Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk advised caution to European politicians calling for Hungary’s expulsion from the Schengen area, as it could in turn lead to its departure from the EU, on Friday, 9 August. Schengen member Hungary’s unilateral easing last month of visa requirements for citizens of Russia
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) could be closing in on an energy standoff as Hungary and Slovakia have threatened to restrict or even suspend electricity supplies to Ukraine in response to its recent decision to halt crude oil transits of Russian supplier Lukoil, Hungarian state news channel M1 reported on
The expansion and modernisation of the NATO air base in Constanta, south-east Romania, symbolises the country’s growing strategic importance to NATO and the US, regional expert Ronald H. Linden writes in an article entitled “Romania is America’s new indispensable ally in Eastern Europe” in US politics daily The
Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani was involved in an altercation that became a diplomatic incident in Skopje, North Macedonia, where airport security demanded she hand over her mobile phone for scanning, on Thursday, 1 August. The incident began after the Kosovar head of state refused to hand her mobile phone to
Polish growth private equity firm bValue has successfully raised EUR 90mn for its third fund, significantly boosting its investment capacity. Particularly keen on exploring investment opportunities in Romania, bValue has a strategic focus on software, IT services, and e-commerce, and plans to invest between EUR 5mn and 15mn per project.
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is making notable strides in the e-commerce arena, driven by increasing digital adoption and a burgeoning online market, according to a recent analysis by Polish IT solutions provider Exorigo Upos. In 2023, CEE’s e-commerce penetration was 55%, lagging Western Europe’s 80%, underscoring the
The new report on rule of law and governance by the European Commission (EC) gives a mixed picture on Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) anti-corruption efforts, judicial independence, media freedom, and legislative practices. The EC’s Rule of Law Report 2024, its 5th, included assessments of developments in Bulgaria, Czechia,
Hungary has borrowed EUR 1bn (approximately USD 1.1bn) from Chinese banks earlier this year, according to the country’s debt management agency, AKK, local business website Portfolio reported, based on public data. The loan, taken on 19 April, is a 3-year, floating-rate agreement with the China Development Bank, the
Bulgaria has extended a helping hand to Hungary in managing the fallout from Ukraine’s recent ban on the transit of oil from Russia’s Lukoil, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, announced in Bucharest, Romania, on Wednesday 24 July. Szijjarto detailed how he and Bulgarian Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov had
Despite only starting its EU rotating presidency on 1 July, Hungary has already made it one of the more memorable of these ordinarily uneventful 6-month tenures. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban spent the first week of his presidency on a self-styled “peace mission”, when he visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
Slovakia and Hungary have vehemently criticised Ukraine’s recent decision to halt the transit of Russian Lukoil oil to Hungary, with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto describing it as “incomprehensible and unacceptable”. These sanctions prevent Lukoil from renting the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline for transit purposes. As approximately 70% of the
Serbia would receive an annual EUR 31mn from mining rent at current prices, making the planned lithium mine project “not worth even the slightest risk” according to Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) economist Bosko Mijatovic. Lithium is considered a critical material by the EU and the US, due
Poland has an improved investment climate and access to EU funding are expected to support this revival, according to a new cautiously optimism report by ING Bank Slqski and the European Economic Congress (EEC). The report presents a comprehensive analysis of the current state and future prospects of investment in
Several CEE countries including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland will only send officials to the meetings being arranged in Budapest to mark Hungary’s EU six-month stint at the rotating presidency this month. Discussions are ongoing in several other countries. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has received a lot of
US intelligence discovered earlier this year that the Russian government planned to assassinate Armin Papperger, the chief executive of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, which makes artillery shells and military vehicles for Ukraine, CNN reported. Rheinmetall is the largest and most successful German manufacturer of the vital 155mm artillery shells that
Lithuania’s outgoing government led by Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte faced multiple crises over its four years in power, some of them natural, and others self-inflicted, local media wrote as she left office. Black swan events from the start Simonyte’s centre-right government took office amidst the Covid-19 pandemic in
Poland has called for border protection discussions within NATO as China and Belarus carry out their first ever joint military manouevres near the Polish border. Chinese soldiers carrying out “anti-terrorism training” in Belarus add a new dynamic to the security situation in Central and Eastern Europe, as Russia’s war
Estonia has climbed into a higher innovation category according to new data from the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS). Estonia became a Strong Innovator in 2024, after enjoying steady growth since 2017, the European Commission (EC) wrote in a statement released on Monday 8 July. The EC wrote that “Strong Innovators
Polish photovoltaic company RPower has signed with Polish State Development Bank (BGK) a loan agreement worth PLN 231mn (EUR 54.17 mln) for solar farms with a combined capacity of 72 MWp, the company announced. This is the third finance loan agreement RPower has signed this year. The projects will
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was accused of mission creep by the international community after he opened his first week hosting the six-month EU rotating presidency with unannounced trips to Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing. Orban’s final destination after a busy week was Washington DC, for the long-planned NATO summit
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Friday 5 July gave his first public appearance since being seriously injured in an assassination attempt. Fico was shot by Juraj Cintula, a 71-year-old writer and political activist after a government meeting in Handlova on 15 May, since when he has had two operations.
The EU formally opened accession negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine on 25 June. The agreement of the EU’s 27 members was secured the previous week, despite efforts from Hungary to block the move. “These are truly historic moments. Ukraine is and will always be part of a united Europe,
Romania reported the highest inflation rate in May, of 5.8%, driven by significant increases in housing and utilities prices, according to the latest data from the EU’s official statistics agency Eurostat. Croatia experienced the second highest inflation in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), of 4.3%, driven primarily
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Austria’s Freedom Party FPO leader Herbert Kickl and ANO party leader and former Czech prime minister Andrej Babis declared a “new era” as they announced a European Parliament political alliance named Patriots for Europe at a joint press conference in Vienna on Sunday, 30
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas was nominated on Friday, 28 June as the EU’s foreign policy chief (High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy), subject to agreement from the European Commission (EC) president. Kallas will succeed Spain’s Josep Borrell and become the first politician