This constellation offers numerous opportunities. In Romania Traian Băsescu has been the president for years now and at the end of 2008 one of his own party members, Emil Boc, took over the post of prime minister. In Poland Donald Tusk led his Civic Reform party into government two and a half years ago, while in the summer of last year in Bulgaria the Boiko Borisov-led GERB party won the general election. In the last few months there has been a series of right wing landslide victories: first in Hungary, then the Czech Republic and finally in Slovakia. Of course the parties are not all the same as the definition of right-wing varies a little in each country, but at the same time we can state that the thinking of each group is closer to one another than to that of their respective, domestic opposition parties.

This could all have been a coincidence but it is probably more than that. Two factors definitely played into the hands of the right-wing in the region. One of them is demographics. The left-wing voting base in Eastern Central Europe was primarily socialised in the communist regimes, and now mainly make up the retired section of the population. Although they constituted the backbone of society in the nineties, in 2010 their number has decreased and their influence has waned significantly. The other factor is the global economic crisis and the effects it has had on the region. With the exception of Poland every country has suffered a serious recession and unemployment figures have leapt. In the elections held in the last year surveys show that this issue was the most determining for voters. It is not entirely clear why but it seems that in this situation and rgarding this issue the voters of the whole region have placed their trust in the right-wing.

This provides the six countries with a special opportunity to work together. Similar parties under one European, political umbrella theoretically can agree with one another on countless issues which in the opposite case would not present a similar chance. Moreover, in 2011 Hungary will fill the post of revolving presidency of the EU, followed by Poland. This means that for a year our region will determine the issues to be discussed on the European Union's agenda.

There are indeed several topics that are of equal importance to these six countries. For four out of the six it is an express priority and for the other it is also important how Ukraine's relationship with the EU will pan out. The issue of energy security is also worthy of note: every country faces similar challenges, and any lasting solution can only be achieved through cooperation. What is more, the issue of EU development funds after 2013 is an area in which all six of the countries are in the same situation. Not to mention that regarding most of these issues the parties in the region belonging to the European People's Party usually share the same views.

If the above opportunities are exploited, the Eastern Central European region could begin to direct its own fate within the EU. Of course it is not realistic to expect miracles but at least we could finally move away from the defensive and reaction approach typical of new EU members.