Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said his budget airline has no plans to withdraw from Hungary but will cease some services in the winter months in response to the government’s “idiotic” windfall tax on airlines, at a press conference in the Hungarian capital of Budapest on Tuesday. The move
As the September 21 deadline approaches, leaders in Brussels are split on whether to finally unlock billions of euros that have been withheld from Hungary due to concerns about the rule of law and corruption in the country. In addition to around EUR 6bn that Hungary was earmarked to receive
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are finalising coordinated agreements on restricting entry for the Russian citizens with Schengen visas, the three Baltic countries’ foreign ministers announced after a meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Eight in Kaunas, Lithuania, on Wednesday. The Baltic countries are planning tighter measures than those announced by the EU
Hungary will not agree to the extension of EU sanctions against Russia unless visa bans and asset freezes against three Russian oligarchs are lifted, according to diplomatic sources that spoke to news outlet Szabad Europa. The EU’s punitive measures are extended every six months, and the renewal, due on
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala will travel to the Netherlands this week to open a new terminal, according to an agreement made in June. “On Thursday, I am going to the Netherlands to ceremoniously open a new LNG terminal, thanks to which the Czech Republic will have an alternative in
European Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said the EU’s EUR 29bn investment package for the Western Balkans “has the potential to transform the region and boost its economy to a level of prosperity never seen before”, at the official opening of the Open Balkan Summit in Belgrade on Friday. A functioning
A total of five individuals including a top Croatian lawyer and an executive at energy firm INA have been charged with defrauding the company by reselling gas abroad at ten times the purchase price. According to the charges, the group caused financial damages to INA – a Croatian subsidiary of Hungarian
Hungary’s National Atomic Energy Authority (OAH) has granted a partial licence in connection with the expansion of the country’s only nuclear power plant in Paks, central Hungary, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto confirmed on Friday. The OAH announced its decision on the “Paks II” project on its website
Bulgaria has resumed discussions with Russian state energy company Gazprom regarding the country’s natural gas supplies, interim Energy Minister Rossen Hristov announced at a press conference late last week. Hristov, who is serving in Prime Minister’s Galab Donev’s caretaker government ahead of an election in the Balkan
Vodafone Group has agreed to sell its Hungarian subsidiary to the Hungarian state and government-affiliated systems integrator 4iG for HUF 715bn (EUR 1.75bn) in a cash purchase, the parties announced on Monday. According to the preliminary, non-binding agreement, 4iG would own 51% of Vodafone Magyarorszag, and the cash-strapped Hungarian
After months of deliberation, Estonia banned Russian citizens with tourist visas from entering its territory on Thursday, effective as of next week. In a move that Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas described as “necessary”, over 50,000 visas will be rescinded, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Estonia Foreign
North Macedonia and Albania nominally began their EU accession negotiations in Brussels on Tuesday, with detailed discussions slated to begin in the autumn. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “right after the Intergovernmental Conference today, the Commission and the negotiation teams from Albania and North Macedonia will start
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced Monday that he is in negotiations with Russia’s Gazprom regarding a long-term gas supply deal that would redirect all of Hungary’s shipments through the TurkStream pipeline. Fears that Russia will cut off energy supplies to Europe have been growing in recent weeks,
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte reacted to criticism on Thursday over her country’s acceptance of the transport of civilian-use goods from Russia to Kalingrad across its territory. “It would be irrational to continue to argue with EU partners” Simonyte said, after the European Commission (EC) on Wednesday clarified its
Albania may be about to announce the findings of exploratory fossil fuel drillings of such a magnitude that they will change Europe’s energy landscape, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced Tuesday. “The signs show that we may be close to a very important discovery of gas and oil underground,