A collection of 233 posts
In a heated debate on Thursday night, Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orbán was confronted over recent anti-LGBTQ+ measures by his fellow heads of state and governments. Diplomatic sources say those leaders spoke in unusually personal and emotional terms for an EU summit discussion. Luxembourg’s PM Xavier Bettel spoke
In recovery plans being submitted by member states to the European Commission to tap into the EUR 750 billion in available funds, 37% of spending must go toward green investments. Nine such plans have been approved so far by the Commission. But some NGOs are afraid the Commission may be
The European Commission has approved the economic Recovery and Resilience Plan submitted by Slovakia, which was among the first EU member states to present how it intends to spend EUR 6.3 billion in Union funds on things like education, healthcare and the environment. EC president Ursula von der Leyen
The European Environmental Agency makes annual comparative reports on air quality in all of the main European cities. The good part is, they make it publicly available through an interactive map, which we’ve embedded below. Check your hometown, holiday destination, or any other place that comes to mind. The
Meeting the EU’s 2030 climate targets poses a huge challenge for Central European countries, especially for coal-dependent Poland. But it is also helping the country with a population of 40 million to modernize. Thwarted by the highest electricity prices in Europe, and pressured by EU environmental regulations, Poland has
The future of natural gas and how it is funded by the EU are deepening the divide between eastern and western Europe. Countries in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) like the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania continue to see natural gas as a key energy source and would
It’s been over a year since the EU’s ban on non-essential travel, but as of 18 June US travelers and those from 13 other countries – Albania, Australia, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand, Republic of North Macedonia, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and China – will once again be
A leaked draft version of the European Commission’s renewable energy directive has received loud criticism from the renewables industry and NGOs. They claim the proposal is lacking ambition and that it must be in line with EU’s new climate goals. The proposal is due to be adopted in
Minimum wages are a make-or-break issue against in-work poverty and an important element of a single labor market. But instead of setting a mandatory pan-European minimum wage, the EU is striving for strengthening collective bargaining across member states against the will of multinational corporations in whose interests it is to
On Tuesday, Hungary’s parliament passed a so-called pedophile law, which critics say is actually directed at the LGBT community and also restricts freedom of expression. Introduced by the ruling Fidesz party which has a two-thirds majority in parliament, the legislation includes a public register of convicted sex offenders and
In the final days of the Portuguese EU presidency, transport ministers agreed with members of the European Parliament revisions to Eurovignette, the rules on road charging to reduce emissions of polluting gases and infrastructure congestion. Portugal’s minister of infrastructure and housing, Pedro Nuno Santos, stated that the agreement “with
As its first attempt to test financial markets, the European Commission on Tuesday announced it had raised EUR 20 billion in 10-year bonds successfully. The EU wants to finance the EU27’s COVID-19 crisis recovery. Speaking to the press, EC president Ursula von der Leyen said that the inaugural transaction
Poised to take the presidency of the European Council on 1 July, Slovenia will prioritize regulation of the digital agenda in its 6-month stint, according to Iztok Jarc, Slovenian ambassador to the EU. In regards to the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act, Jarc said Slovenia will
Shortly following the monumental changes to their governmental systems and economies, countries in Central & Eastern Europe did see their wages grow steadily – but over 30 years later it is apparent that average employee pay in the region can still be even half of that seen in the West of
Romania’s economy will grow by 6% this year, fully reversing the 3.9% contraction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic last year, according to an updated Global Economic Prospects published by the World Bank. The global outlook remains subject to significant downside risks, including the possibility of additional COVID-19 waves