A collection of 143 posts
A total of eight Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries have co-signed a paper with four other EU member states that calls for the EU-wide cap on gas prices to be “significantly lower” than is currently being considered. Gas prices – and consequently inflation – have spiked in Europe since Russia’s
Croatia will become the Schengen zone’s newest member on 1 January, the Council of the EU announced on Thursday, 8 December. Croatia will “take two important steps in its European integration, by joining both the euro and the Schengen areas”, noted Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan, whose country has
Wizz Air will serve 31% more passengers than Ryanair in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Caucuses this winter, according a new report that cites Official Aviation Guide (OAG) data. While the Hungary-headquartered airline runs 651 routes to, from and in CEE, this figure is 514 for Ryanair. That
For the ninth consecutive year, Estonia has the best tax regime of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, according to the latest International Tax Competitiveness Index (ITCI). Of the index’s top ten countries, five from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) were included. Estonia’s top ITCI
Household electricity prices rose year-on-year in the first half of 2022, from EUR 22 per to EUR 25.30 per 100 kWh on average, according to the latest report by Eurostat. Meanwhile households across the bloc saw gas prices climb from EUR 6.40 to EUR 8.60 per 100
Romanian lorry drivers urged their government to “relentlessly lobby” for the country to join the Schengen zone on Monday, asserting that preventing lengthy delays at its border with Hungary would increase freight volumes by around 20%. On Monday, Europa 2002 Haulier Employers’ Association chairman Adrian Pop echoed the sentiments of
MEPs backed Bulgaria and Romania joining the Schengen zone in the coming months by an overwhelming margin on Tuesday. Of the 639 members of the European Parliament (EP), 547 voted in favour of the proposal to 49 against and 43 abstentions. After the vote, Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca tweeted
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
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
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
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
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
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,
Bulgarian voters are set to go to the polls for the fourth time in two years after President Rumen Radev called an election for 2 October and then appointed a caretaker government on Tuesday. Galab Donev, a former employment minister began his two-month stint as interim prime minister on Tuesday,