A collection of 55 posts
A new list spotlighting the fastest-growing startups in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) shows Estonia as the clear leader in the region’s startup scene, with neighbours Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Lithuania also making the leaderboard. The Sifted 30: Eastern Europe & Baltics leaderboard ranks private startups established within the
Polish online platform eSky Group has acquired the world’s oldest travel agent, Britain’s Thomas Cook, for up to GBP 30mn, after receiving regulatory approval from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority. Known primarily for its flight services, the purchase of Thomas Cook, originally announced last month, signals eSky’
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) economies have largely overcome the so-called middle-income trap, but face challenges around sustainable growth and convergence with Western European living standards, Dutch multinational banking and financial services corporation ING bank found in a study that looked at key development trends in Poland, Hungary, Czechia, Romania
The sixth China and Central and Eastern European Countries Local Leaders’ Meeting concluded on 16 October with a firm commitment between the Asian country and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) officials to deepening strategic cooperation across sectors such as trade, agriculture, and technology. The two-day summit, held in Yantai, Shandong
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is catching up with Western Europe for e-commerce, but unique regional challenges and opportunities are shaping its growth trajectory, according to the European e-Commerce Report 2024. Central Europe Many CEE countries still experience uneven digital development, as compared to Western Europe where higher internet penetration
The European Commission (EC) has announced that it will impose additional import tariffs on Chinese battery electric vehicles (BEVs) following a vote among member states on Friday, 4 October, after a year-long investigation. The EC, which suspects China of undercutting European carmakers by subsidising its EV industry, wrote that it
Zabka is planning an initial public offering (IPO) on the Warsaw Stock Exchange on 17 October, as Poland’s leading convenience shop chain expands into Romania and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The IPO could raise as much as PLN 6.45bn. The IPO is set to be
Czechia’s former industry minister and crisis manager Jozef Sikela has been appointed to lead the EU’s EUR 300bn Global Gateway Strategy, the bloc’s riposte to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Sikela will oversee infrastructure investments aimed at countering the BRI by forging strategic international partnerships.
Hungary’s MOL Group, along with its joint venture partners, has signed commercial agreements to advance the development of significant gas reserves in Azerbaijan’s Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) field. MOL, the third-largest shareholder in the ACG field after SOCAR and BP, is working within an amended production sharing agreement framework
US firm Intel has decided to delay its semiconductor plant project near Wroclaw, west Poland, until 2026 due to the company’s worsening global financial situation, the Polish Digital Affairs Ministry announced on Monday, 17 September. The ministry said Poland remains committed to semiconductor investments and plans to use its
The incoming EU administration should ensure that countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) lever more influence in the bloc, Slovakia-based think tank Globsec writes in a new report on the interests and security of CEE nations and increasing Europe’s global influence from 2024-29. “Until now, Central and Eastern
Saudi Arabia has launched a new business council to deepen its economic ties with Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and tap into emerging investment prospects in the region, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The Federation of Saudi Chambers has announced the council’s establishment for the 2024-28 term, under its
Germany’s Rheinmetall will spend more than EUR 180mn on an ammunition manufacturing facility in Lithuania, the Lithuanian Economy and Innovation Ministry said. The production unit is expected to produce tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition per year. Last week the Lithuanian economy and finance ministries said another EUR
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk vowed to tackle inflation, drive record economic growth, and bolster key investments in energy and infrastructure when he unveiled the country’s 2025 budget on Friday, 30 August. Tusk said his government has set a high bar for the budget. “We aim to keep inflation
Latvian national airline airBaltic is set to embark on its first-ever initial public offering (IPO) before the end of 2024. The decision was confirmed by the government during a closed session on Friday, 30 August. The IPO will be conducted alongside negotiations with an unnamed “strategic investor”. The Latvian state