Thirty-five million citizens of the European Union just don’t have the financial means to take a week-long trip within Europe, says a recent survey. That’s a total of 28% of EU citizens who can’t afford a one-week holiday away from home, according to recent research from the
If you’re traveling to Dubrovnik, Croatia’s southern Adriatic resort town, you no longer need to transit through Bosnia and Hercegovina: the two parts of Croatian territory are now united by a spectacular, 2.5 kilometer-long bridge, linking the mainland with the Peljesac peninsula. For the first time in
Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya has sought asylum at the Polish Embassy in Tokyo this wee after having learned that a campaign had been launched against her in the Belarussian state media. “The campaign was quite serious and that was a clear signal that her life would be in danger in
Hungary will allow Russian visitors to visit if they possess a Covid-19 immunity certificate as of Tuesday, 3 August, foreign minister Péter Szijjártó has announced. The measure comes in response to Russia’s recent decision to resume issuing tourist and business visas to Hungarian citizens who hold a negative PCR
The Czech government and energy company ČEZ have signed a memorandum of support for the construction of a battery factory for electric vehicles, a so-called “mega factory,” in the Czech Republic. The plan has been approved by the government, according to the deputy prime minister and minister of Industry and
As part of several deals signed that facilitate trade and movement, leaders from three Balkan states – Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia – agreed to an open border policy between them for travelers and commerce, effective 1 January 2023 if everything goes according to plan. Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, and the
Are you planning your summer holidays in Central & Eastern Europe? If you’ll take your rest and relaxation at a beach in the region, we invite you to check the quality of the bathing water you’re planning on dipping into, whether it’s a lake or at the
Bulgaria is closing its borders to four more countries due to spikes in COVID-19 cases: the Netherlands, Malta, Andorra and Georgia. The list already included Great Britain, Spain, Cyprus and Kuwait among others. Bulgarian citizens coming from those counties are allowed entry into the country only with a PCR test
Coronavirus cases are on the rise in Montenegro, a popular destination in Europe whose economy depends on tourism. With only 33% of the population vaccinated, the country’s health authorities say there are currently 986 active cases of COVID-19, and that new infections may increase in the near future. A
The European Commission has recently approved a EUR 90 million subsidy offered by the Hungarian government to South Korea’s SK Innovations – one of the world’s largest energy and chemical companies – to support the establishment of its second battery plant in the city of Komárom in Hungary. According to
Serbia’s central bank is accusing Croatia of appropriating the the historical and cultural heritage of Serbians if Zagreb places inventor Nikola Tesla’s visage on euro coins, when the latter country hopes to adopt the euro common currency in 2023. Tesla, the inventor of alternating current (AC) among his
Latvia, a country with less than 2 million people, already has low CO2 emissions (half the OECD average), but they still see room for improvement: last September Latvia’s government pledged its support to the European Climate law, cementing its commitment to more rigorous decarbonization. Latvia will achieve a low-carbon
The European Commission has approved the Czech Republic’s EUR 7 billion plan to recover from the pandemic and transform the country’s economy into one that is greener and more digital. The scheme will be financed from EU grants until 2026. Once the plan is also approved by EU
The newly elected 46th National Assembly of Bulgaria held its inaugural meeting last week. Bulgarian MPs took the oath of office and elected Iva Miteva of “There Is Such a People” (TISP) as Parliament Chair by 137 votes and 99 abstentions. Miteva was supported by the parliamentary groups of TISP,
Russia is ready to supply Europe with what it considers the energy of the future: hydrogen. According to media reports, Russia immediately saw an opportunity to replace the oil and natural gas sales it makes to the EU, which will decline in the forthcoming decades, with deliveries of hydrogen. The
The United States and Germany issued a joint declaration in which the two countries agreed to complete Nord Stream 2 and voiced several initiatives to support Ukraine and counter Russian attempts to use energy as a weapon. They promised an extension of the agreement with Russia on gas transit through
According to a new Flash Eurobarometer Romanian citizens are most eager to join the eurozone. The survey polled people in 7 EU countries where there is no euro yet. The results show that 75 per cent of Romanian respondents want to switch their Leu to Euros up from 63 per
The European Commission along with publishing its second rule of law report for all member states on Tuesday gave a 16 August deadline for Poland to comply with the order issued by the European Court of Justice (CJEU) recently. The CJEU called on the country to freeze all actions by
EC Justice Commissioner: Hungary’s Recovery Funds Frozen July 20, 2021 < 1min read There are systemic problems with the rule of law in Hungary, so the European Commission is use its legal toolkit – including the freezing of EU funds for the country – in defence of democracy – according to Didier
A major eavesdropping scandal around the Israeli spy software Pegasus made waves in Hungary. An international investigation of 80 journalists from 17 media organisations conducted in 10 countries found that the Hungarian government was most probably among those which acquired the controversial spy software Pegasus from the Israeli surveillance company
On a global scale, Estonia does not emit high levels of greenhouse gasses, but on a per capita basis, it is the second-largest emitter in Europe. The country has ambitious goals to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Moreover, Estonia wants to be one of the top green energy producers.
Hungary’s Minister Heading the Prime Minister’s Office, Gergely Gulyás said that the Hungarian government finds the EU’s Fit for 55 package unacceptable and will not endorse it. Since unanimity is required, the package will not be accepted in its present form, he predicted. Government-funded thinktank Századvég wrote
The Czech Republic will halve the waiting time to get a second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to three weeks, as the country races to boost vaccinations and fend off new coronavirus variants. Czechia has administered at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines to 48% of its total population,
It’s looking like the end of the road for fossil fuel-burning cars (even hybrids) in Europe, according to the European Union’s plans that would ban the sale of polluting vehicles by 2035. According to proposals tabled by the European Commission as part of its “Fit for 55” plan,
The European Commission took Bulgaria to the European Court of Justice after four years of Sofia refusing to link its national business register to the EU Business Registers system (BRIS). BRIS is an information system that allows users to search company-specific data simultaneously in all EU countries with the purpose