The drift of eastern EU countries away from democracy towards authoritarianism and Russia is causing considerable concern. A 2017 report described 18 of the 27 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries as being in democratic decline. The most worrisome are Poland and Hungary, in the 1990s seen as success stories.
Hungary under Viktor Orban is described as a hybrid regime, where democratic institutions barely work. Their role as a check on those in power has been gradually restricted. The government has taken control of every institution that could keep its power in check. The independent press has been almost liquidated.
And Poland is now being threatened by Brussels with suspension of their voting rights as they push ahead with plans to bring the judiciary under government control, strictly against EU regulations. (Shades of Trump).
Two thoughts astrologically. One is the looming Saturn Pluto conjunction, in shadow effect in 2018 and in orb in 2019/2020, which is repressive, anti-libertarian, leaning towards authoritarian rule.
The other is that Poland and Hungary both joined the EU on 1 May 2004, in the A10 enlargement which included 7 countries from the former Eastern bloc, 3 formerly under Soviet rule. That Accession chart is moving through troubled times – at the moment suffering under a bad-tempered Solar Arc Mars conjunct Saturn and Solar Arc Saturn square Mercury. The 2 Scorpio Midheaven is also being jolted from mid 2018 as tr Uranus opposes the MC and moves across the IC into the 4th, so major disruptions in relations, worsening by 2020 when tr Uranus conjunct the Sun could blow the relationship apart altogether.
Similar influences are afflicting the Poland 1989/EU relationship chart in 2019 with tr Uranus opposing the composite Sun. And the Hungary 1918 and 1989/EU relationship charts.
The 2019/2020 marker is when the EU chart itself starts to be seriously destabilised with tr Uranus moving in hard aspect to its Fixed Grand Cross. Brexit may be the least of their worries by that time.
Did that occur with the early US? Some say we had our heads handed to us by the British in the War of 1812. But the Canadians and native Indians lost the most.
IMO the EU expanded too fast, too soon. I always thought a generation should pass with the core EU intact before any other countries were added, to work out problems and have stability. The EU added countries like war spoils without the war, and became an unnamed, unchecked empire. Now it is crumbling, because the foundation is too weak to hold.