As of next week Poland can begin to access the around EUR 60bn of previously suspended COVID:19 pandemic and green funding and some EUR 76.5bn from EU cohesion funds, European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen announced after meeting Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw on
The Russian Justice Ministry on Tuesday, 20 February, named Radio Free Europe (RFE) as an “undesirable” organisation, effectively banning the US Congress-funded broadcaster from operating in Russia. Other media organisations pronounced as “undesirable” by Russia in recent years include Meduza, Novaya Gazeta Europe and Bellingcat. Anyone working for these organisations
Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte is reportedly likely to succeed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in October, as the US on Wednesday 21 February joined the group of two-thirds of member countries who back his nomination. Although US President Joe Biden has not publicly backed Rutte, one of
Tens of thousands of protesters rallied against the presidential pardon scandal in Budapest on Friday evening. The catalyst for the protests is what the BBC described as “the biggest threat to (Hungarian) Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s rule since he returned to power in 2010”. Papal visit prompted controversial pardon
Blue Air’s restructuring plan has failed to restore its long-term viability and the Romanian state must return the EUR 33.84mn it gave to the Romanian airline during the pandemic, as it was incompatible with EU state aid rules, the European Commission (EC) announced. Romania bailed out struggling airline
Poland will drop the USD 1.3tn (EUR 12.08) reparation demand made by the right-wing nationalist PiS government, which Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centre-left coalition toppled late last year. The country will instead seek compensation in areas such as mutual defence and revamping historic buildings, Polish Foreign
EU candidate country North Macedonia will hold early parliamentary elections on 8 May, the House speaker Jovan Mitreski announced on Wednesday, 14 February. The first round of the presidential election will be on April 24 while the second will be on the same day as the parliamentary ballot. After pressure
An Estonian intelligence report released Tuesday warns that Russia is preparing to wage war on the West for a decade, as the Kremlin announced that Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has been added to the country’s wanted list due to the “destruction” of monuments to Soviet soldiers. Estonian State
Hungarian President Katalin Novak resigned on live TV on Saturday evening, in connection with her controversial pardon issued last year for a man convicted of covering up child sexual abuse. When Pope Francis I visited Hungary last April, Novak gave clemency to the deputy director of a state-run children’s
Hungarian-government-linked telco 4iG and Telecom Egypt will jointly construct an express subsea cable between Albania and Egypt. Telecom Egypt is a major subsea cable operator, and last October signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with 4iG. The cable will serve as a high-capacity, intercontinental connection linking Africa and Asia to
Germany’s business with Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) fell last year as the value of goods traded with the region’s 29 countries reduced by 6.5%, the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations (CEEER) said on Wednesday, 7 February. German imports from CEE and Central Asia fell 9.
Ukraine is planned to be added to the Trans-European TEN-T transport corridor, enabling access to the rest of Europe for trains from Lviv, west Ukraine. The Mediterranean Corridor will be the only TEN-T line that completely links western and eastern Europe, starting from the southern coast of Spain, through Almeria,
The expansion plan of the new ammunition plant of Rheinmetall in Varpalota, west Hungary, has been underway since January, the German automotive and arms manufacturer has revealed. The extension will increase the size of the plant by 20 hectares to some 120 hectares and payroll to around 200 employees. The
German defence industry group Rheinmetall has acquired a 72.5% stake in Automecanica Medias from Romania, estimating that it will have an annual sales potential of up to EUR 300mn. The rest of the company’s shares will remain in private ownership. The contract still requires approval from the relevant
Polish farmers from Solidarity announced Friday that the trade union is planning a blockade of the country’s border crossings with Ukraine from Friday, 9 February, joining similar protests in Germany, France, Greece, Belgium, Ireland and Portugal. Farmers say they oppose rising costs, EU climate change measures, and “unfair competition
Business groups from Czechia and Taiwan signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on semiconductor cooperation in Taipei on Thursday, 1 February. At a seminar on semiconductor investments in Czechia, Taiwan semiconductor material supplier TOPOC Scientific Co and TeaLa signed the MOU with the Czech National Semiconductor Cluster (CNSC). TeaLa and
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban agreed to a EUR 50bn, 4-year package for Ukraine on Thursday, 1 February, after vowing to block the funds since December. The package is designed to financially keep afloat Ukraine’s hospitals and schools, as well as civil servants’ wages and pensions. Oban was reportedly
Romania has economically surpassed Greece, Hungary and is closing in on Poland, Romanian Economy Minister Stefan Radu Oprea underlined in a summary of his speech at an “Anti-RO-exit” event, against “extremist voices” who advocate for Romania leaving the EU. In a post that poses the question: “What would Romania’s
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