Austria (26%) and Estonia (23%) had the EU’s highest proportions of organic land within their total utilised agricultural area (UAA) in 2020, according to recent data released by Eurostat. In 2021, the area used for organic farming expanded to 15.9mn hectares (ha) – or just under 10% of the
US firm Intel plans to build a semiconductor production and testing plant at Miekinia, near Wroclaw, western Poland, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday, 16 June. The factory, to be located in the “Legnica Special Economic Zone”, is expected to cost USD 4.6bn, and employ around 2,
Russian bank Sberbank announced its complete withdrawal from the European banking market with the sale of its remaining shares in a EU member country on Friday, 16 June, state news agency TASS reported. As recently as the end of 2020, the bank’s total assets in the bloc totalled EUR
Poland’s first agrivoltaic farm, with a target 1GW capacity could be constructed in northern Poland, Gazeta Wyborcza reported Sunday, 18 June. German green energy investor Kelfield signed a letter of intent on the project with Polish photovoltaic manufacturer Corab, at the Intersolar Europe fair in Munich earlier in the
Incoming Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stressed the importance of the EU and NATO, on Thursday, 15 June, in his first speech since becoming premier. Romania’s new government has been officially confirmed by the parliament, and it includes former EU permanent representative Luminita Odobescu as foreign minister. After being
Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic will remain the world’s second-youngest state leader, it was confirmed at the Balkan country’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, 11 June. Milatovic, 36, deputy leader of the victorious Europe Now group, said during election weekend that “I am optimistic that, through direct dialogue and stronger
Romania will inaugurate its first new airport in over 50 years this week, with the goal of serving over one million customers annually by 2026, local media reported. Aeroportul International Brasov (Brasov-Ghimbav International Airport) will be the country’s third largest, after Henri Coanda near Bucharest, and Cluj-Napoca, west Romania.
Czechia is poised to start a massive construction of solar and wind power plants to secure cheap and ecological electricity supply, Environment Minister Petr Hladik (KDU-CSL) told members of the press on Thursday. “We have the resources for this: it is possible and realistic,” Hladik said, as he unveiled a
Poland outstretched all of its EU peers for growth in the first quarter of 2023, the bloc’s official statistics office Eurostat reported in its revised data. In Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) – and Europe as a whole – Poland had the highest growth rate of 3.8%, ahead of Croatia
A massive mobilisation of Polish opposition voters and leaders estimated at up to half a million people took to the streets of Warsaw to protest the country’s nationalist government on Sunday, 4 June, Gazeta Wyborcza reported. Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) party is currently seven percentage
The EU’s official statistics office Eurostat details the effects of the bloc’s sanctions and trade restrictions regarding Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, in its latest report. Eurostat notes that exports and imports both remain below pre-invasion levels. In terms of
Hungarian investment holding Oriens is fast becoming a major player in Czech retail, Slovak business daily Hospodarske Noviny (HN) reports. Oriens has private equity investments in Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia. Having fully acquired Flosman in 2021, it now plans to take over the shops of peer Pramen CZ. The Pramen
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Moldova “the political heart of Europe”, when she met Moldovan President Maia Sandu in the capital city of Chisinau at the second Summit of the European Political Community on Wednesday 31st May. Von der Leyen thanked Moldova for showing “solidarity, which you
Leaders in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after his re-election on Sunday, 28 May, after a tough election campaign that posed a significant challenge to his two-decade-long rule. Having sealed another five years in power, Erdogan holds a position of considerable influence in regional
Only 4.48 million EU citizens aged 15 to 29 found themselves unemployed last year, according to the latest data from the EU’s official statistics agency Eurostat. This constituted 6.3% of those in that age group, a historic low since 2009, it added. The lowest rate in Central
“Romania, and Europe, have lost the battle with China in certain segments, such as battery production, but we are trying to recover this gap,” Romanian Economy Minister Florin Spataru said on Thursday 25 May, state news agency Agerpres reported. “How do we manage to have a balanced approach in the
Having committed to becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, the EU faces a major challenge and companies will have to play a part in this, Slovak business daily Hospodarske Noviny (HN) wrote in a wide-ranging article on the implications of environmental, social, governance (ESG) goals. The bloc’s ESG
Electric and hybrid cars are gaining ground in Romania, as the segment represented over 20% of all new cars sold in the country in the first four months of 2023, digi24.ro reports, citing data from the Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Importers (APIA). Sales of electric cars have consequently
The Polish automotive industry grew by over 21.5% last year to hit an all-time high of EUR 39.7bn, Gazeta Wyborcza reported, citing analytics company AutomotiveSuppliers.pl. This is not only the result of an improved economy, but also inflation, the Polish daily wrote. The automotive industry remains a
Hungary has vetoed EUR 500mn worth of arms funding from the EU to Ukraine, Italian media first reported on Monday, which the government spokesperson’s office then confirmed. The funding would be the eighth transfer from the European Peace Framework (EPF) to finance arms shipments to the country since Russia
Former Slovak Central Bank (NBS) deputy governor Ludovit Odor was sworn in as the country’s interim prime minister this week. Odor’s appointment ended six months of political limbo, and he is expected to lead his 15-member caretaker cabinet until national elections are held on 30 September. Watershed moment
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis promulgated the revised law that lays down a “solidarity contribution” from the “excessive profits” of energy companies, on Friday 12 May. The new provisions were much softened compared to the initial version, which was deemed “unconstitutional” by a furious OMV Petrom, the Romanian integrated oil company
Sharply falling energy prices are good news for the population and almost all market segments and the population alike, but large energy companies can be less happy, Hungarian business website Portfolio reported. The explains the price falls as due to an “exceptionally mild” winter and European’s successful decoupling from
The Czech government announced “Czechia in Shape”, a new tax package to reduce the state budget deficit on Thursday 11 May. The package, designed to cut debt by CZK 94bn (EUR 4bn) in 2024 and CZK 150bn in 2025, includes a range of measures such as raising the pension age
Poland’s state-controlled oil company, PKN Orlen, is facing significant losses due to the EU banning Russian crude oil. The company is struggling to find alternative supplies for its Czech refinery and is losing millions of dollars every day, Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza reports. PKN Orlen CEO Daniel Obajtek told