirmed the EU's commitment to a Europe whole and free. These countries had returned to Europe.
