r/easterneurope

Poland has demanded that SpaceX reverse its decision to exclude the country from Starlink’s European roaming region, accusing Elon Musk’s company of treating Polish users as “second-class customers.” 

Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said that he had asked SpaceX to urgently restore equal treatment after new roaming rules left Polish customers facing higher costs for cross-border use.  

Hi everyone,

Lucia here from EUobserver, and as a Slovak, this one caught my attention personally.

We’ve just published an opinion that makes a pretty bold argument: despite all the problems we talk about in Central and Eastern Europe, this may actually be one of the best periods our region has ever experienced.

CEE countries are closer to Western Europe than ever in terms of income and quality of life. Estonia and Lithuania are now ranking among some of the most attractive countries to live in, and countries across the region have seen huge improvements since joining the EU.

But there’s a catch.

That rapid convergence may be coming to an end. Ageing populations, emigration, weaker universities, low R&D and investment could mean that some countries never fully catch up with Western Europe.

Being from the region myself, I’m really curious how people here feel about this.

Do you think life in Central/Eastern Europe is better than we sometimes give it credit for? And are we still catching up with the West — or has that process started to stall?