Abstract
This paper addresses the problem of how civil society emerges as a by-product of EU-funded structural development projects in Eastern Europe, in the case of Slovakia. The case study is indicative of how local forms of civil society can gain strength and establish public legitimacy thanks to the growing divide between national and local political orientations. However, it is due to the planning and implementation processes of the motorway construction project, under the umbrella of the Trans-European Transport Network, that different layers of power from state to local level emerge and consolidate. The interplay and conflict in these layers endanger accountability, economic as well as environmental sustainability.