Also, first thing I noticed about this article. "Any Slovaks reading this are going to be very upset that they have been referred to as "east" European.
That aside, it is a rather unique situation, the country (the geographic area specifically, forgetting past borders) has a long history with the automotive sector and associated tooling and skills. During communism the region produced tanks and other vehicles for the military. After the collapse of the USSR and the dissolution from Czechia all those jobs were suddenly redundant. A lot of the older Slovaks resent the split for this reason (ignoring the general turmoil in the labor market associated with ending state owned enterprises etc.).
When car manufacturers realized they had a cheap labor market with the historical skills base they pounced, and now margins are being pushed. I have family in Slovakia, and, not to paint with a board brush, but the growing middle class is becoming more aspirational, is tends to be the case with growing middle classes.
How was life for them before the EU? How will it be for them when they have the "greater autonomy" the populist parties strive for?
When I hear politicians blabber about "greater autonomy" and "sovereignty" I always hear them say the words "...for me" after it in my head...
Isn't Česká or something a used word in czech?
I'm not sure why Czechia wasn't pushed from the start. Might be worth remembering that the official name for Slovakia is actually "Slovak Republic" - so maybe their short version only caught on since people were used to the "-slovakia" part of Czechoslovakia?
Bratislava's residents are well-off, but are within an hour of Vienna and literally across the river from Austria -- a decidedly different experience. Though the two metropoles have pursued closer integration since the opening of borders, there is still progress to be made.
Foreign ownership of firms in Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, etc. is very common, and there is an increasing undercurrent of people who are beginning to notice that since joining the EU, though their economic outlook has improved, the fortunes of the German, Dutch, and French firms that took over both struggling and thriving local businesses has improved more. These residents may look like they're envious of the German, Dutch, or French citizen, but in truth they're channelling their anger at multinational corporations.
For the common person, the most visible benefits of EU integration have been infrastructure spending from EU convergence funds (roads, railways, telecom), and the ability to take work in other EU countries to remit money. Those who stayed in their home countries -- most people -- saw their fortunes lifted slower, and in a less thriving economy, more questions like this get asked.
[1] https://www.oecd.org/cfe/regional-policy/regional-outlook-20... [2] http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/...