A collection of 232 posts
Slovenia and Austria were the worst hit countries by the severe floods that swept over Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) over the weekend. As thousands evacuated their homes and four died in Slovenia, the country asked for help from the EU and NATO. In Austria, one person died after falling
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia agreed on Thursday 3 August to decouple from Russia’s BRELL power grid by February 2025, in order to reach full energy independence from the Kremlin. The three countries in 2018 agreed to integrate into the EU electricity system by the end of 2025, as their
Natural gas prices skyrocketed in the second half of 2021 and 2022, as sanctions on imports from Russia, disturbances in natural gas supply and concerns regarding potential supply shortages affected the market and led to price spikes, Eurostat found in its new annual survey. Along with lower nuclear power plant
Incoming Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stressed the importance of the EU and NATO, on Thursday, 15 June, in his first speech since becoming premier. Romania’s new government has been officially confirmed by the parliament, and it includes former EU permanent representative Luminita Odobescu as foreign minister. After being
Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic will remain the world’s second-youngest state leader, it was confirmed at the Balkan country’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, 11 June. Milatovic, 36, deputy leader of the victorious Europe Now group, said during election weekend that “I am optimistic that, through direct dialogue and stronger
The EU’s official statistics office Eurostat details the effects of the bloc’s sanctions and trade restrictions regarding Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, in its latest report. Eurostat notes that exports and imports both remain below pre-invasion levels. In terms of
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Moldova “the political heart of Europe”, when she met Moldovan President Maia Sandu in the capital city of Chisinau at the second Summit of the European Political Community on Wednesday 31st May. Von der Leyen thanked Moldova for showing “solidarity, which you
Only 4.48 million EU citizens aged 15 to 29 found themselves unemployed last year, according to the latest data from the EU’s official statistics agency Eurostat. This constituted 6.3% of those in that age group, a historic low since 2009, it added. The lowest rate in Central
Poland’s state-controlled oil company, PKN Orlen, is facing significant losses due to the EU banning Russian crude oil. The company is struggling to find alternative supplies for its Czech refinery and is losing millions of dollars every day, Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza reports. PKN Orlen CEO Daniel Obajtek told
The Council of the European Union will send another EUR 1bn in support for ammunition and missiles for Ukraine as it increases the financial ceiling of its European Peace Facility (EPF) to EUR 7.98bn, it announced Friday, 5 May. The assistance under the EPF will further contribute to strengthening
Estonia had the highest employment rate in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) of 81.9% in 2022, according to the recently released data of the EU statistics agency Eurostat. Just behind the Baltic country were Czechia, with 81.3%, and Hungary (80.2%). The middle grouping of the EU member
The EU’s mooted ‘critical raw materials (CRM) law’ would strengthen the EU’s autonomy by reducing its reliance on third countries for the supply of essential minerals for green energy and modern industry. Proposed recently by the European Commission (EC), the legislation would mean the reopening of mines earlier
Farmers are organising protests across Romania on Friday 7 April to express dissatisfaction with the European Commission (EC) approach market distortions caused by the war in Ukraine, local website digi24.ro reported. A joint statement of Romania’s four main farming federations said they were sending “a new appeal to
Bulgaria’s conservatives and liberals were practically neck and neck with votes still being counted after the country’s fifth election in two years on Sunday, 2 April. Early projections put former premier Boyko Borisov’s conservative GERB party at 24-26%, slightly ahead of the liberal We Continue The Change
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called on Germany to up its support for Ukraine as Europe continues to search for ways to arm Kyiv following the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels on Friday 24 March. Morawiecki urged Germany, the EU’s largest economy, to step up and lead by revising