Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico faced an unexpected setback in the EU elections against the opposition liberals on Sunday, following a recent assassination attempt that left him severely wounded, according to his party. An opponent of military assistance to Ukraine in its conflict against Russian forces, Fico, 59, had
The EU elections, which will be held from on 6-9 June, involve nearly 400mn voters across 27 countries deciding on 720 seats in the European Parliament (EP). The vote will decide who will lead the European Commission (EC), with EC President Ursula von der Leyen vying for a second term,
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken travelled to Chisinau, Moldova and Prague, Czechia, from May 28-31, to discuss energy, defence and the NATO summit in Washington DC scheduled for early July. In Chisinau, Blinken met with Moldovan President Maia Sandu to show support for the European country’s progress on
Czech companies signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) in connection with Korea’s Daewoo concerning the construction tender for a nuclear power plant in Dukovany, south Czechia, on Monday, 27 May. Daewoo Engineering & Construction (E&C) President Baek Jung-wan made the announcement at the Czechia-Korea Nuclear Engineering & Construction
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who recently described the current European Commission (EC) as “the worst one” ever, framed the June 7-9 elections as a decisive moment between peace and the spectre of war looming over Europe, at a large demonstration in Budapest on Saturday, 1 June. Orban called for
Countries from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) made up five of the seven signatories states of a letter expressing concern over recent developments in Georgia to its Parliamentary Chairman H.E. Shalva Papuashvili sent on Friday, 24 May. In recent months, Georgia has witnessed political and social upheaval, as anti-government
Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda secured re-election on Sunday 26 May, according to official results, in a vote heavily dominated by defence concerns regarding neighbouring Russia. The electoral commission reported that Nauseda garnered 74.6% of the vote, with 90% of ballots counted following the polls’ closure on Sunday. His
Romania’s Energy Ministry confirmed that it may partner with Serbia to build a third hydroelectric power (HEP) plant on the Iron Gates gorge stretch of the River Danube. The ministry was reacting to a report in Radio Free Europe that said the Serbian Energy Ministry had claimed that a
Romanian Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism Stefan-Radu Oprea and Romanian Chemical Industry Association Romchimica signed a letter of intent regarding joint efforts in the country’s energy transition on Friday, May 17. The document will form the basis of collaboration for the development of initiatives and partnerships between the
Skoda Group is to deliver 23 low-floor EMU electric trains to Czechia in a EUR 133mn order that it said will “substantially enhance both service quality and capacity”. RegioJet, the largest private railway carrier in Central and Eastern Europe, will use the trains on suburban and regional services in north
Poland will invest PLN 10bn (EUR 2.35bn) in securing its eastern border against the rising threat of Russia and Belarus, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Saturday, 18 May. Tusk said Poland is “starting a major project to build a secure border, including a system of fortifications, landscaping
Slovakia’s head of state and president-elect jointly called for calm in the wake of the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday 15 May. Fico was shot five times by Juraj Cintula in Handlova, central Slovakia, on Wednesday, at 2:30 pm, in the highest profile
North Macedonia’s right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party scored twin landslide victories in the parliamentary elections on Wednesday, 8 May 2024. After 7 years in opposition VMRO-DPMNE swept back to power as the 22-party coalition it led won 44% of the vote in the Balkan country’s parliamentary elections. The election was
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Hungary underscores the geopolitical importance of the growing bilateral friendship. China’s new investments in Hungary total EUR 16bn and are expected to reach EUR 30bn by the end of the year. On his first visit to Europe since the pandemic, Chinese
As Chinese President Xi completed his trip to Europe, he held a conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, with whom he had spent three of the five days. Although Xi failed to give concrete details, Hungarian officials said 18 agreements had been signed between their country and China, but