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
Donald Tusk was elected as Poland’s prime minister as his government won a vote of confidence in the parliament on Tuesday, 12 December. “Poland is back in Europe,” the country’s new prime minister, Donald Tusk, said in Brussels. “This is the most important moment of my political career.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki lost a vote of no confidence on Monday 11 December, effectively marking the end of eight years of governance by the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party. The political landscape is now set to change with the emergence of a broad coalition of pro-EU parties,
In recent months, Austria’s stance on Romania and Bulgaria’s Schengen Area accession has been shifting, particularly in terms of air travel. Now Austria has proposed a conditional easing of its stance via “Air Schengen,” an initiative that would allow passport-free air travel for these two countries while maintaining
The fourth Budapest Climate Summit on December 4, brought together over 40 speakers from 25 countries to discuss climate change challenges and opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). At the summit, Attila Steiner, Hungary’s State Secretary of Energy and Climate Policy, spoke about Hungary’s achievements in reducing
In a decisive transition, Poland bids farewell to the Law and Justice (PiS) party’s tumultuous eight-year reign as Donald Tusk prepares to resume leadership, promising a revolution in domestic politics and the nation’s global relations. Tusk emphasised the need to restore the rule of law and avoid further
Serbia will head up the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) in 2024 and boost regional connectivity and trade relations to benefit economies and people’s quality of life, Serbian Trade Minister Tomislav Momirovic said at the CEFTA Week 2023 conference in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica on Thursday. With
Bulgarian populist formation There Is Such a People (ITN) has declared its intention to align with the centre-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) if it wins seats at the EU elections next June. Formed 2 years ago and currently polling at around 5%, ITN stands a real chance of securing