Young eastern Europeans reflect on 20 years of EU membership

Born some 20 years ago as their countries joined the European Union, a cohort of young adults has grown up with rights and freedoms as citizens of the bloc that their parents never knew.

As a swathe of central and eastern European countries mark the anniversary of their joining on May 1, 2004, young Czechs, Poles and Estonians reflect on the EU's impact on their lives and their vision for its future.

For the first time, this generation can vote in European elections, to be held between June 6 and 9. While they face a political landscape vastly changed from the communist days of their parents, opportunities are mixed with frustrations.

The far right is expected to make big gains in all corners of the continent and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has brought war to their doorstep.

Damian Krajza, 19, is a farmer and local politician in the...