French President Emmanuel Macron’s tenure as EU President is already looking historic for Europe, only two months in. Macron promised that the rule of law mechanism would be introduced during his six-month term, pledging “a presidency that promotes values which define us”, and has been at least partly vindicated
Russian forces did not invade Ukraine today, confounding earlier US intelligence statements this was likely to happen on Wednesday. The Kremlin mocked Western media who had declared today the “invasion date”, France 24 reported. Nevertheless US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed scepticism regarding the Russian Defence Ministry claim that
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has dissolved Parliament and called for a national ballot to be held on 3 April, just 18 months after forming his government on the back of a vote boycotted by the main opposition parties, Euractiv reported. Vucic urged Serbian voters “to take part in the election
The European Union’s top court ruled that it can reduce funds to member states over rule of law concerns, rejecting a legal challenge from Poland and Hungary, on Wednesday. Hungary called the verdict “an example of how Brussels is abusing its power”, while Poland condemned the Court of Justice
Poland Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau met his opposite number in Moscow, Sergei Lavrov, to offer a “new initiative for dialogue” regarding the build up of Russian troops on Ukraine’s eastern border. Rau expressed hope that he can offer an “informal platform” to de-escalate the “deep security crisis” that Europe
Hungarian airline Wizz Air’s plan to enter the American market is being opposed by a US pilots’ union, which claims it uses “a toxic culture of reprisal” against its employees. Wizz Air’s lax attitude to issues such as fatigue and illness could also compromise safety, according to the
From next week a new tool may empower the EU to suspend funds to member states over rule of law breaches. That decision, to be made by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), could allow the European Commission (EC) to block EU funds to Budapest and Warsaw, EU Reporter writes.
There were almost 6.6 million female scientists and engineers in the EU in 2020, which represented a year-on-year rise of 254,500, according to a new report by Eurostat. Women now account for 41% of total employment in science and engineering, the EU official statistics office added. Among the
Peter Marki-Zay, the prime ministerial candidate of Hungary’s united opposition, said on Monday that Hungary’s future belongs in NATO, dailynewshungary.com reported. Speaking in his hometown of Hodmezovasarhely, south Hungary, where he is mayor, Marki-Zay added that he sees no reason why defence cannot be something under common
The Latvian Defence Ministry has revealed that 400 US troops, 100 units of military vehicles and 22 US Apache helicopters will arrive to the Baltic country by Wednesday to take part in an international military drill. Large numbers of NATO troops will also arrive into the Central and Eastern Europe
French Trade Minister Franck Riester said the EU will resolutely back Lithuania in its escalating trade war with China, on Sunday, Euractiv reported. Riester underlined that the small Baltic nation was “a victim of coercion from Beijing” after meeting his opposites numbers in Marseille. As the current holder of the
As some countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) relax Coronavirus restrictions, others remain cautious, with Czechia in the first camp, while Estonia is in the second. As Czechia lifts the requirement to show proof of vaccination to enter restaurants and mass gatherings, Estonia has u-turned on a similar plan
Poland is predicted to have the highest level of inflation of 6.8% in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) – and the EU as a whole – this year, according to a new European Commission (EC) forecast. The EC’s prediction for Poland is way over the average predicted rise in the
NATO has sent troops to Lithuania, which the country’s head of state says should be permanently stationed in the Baltic country. A rotating contingent of soldiers “would be the best boost to security and deterrence that NATO could provide – not only to Lithuania, but to the whole region”, President
Estonia has become the digital model for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) due to a digitalisation policy that has seen it close in on the wealth and GDP of EU countries further west. The keystones of Estonia’s ‘CEE dream’ are increasingly recognised as public service digitalization and digital integration.
The European Commission (EC) unveiled legislation designed to double Europe’s share of the semiconductor industry yesterday. The so-called Chips Act addresses supply-chain shortages in the EU’s tech sector. Having assigned EUR 11 billion for the package, the EU aims to raise EUR 43 billion overall and gain a
Riga International Airport will invest more than EUR 247 million in developing the facility by 2027, according to its Runway 2027 strategy, released on Wednesday. The scheme aims to reach nine million serviced passengers and 48,500 tonnes of freight annually within five years,while implementing green goals and reducing
Czechia’s new government will allocate more EU subsidies to smaller-scale family farms, and fewer to the country’s traditionally dominant large landowners, from next year. The conservative-led coalition that succeeded Babis has deeply discussed its policy within the EU Common Agricultural Policy strategic plan. The result was a document
The European Commission (EC) will withhold approximately EUR 15 million in EU funding from Poland for its refusal to pay fines issued by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). For months Warsaw ignored an ECJ order to pay a daily fine of EUR 500,000 for its refusal to shut
With a EUR 1,074 minimum wage, Slovenia was the only country in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) where a gross monthly salary of over a thousand euros was guaranteed, as of January 2022, according to new data from Eurostat. The federal minimum wage in the United States was EUR
A group of four European budget airlines have allied to lobby against them shouldering the bulk of the cost of the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) aviation fuel reform. Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2 and Wizz Air say they support climate goals for every flight from Europe – not just internal EU
In Europe and in Hungary, initiatives to expand use of hydrogen as an energy source have been given the green light, as without it the EU’s 2050 climate targets seem unattainable. Carbon-neutral or low-carbon – green and blue hydrogen – could be one of the key energy sources for the climate-friendly
The Czech Republic and Poland made good today on promises made in yesterday’s settlement of the Turow mine dispute. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki confirmed that Czechia withdrew its complaints regarding the Polish mining operation to the Court of Justice of the European Union, while Warsaw had already paid
EU Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic laid out the bloc’s plans how to build capacity in critical raw materials for batteries along the value chain after a meeting of the Competitiveness Council this week. “We know that the broad deployment of clean and digital technologies will lead to a rising
The European Commission (EC) on Thursday announced its intension to extend the validity of EU Digital COVID Certificates by another year, to 30 June 2023. The EC said the move will ensure that travellers can continue to use their certificate when travelling inside EU member states that maintain certain public