Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has asked his MPs to proceed with Sweden’s ratification as NATO member “at the first possible opportunity” in a climbdown from the delay tactics seen since the Scandinavian country officially asked to join the defence alliance in May 2022. Orban earlier pledged that Hungary
Foreign workers are increasingly replacing Hungarians across various sectors due to structural issues within the country’s economy. Government backing of lower-wage sectors such as auto and battery production, has forced highly skilled Hungarians abroad, and foreign workers are filling the void, local media wrote. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’
Tractors and logging lorries flooded central Vilnius last week, as farmers protested a number of national agricultural policies. Local media reported the protesters’ six demands; including stopping the transit of Russian grain through Lithuania, which they claim is pushing down export prices. Another demand is the government waiving an EU
The number of battery-only electric passenger cars in the EU neared 3mn in 2022, up 55% from 1.9mn in 2021, according to the EU’s official statistics office Eurostat. In Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Austria has the highest ratio of cars under two years of age, with 13%
More than 42,000 electric cars have been registered, so far, in Romania, of which around 16,800 only in 2023, 35% more than in 2022, according to research published Thursday. Researcher Lektri.Co was established in Timisoara in 2018, and operates 20 charging stations are present in Romania, Serbia,
From Hungary’s economic perspective, last year extended the trends observed in 2022, according to independent Hungarian think-tank Policy Solutions’s annual report. In Central and Eastern Europe, and Hungary in particular, inflation emerged as a paramount economic concern. In Hungary, inflation was of a scale unseen since the 1990s.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico appeared to renege on his election promise to not send “another bullet” to Ukraine on Tuesday, as MPs voted through a government amendment allowing arms exports. Under the amendment, the Defence Ministry will be able to green-light public and private weapons companies to continue arming
Companies and foundations that held close ties to the right-wing populist and national-conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) government that ruled Poland from 2017-23 are refusing to cooperate with the requests of authorities. Since taking power last month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has not shied away from the ‘de-PiS-ification’
Hungary will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2024, putting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in formal charge of the EU’s policy-making process for six months. While certain EU politicians are confident about the bloc’s future but view Hungary’
New train services will run from March between Ruse, north-east Bulgaria, and Henri Coanda Otopeni International Airport via Giurgiu, south Romania, and Bucharest North railway station, tourism website bgtourism.bg announced. Private railway operator Transferoviar Calatori (TFC) will run the link to Romania’s busiest airport, which is possible due
Czechia’s rate of inflation was 10.7% last year, down from 15.1% in 2022, but still representing the country’s second-highest annual inflation rate since the creation of the independent Czechia in 1993, according to data from the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO) published on Thursday 11 January. The
Polish police entered the palace of President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday evening and arrested two Law and Justice Party (PiS) politicians convicted of abuse of power. One-time interior minister Mariusz Kaminski and his erstwhile state secretary Maciej Wasik were convicted in 2007 of using illegal methods including surveillance and forgery
The European Parliament (EP) chief rule of law negotiator Petri Sarvamaa, MEP, published on Tuesday a petition letter calling to suspend Hungary’s voting rights on the European Council, to President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola. Since regaining power in 2010, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Fidesz
As Belgium assumed the EU presidency on 1 January, with a rallying cry of “Protect, Strengthen, Prepare”, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo’s said he is charting the course for a united and resilient Europe. His cautious and diplomatic approach was evident at the launch event of his six-month
Czechia has to decide soon on reallocating its revenues from emission allowances to reduce or compensate for the consequences of climate change, Hospodasrske Noviny reports. The approval of the amendment should have been valid since the beginning of this year, and Czechia could be threatened with sanctions for their late
After 13 years of knocking on the door, Romania and Bulgaria will join Europe’s Schengen travel zone by March 2024, the European Commission (EC) announced on Monday, 1 January. The Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries struck the agreement to join Schengen by air and sea only after Austria
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition special commission to investigate the alleged corruption of outgoing Justice and Law Party (PiS) government during its eight years in power will convene later this month. The hearings will be screened on public television as the local government election campaign begins. The
Hungarian companies do not excel in the field of innovation, but they take the digital transition seriously, according to new research by K&H bank, which assessed medium and large enterprises in Hungary for three years. Internet use rockets from half Hungary’s workforce to three-quarters Half of Hungary’
The share of renewable sources in gross final energy consumption at the EU level reached 23% in 2022, up 1.1 percentage points (pp) year-on-year, the bloc’s statistics office Eurostat reports. The EU’s revised Renewable Energy Directive has upped the bloc’s 2030 renewable energy target from 32%
The Bulgarian Parliament, with cross-party support, swiftly abolished a special tariff on Russian transit gas this week, after Hungary threatened to veto its Schengen membership bid. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Bulgaria’s decision to impose an additional tax on natural gas transiting through its territory to North Macedonia,
After months of speculation, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced that China’s BYD will build its first electric vehicle (EV) factory in Europe in Szeged, south Hungary. The investment value will reach EUR 5bn, significantly more than the EUR 3bn intended for the construction of China’s CATL’s
Polish President Andrej Duda, an ally of the outgoing right-wing populist party Law and Justice (PiS), announced that he will veto the public-media-related parts of the 2024 budget of new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government, on Saturday, 23 December. Duda, in power for the next 18 months, tweeted:
Lithuania MPs are considering new legislative amendments that would impose a language requirement on foreign nationals seeking to extend their temporary residence permits after living in Lithuania for five years, potentially causing problems for businesses. The proposed changes would also prevent foreigners from changing their jobs within six months of
In the Serbia national parliament election, the right-of-centre SNS (EPP)-led multiparty alliance, led by Aleksandar Vucic was leading with 46.3% on Sunday, 17 December, with 90.3% of the CeSID/Ipsos count completed. This seemingly marks the sixth consecutive election victory for an SNS-led list, showing a 3.
EU leaders voted to begin accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, at a historic summit in Brussels on Thursday 14 December. The EU meanwhile designated Georgia – also a former Soviet republic – as a candidate for membership, a significant shift in the EU’s level of engagement with post-Soviet states. President