Hungary, EU agree conditional release of disputed funds
The Council of the European Union adopted legislation Friday on releasing funds for Hungary’s EUR 5.8bn Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF)...
Economy
New Latvian coalition focuses on economy, security
The centre-right New Unity party, led by Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, finalised a coalition deal with the new centrist electoral...
EU clears path for EUR 18bn loan to Ukraine
Next year the EU will provide Ukraine with EUR 18bn, circumventing Hungary's veto, the Council of the European Union announced on...
EU green lights Croatia to join Schengen, snubs Bulgaria, Romania
Croatia will become the Schengen zone’s newest member on 1 January, the Council of the EU announced on Thursday, 8 December. Croatia will...
Croatia plans partial Sunday shopping ban
Croatia has decided to introduce compulsory shop closures on Sundays, Croatian Employment and Family Minister Marin Piletic told reporters after a...
EU moves to freeze Hungary funds, but real picture more nuanced
The European Commission (EC) opened the possibility for EU national leaders to punish Hungary in an upcoming vote on funding suspensions, on...
VC financing of Lithuanian fintech quadruples – FT special report
Venture capital (VC) financiers invested EUR 71mn in Lithuanian fintechs in 2021, up from EUR 18mn in 2020, according to The Financial...
Last chance for Hungary on EU funding
Hungary could lose billions of euros from its Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) funding entitlement after the European Commission (EC) decided...
Robotisation spreads in auto-heavy CEE
Robotisation has risen sharply in CEE, according to a new report entitled “How do Economies in EU-CEE Cope with Labour Shortages?”...
EC warns Slovakia to review 2023 budget or risk losing Covid-recovery funding
The European Commission (EC) told Slovakia on Tuesday to include spending limits in its state budget or risk endangering the EUR...
Estonia tops tax competitiveness index
For the ninth consecutive year, Estonia has the best tax regime of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, according to...
EC to decide on Hungary funding by end of month
Hungary will find out whether it will receive its EUR 7.2 bn pandemic recovery fund payment on 22 November, Bloomberg reports,...
Venture capital investment in CEE doubled in two years – report
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is one of the fastest growing regions in Europe by enterprise value and has grown by...
Gov’t interventions see Poland, Slovenia, Hungary buck H1 electricity bills trend
Household electricity prices rose year-on-year in the first half of 2022, from EUR 22 per to EUR 25.30 per 100 kWh...
Taiwan invests in CEE, as Lithuania opens trade office in Taipei
The tensions around the burgeoning relations between Taiwan and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) will be on the agenda when US...
Moody’s forecasts CEE growth in 2022, amid soaring inflation
The loan-book performance of banks in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is set to worsen as interest rate hikes take their...
Bulgaria, Romania edge towards Schengen membership, as MEPs express overwhelming support
MEPs backed Bulgaria and Romania joining the Schengen zone in the coming months by an overwhelming margin on Tuesday. Of the 639...
Qatar to open embassy in Czech capital
Czechia and Qatar signed bilateral agreements on Wednesday, as the Gulf state announced that it will open its first embassy in...
Forint slumps to all-time lows against euro, dollar
As national currencies shed value across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) on Thursday, the Hungarian forint fell hardest, to historic lows...
‘The Chinese always have a multi-layered approach’ – CEPA expert Tamas Matura talks China in CEE with CET
Hungarian Sinologist Tamas Matura argued in his recent report for CEPA that China wields little influence in Hungary, despite the Hungarian...