A collection of 23 posts
Serbia and Bulgaria did not sign the Dubrovnik declaration. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has maintained a policy of strategic ambiguity regarding NATO, while Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has voiced concerns about deepening military support for Ukraine.
Albania is expected to have opened all the EU accession negotiation clusters by September, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said on 1 July at a Western Balkans leaders’ meeting in Skopje, North Macedonia.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has claimed victory in Albania’s parliamentary election on Sunday, 11 May, after exit polls showed his Socialist Party (PS) with a clear lead. The vote, which has been characterised as ballot on Albania’s commitment to EU accession, was marked by low turnout and
The EU’s employment rate reached a record high of 70.9% in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). But while this marks a major milestone for the bloc, the picture in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is more complex, as
Poland is set to purchase an additional 180 K2 Black Panther main battle tanks for approximately USD 6.2bn (EUR 5.7bn), South Korean government officials announced on 9 March. The proposed agreement could be finalised as soon as next month and follows Poland’s earlier USD 12.4bn deal
The Munich Security Conference ended on a cautiously positive note for EU candidate countries Albania and Montenegro on Sunday, 16 February. After a tumultuous 3 days, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos namechecked Albania and Montenegro as “front-runners” for EU accession during a roundtable discussion, adding that their negotiations could be
German companies are considering ramping up investments in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), with 55% expecting the region’s economic significance to grow in the next 5 years, according to the “German CEE Business Outlook 2025” report by auditor KPMG. The survey analysed the economic prospects and business strategies of
Hungarian banking group OTP’s subsidiaries in Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovenia were ranked as the best banks in their respective countries at the Bank of the Year 2024 Awards organised by The Banker magazine. The UK-based outlet, part of the Financial Times Group, said it chose the winning banks
Digital news consumption in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is transforming, driven by evolving audience habits, technology adoption, and growing mistrust in traditional media, according to Reuters Digital News Report 2024. Internet penetration and smartphone usage have enabled a rapid shift online, but challenges related to declining trust in news
Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries are still navigating post-pandemic economic challenges amid newer geopolitical tensions, according to the Economic Outlook December 2024 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Inflationary pressures, labour shortages, and weakened demand from key European markets, most notably Germany, are affecting industrial
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is a rising force in artificial intelligence (AI) and startups in the region raised EUR 1.4bn in funding between 2023 and 2024, The Recursive writes in its second report entitled “The State of AI in CEE 2024”. Despite a less-than-perfect global funding environment, geopolitical
The European Commission (EC) analyses the accession prospects of all ten prospective members of the EU in a new set of reports on how the countries measure up to the criteria for governance, judicial independence and democratic standards required to join the bloc. The EC publishes an annual detailing of
Albania’s bid to join the EU gained momentum at the latest intergovernmental conference that marked the opening of formal EU accession talks in Luxembourg on Tuesday, October 15. The talks focused on the first cluster of chapters known as the “fundamentals,” which include human rights, rule of law, and
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is catching up with Western Europe for e-commerce, but unique regional challenges and opportunities are shaping its growth trajectory, according to the European e-Commerce Report 2024. Central Europe Many CEE countries still experience uneven digital development, as compared to Western Europe where higher internet penetration
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is receiving crucial assistance from across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as well as the EU, as rescue teams help tackle the aftermath of severe floods and landslides that hit large parts of the country on Friday, 4 October. Torrential rain has caused rivers to overflow