Thus the Financial Times today. “Budapest ignores Brussels’ opposition to South Stream,” explains the newspaper. The European Commission has already launched legal proceedings against the Bulgarian government for alleged breaches of law in South Stream’s construction phase. The pipeline is intended to outflank Ukraine via the Black Sea. Of the countries in the European Union, beside Hungary it also crosses Austria, Slovenia, Greece, and Italy. Quite a pack, this. From Greece to Italy, the pipeline crosses the southern tip of the Adriatic. Outside the Union, it crosses Serbia, too. All these countries stand to gain from closer ties with Russia, which the article skips entirely. The current sanctions against it are but a nuisance for all of them. But the opposition to Brussels in Eastern Europe goes well beyond pipelines and energy policy. This is where Vladimir Putin is likely to be doing his utmost to gain friends in the future. It is good to remember that Greece is a Christian Orthodox country, just like Russia. Besides, Putin is a very religious man and is quite close to the church. In short, the European Commission is in for many a surprise on its eastern flank. Peekaboo!