EC President Ursula von der Leyen said: "Russia has repeatedly attempted to blackmail us by weaponising its energy supplies. We have taken clear steps to turn off the tap and end the era of Russian fossil fuels in Europe for good."
The signatories, including Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, said the policy’s “visibility and predictability” would be compromised if merged into a broader single investment fund.
Albania is expected to have opened all the EU accession negotiation clusters by September, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said on 1 July at a Western Balkans leaders’ meeting in Skopje, North Macedonia.
Global Peace Index (GPI) founder Steve Killelea spoke to the Central European Times on the day of the release of the GPI's 18th annual report. Despite the steep rise in militarisation in CEE, investment-led ambitions are currently limited by fragmentation, Killelea tells CET.
Demonstrations intensified over the weekend as student-led groups erected makeshift barricades at key intersections in central Belgrade. Police estimated turnout at 36,000, while independent observers cited figures as high as 140,000.
Producers in Poland, Czechia and Moldova are rebranding locally and pursuing new strategies to stay afloat after the collapse of major foreign markets, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Western sanctions on premium alcohol.
The Czech Security Information Service said individuals linked to China’s embassy followed Hsiao’s convoy and considered a “demonstrative kinetic action” intended to unsettle, but not harm, her. Hsiao had been on her first foreign trip as veep, with Taiwanese President Lai Ching‑te.
Under the Hague Investment Plan adopted on 25 June, NATO members committed to raise annual defence-related spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. The 5% comprises 3.5% on conventional military capability and 1.5% on infrastructure, cyber-defence and civil preparedness; including support for Ukraine. cet
Uznanski is now Poland’s first astronaut in space since 1978, when Miroslaw Hermaszewski flew under the Soviet Intercosmos programme. Kapu is Hungary’s first since Bertalan Farkas's 1980 mission aboard Soyuz 36 under the same programme.
The withdrawal will take legal effect on 2 June 2026, making Hungary the first EU member state to exit the Rome Statute, which underpins the ICC’s jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
The Czech Chamber of Commerce said on 22 June that the Nestle cuts should be viewed in the context of changing consumer priorities amid inflation and a shift toward simpler food products.
The People for Peace coalition, which includes left-aligned Dutch lawmakers and activists with prior ties to Russian disinformation networks, is expected to stage events near the World Forum venue and at key traffic corridors.
The InvestAI programme, presented by the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in September 2024, earmarked EUR 20bn. The Polish-Baltic consortium is one of the first regionally coordinated bids submitted under the framework.
Hungary has now fallen to the lowest position in the EU for actual individual consumption (AIC), despite its starting position ahead of several regional peers two decades ago.
Tusk acknowledged the expected use of veto by President-elect Nawrocki, as did outgoing President Andrzej Duda during the first 18 months of the KO's term. The KO does not have the 3/5 supermajority, or 276 out of 460 seats, needed to overturn a presidential veto.c
Polish Deputy PM and Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said in April that Poland’s defence strategy prioritises frontline support and rapid capacity building. He added that Poland “will not turn anyone away” from its training centres, including non-combat personnel.
The European Commission (EC) this month placed Romania under the excessive deficit procedure, warning that further delays risk triggering the suspension of EU funds.
The main RB corridor will connect Tallinn, Riga, Kaunas and Warsaw via a continuous standard-gauge line, ensuring uninterrupted north-south passenger and freight movement.
Petar Ganev, senior research fellow at Bulgaria’s Institute for Market Economics said “When you don’t trust the institutions in the country, it is much harder to make any transition … especially when it comes to joining the euro."
In late May, Merz said Nord Stream 2 must stay closed to “weaken Moscow's war machine” and also declared that his government would “do everything” to prevent the pipeline from going online.ce
The summit reflected growing urgency in CEE ahead of the NATO meeting in The Hague scheduled from June 24-26. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the meeting in The Hague would demonstrate the alliance’s commitment to collective defence.c
Rail Baltica has faced repeated delays, cost inflation and uneven progress across national segments.
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) gained new recognition in Dealroom’s 2025 Global Tech Ecosystem Index, with CEE capital cities Vilnius, Lithuania; Warsaw, Poland; and Zagreb, Croatia, named among the world’s top 100 emerging innovation hubs. The index, released on 21 May, ranked 288 cities worldwide. While Paris and
Hungary and Slovakia have emerged as the most vocal opponents of two of the EU’s most consequential reform proposals: plans to phase out Russian energy imports and to overhaul the bloc’s long-term budget to prioritise defence, climate and digital transition. EU mulls ban of new Russian energy contracts
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz party submitted on Tuesday, 13 May a bill that would allow the government to monitor, penalise and potentially ban organisations receiving foreign funding and categorised as threats to national sovereignty. The draft law would expand the powers of the Sovereignty Protection