Like its neighbours, Hungary in the south and Poland in the north, the Czech Republic only really achieved its independence at the end of the 20th century, which brought several centuries of foreign domination, sometimes Austrian, sometimes German, then Nazi and then Soviet to an end. But more than elsewhere its desire for independence went hand in hand with strong nationalism. This explains why, although having integrated the European Union in 2004, 11 years only after the end of the Soviet administration, its political and administrative elites are still reticent about the EU, which they suspect of wanting to deprive their country of its national sovereignty. The problematic management of the economic crisis has strengthened the feeling that the national scale might be more appropriate in terms of providing effective solutions.