The Czech Republic Poland and Slovakia share similar experiences in the past and a swift
post-communist integration into the originally West European communities of democratic
countries as their return to Europe. Michal Vít explores how these three countries have been
influenced by the new all-European environment for their independent national development. He
introduces a research framework for the analysis of national identity focusing on parliamentary
political parties represented at both the national and European levels. How did these parties
cope with possible misfits of their understanding of national identity? How did these tensions
interplay with their new transnational European political environment?Vít's study finds that
after the accession of the Czech Republic Poland and Slovakia to the EU there started a
gradual decrease of identification of political parties with the European space. The extent of
this estrangement was determined by these parties' belonging or non-belonging to European
political party families. The book provides a better understanding of current political
developments in East-Central Europe and their consequences for these countries' national and
European politics.
