The European Commission (EC) recommended the rescinding of 7.5 billion euros worth of cohesion funds from Hungary on Sunday, unless it enacts reforms that address rule of law issues in the country. After weeks of intensive dialogue between the EC and officials from Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government,
Polish refiner PKN Orlen is considering buying a majority stake in the PCK Schwedt refinery in north-east Germany, which until Friday 16 September was controlled by a subsidiary of Russia’s Rosneft, Reuters learned from sources in Poland and Germany. The deal could offer a solution to the upcoming EU’
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said his budget airline has no plans to withdraw from Hungary but will cease some services in the winter months in response to the government’s “idiotic” windfall tax on airlines, at a press conference in the Hungarian capital of Budapest on Tuesday. The move
As the September 21 deadline approaches, leaders in Brussels are split on whether to finally unlock billions of euros that have been withheld from Hungary due to concerns about the rule of law and corruption in the country. In addition to around EUR 6bn that Hungary was earmarked to receive
As the EU accelerates its shift to electric vehicles by outlawing internal combustion engines by 2035, the auto industries in Central Europe are transiting to e-mobility. Battery plants can play a key role in the absorption of manpower as conventional car making is phased out, while pulling in new electronic
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are finalising coordinated agreements on restricting entry for the Russian citizens with Schengen visas, the three Baltic countries’ foreign ministers announced after a meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Eight in Kaunas, Lithuania, on Wednesday. The Baltic countries are planning tighter measures than those announced by the EU
Hungary will not agree to the extension of EU sanctions against Russia unless visa bans and asset freezes against three Russian oligarchs are lifted, according to diplomatic sources that spoke to news outlet Szabad Europa. The EU’s punitive measures are extended every six months, and the renewal, due on
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala will travel to the Netherlands this week to open a new terminal, according to an agreement made in June. “On Thursday, I am going to the Netherlands to ceremoniously open a new LNG terminal, thanks to which the Czech Republic will have an alternative in
European Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said the EU’s EUR 29bn investment package for the Western Balkans “has the potential to transform the region and boost its economy to a level of prosperity never seen before”, at the official opening of the Open Balkan Summit in Belgrade on Friday. A functioning
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasised the urgency of accession for aspiring EU members in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) when he met with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in Prague. Scholz also laid out his pan-European policy vision regarding energy, defence, trade, natural resources and migration. “The centre of Europe
A total of five individuals including a top Croatian lawyer and an executive at energy firm INA have been charged with defrauding the company by reselling gas abroad at ten times the purchase price. According to the charges, the group caused financial damages to INA – a Croatian subsidiary of Hungarian
Polish greenfield solar power project Toren Spolka Akcyjna agreed a 100% share purchase agreement with the Swiss-based energy company MET Group on Friday. The solar power plant is expected to achieve ready-to-build status in 2023. Toren Spolka Akcyjna is planning to start a 60MWp photovoltaic project close to the German
Hungary’s National Atomic Energy Authority (OAH) has granted a partial licence in connection with the expansion of the country’s only nuclear power plant in Paks, central Hungary, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto confirmed on Friday. The OAH announced its decision on the “Paks II” project on its website
Poland will sign executive agreements with The Republic of Korea on Friday to equip the Polish Army with its first shipments of K2 Black Panther battle tanks and K9 self-propelled gun-howitzers, Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced in an interview on Thursday. “The contracts for
Bulgaria has resumed discussions with Russian state energy company Gazprom regarding the country’s natural gas supplies, interim Energy Minister Rossen Hristov announced at a press conference late last week. Hristov, who is serving in Prime Minister’s Galab Donev’s caretaker government ahead of an election in the Balkan
Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova were among the European countries most affected by low rainfall rates in the three months up to 10 August, according to the latest report from the European Commission (EC) research body Global Drought Observatory (GDO). Other badly hit regions in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)
Vodafone Group has agreed to sell its Hungarian subsidiary to the Hungarian state and government-affiliated systems integrator 4iG for HUF 715bn (EUR 1.75bn) in a cash purchase, the parties announced on Monday. According to the preliminary, non-binding agreement, 4iG would own 51% of Vodafone Magyarorszag, and the cash-strapped Hungarian
EU economy greenhouse gas emissions were up year-on-year in the first quarter of 2022, at 1.029 billion tonnes, but were still slightly lower than before the global pandemic, according to data from the EU statistics office Eurostat. In Q1 of 2019, greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide
Estonia has repelled its most severe hacking attack in 15 years, the government announced on Thursday. The hack of the previous day targeted 207 Estonian institutions, including its main online payment platform, according to the country’s digital communications officials. The country’s main banks, health, home, public and education
The French prosecutor’s office has opened a money laundering investigation into Andrej Babis’s purchase of luxury property in France through a number of offshore companies, Le Monde reported. The Slovak-born oligarch became prime minister of Czechia in 2017 but was voted out of office last October after his
The world’s largest battery maker, China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), has agreed to build a three trillion forint (EUR 7.6bn) production plant in Debrecen, east Hungary. Hungarian Foreign Ministry state secretary Levente Magyar said the deal represents the largest ever greenfield investment in the history of the
After months of deliberation, Estonia banned Russian citizens with tourist visas from entering its territory on Thursday, effective as of next week. In a move that Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas described as “necessary”, over 50,000 visas will be rescinded, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Estonia Foreign
Crude oil flows to Hungary, Slovakia and Czechia will recommence after Hungarian energy firm MOL paid the August transit fee for usage of the southern, Ukrainian section of the Druzhba pipeline on Wednesday. Ukraine suspended Russian oil flows through the pipeline on Thursday 4 August, Russian pipeline operator Transneft said
Corruption is considered a very serious problem by 59% of business leaders in Romania, the highest percentage in the EU, according to a recent survey from Ipsos European Public Affairs. Perceptions of graft vary greatly across the continent and business sectors, according to the pollster, which was commissioned to carry
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recommended that European governments let consumers bear the brunt of rocketing domestic energy bills, in part to encourage power saving. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy consumer prices are rising 40% year-on-year in the euro zone, drastically reducing disposable incomes,