US okays massive arms deal with Poland
The Polish government received approval from the US State Department for a potential USD 10bn weapons deal aimed at modernising its...
EU widens embargo on Russian diesel, oil
The European Union expanded its ban on Russian diesel fuel and refined oil products with immediate effect on Sunday 5 February,...
Hungary bails out steelmaker Dunaferr
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with a working group aiming to save the indebted steel company Dunaferr on Wednesday, 1...
OTP snaps up Slovene bank, plans merger to create market leader
OTP Bank has been cleared by Slovenian Competition Protection Agency (AVK) to acquire Nova Kreditna Banka Maribor (NKBM), Slovenia's second largest...
Estonia tops TI’s Corruption Perceptions Index in CEE, Hungary bottom
So often the exemplar in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Estonia has been named the region’s most transparent country in the...
Pavel calls for unity after landslide in Czech presidential elections
Retired General Petr Pavel, a former senior NATO commander, won the Czech presidency in a record-breaking victory over former prime minister...
Credit rating agencies Fitch, S&P, demote Hungary
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) downgraded Hungary's credit rating by one step to the lowest investment grade of BBB- on Friday, partly...
EC approves huge stimulus package for West Balkan renewable energy, competitiveness, digital
The European Commission (EC) on Wednesday endorsed a package of 24 guarantee programmes worth EUR 2.4bn to support investments in the...
CEE countries ask EU to fund Azeri gas pipelines
Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia have jointly requested EU funding to develop the necessary infrastructure to support increased gas supplies from...
US moves into CEE arms market – CET analysis
Geopolitics is leaving its mark on the arms race in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Countries are drifting further away from...
Bulgaria faces fifth election in two years, as pro-Kremlin Socialists fail to form gov’t
Bulgaria is preparing for a new general election in the spring, following the failure of the country's Socialist Party to form...
CEE plans thousands of miles of high-speed rail
Railway infrastructure managers from Czechia, Poland and the Baltics signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in connection with building almost 2,800...
Estonia top for digital banking usage in 2022, while Romania lags – Eurostat report
More people in Estonia use online banking services than anywhere else in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), according to a new...
Bulgaria, Greece could revive 1990s pipeline project – this time without Russia
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the oil pipeline project between Alexandroupolis, east Greece, and Burgas, east Bulgaria, will be signed very...
Ex-NATO official edges Babis to move into pole position for Czech presidency
Retired General Petr Pavel will face ex-prime minister Andrej Babis in Czechia’s presidential runoff vote after narrowly beating him into second...
Poland emerges as European defence power
As President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine nears its first anniversary and Russia regroups, the defence sector politics of Central and...
Hungary secures EUR 1.6bn Vodafone purchase
Hungary has finalised a deal to acquire Vodafone Europe’s Hungarian unit for HUF 660bn (EUR 1.6bn) in the largest state purchase...
Baltic inflation ‘canary in the coal mine’ for rest of Europe in 2023
The three Baltic countries are the worst hit by the wave of inflation in Europe, according to the latest flash estimate from the...
Gazprom failed to make January payment for Czech gas transit, minister confirms
Net4Gas, Czechia's natural gas transmission system operator, had not received its contracted monthly payment from Russian state-owned Gazprom by 4 January,...
Hungary, Poland hope law reforms will see EU unfreeze billions in funding in 2023
The EU last year attempted to address the erosion of perceived democratic norms of the populist governments of Hungary and Poland,...