Slovenia received its first €231 million fund payment from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) of the European Commission (EC) on Friday. The transfer equates to 13% of the country’s total RRF allocation. The Western Balkan EU member will receive €2.5 billion in total – €1.8 billion in
Taiwan has signaled its readiness to do business with Europe: the government in Taipei is eager to begin trade talks with the European Union, which has recently announced plans to become more active in Southeast Asia. Such negotiations between Taiwan and the EU have been in the works since 2015,
How will Bulgaria phase out its coal-fired power plants, and what’s the exact deadline for doing that? Those are the questions the European Commission would like an exact answer to from Sofia. Following that, Brussels can start deliberations on the country’s Recovery Plan and Partnership Agreement. It presents
Developing trade and economic opportunities is the objective of an official delegation from Taiwan set to visit several countries in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) this October. According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, over several days starting on 20 October a group of over 60 Taiwanese officials and
Start-ups in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) are just beginning to dip their toes into the “space tech” business, a domain once reserved for governments and one which has high barriers to entry and requires deep know-how, but the region could provide fertile ground for developing a space tech industry.
According to a recent poll conducted by a TV news channel in Poland, 81% of those surveyed believe the country should remain in the European Union, in contrast to sentiments expressed by ruling party politicians. And only 7% of survey participants said they opposed Poland staying in the EU, according
Real wages in the Czech Republic soared by 8.2% year on year in the 2nd quarter, the highest rate on record, helped by bonuses in the health sector and a wage jump across industries after a weak 2nd quarter of 2020 hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The numbers included
As the next wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hits Bulgaria, the government has had to impose tighter restrictions. On Tuesday, the country saw 120 coronavirus deaths and is registering 2000 new cases daily. Restaurants and cafes in Bulgaria are being forced to close by 11pm, their tables limited to six
The Balkan countries are important for Germany – that’s seemingly the reason why German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who’s set to step down from her post following elections this autumn, is taking an extensive “farewell tour,” meeting with leaders from six Balkan states – some of them EU aspirants – in the
In the last three years only, 19,000 deaths have been linked to coal-power plant-related air pollution in the Western Balkans – according to a fresh study co-authored by the CEE Bankwatch Network and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. The report focuses on how Western Balkan coal
In Slovakia, Tesco is now in the rear mirror for German supermarket chain Lidl, whose profits for 2020 (over EUR 126 million) have exceeded that of the British retailer, which has been the market leader in the country for some time. Lidl overtaking Tesco in Slovakia can be attributed to
The National Recovery Plan of the Czech Republic has been approved this week by EU finance ministers on one condition: that the country address conflict of interest issues involving some high-ranking politicians, in reference to Czech prime minister’s business empire. That means Czechia is set to receive over EUR
By the end of August, EU member Croatia and two of its Southern neighbors down the Adriatic coast, Montenegro and Albania, had happily concluded what was an excellent tourist season for those countries so far this year. Revenues from tourism are giving a significant boost to their economies, much needed
Wizz Air is to require all its flights’ crews to be vaccinated against coronavirus by December 2021. The airline said the decision was taken on health and safety grounds and to ensure the “smooth” operation of services over the long term. It is understood to be the first European carrier
Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, allegedly pledged his allegiance to the European Union and admitted that Hungary is not likely to receive EU COVID-19 recovery funding on time at this past weekend’s “Kötcse” political picnic, an annual closed-circle gathering of people close to the government. According to sources