Bulgaria
The European Commission said it planned to cut its reliance on fossil fuels from Russia by 2030, reducing dependence on Russian sources of energy by two-thirds by the end of the year. But it turned out there will be no ban on imports of Russian oil and gas imports to
Czech Republic
Though united in their commitment to European and NATO positions on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries differ on their potential exposure to Russian gas supplies – a CET analysis. At time of writing, the Russian army is intruding into the heart of Kyiv and residents
Featured
The war in Ukraine is a further nail in the coffin of the Pax Americana. Donald Trump began the dismantling of the US-dominated world order and post-WWII security apparatus, and now the job is being completed by Joe Biden. After last year’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Western response – or
Czech Republic
Global news organisations are reporting that Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the early morning hours of Thursday, 24 February, bombing targets across the country and sending in troops. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared martial law in his country. Promising that the world will hold Russia accountable,
Analysis
French President Emmanuel Macron’s tenure as EU President is already looking historic for Europe, only two months in. Macron promised that the rule of law mechanism would be introduced during his six-month term, pledging “a presidency that promotes values which define us”, and has been at least partly vindicated
Economy
The European Union’s top court ruled that it can reduce funds to member states over rule of law concerns, rejecting a legal challenge from Poland and Hungary, on Wednesday. Hungary called the verdict “an example of how Brussels is abusing its power”, while Poland condemned the Court of Justice
Baltic countries
French Trade Minister Franck Riester said the EU will resolutely back Lithuania in its escalating trade war with China, on Sunday, Euractiv reported. Riester underlined that the small Baltic nation was “a victim of coercion from Beijing” after meeting his opposites numbers in Marseille. As the current holder of the
Austria
Poland is predicted to have the highest level of inflation of 6.8% in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) – and the EU as a whole – this year, according to a new European Commission (EC) forecast. The EC’s prediction for Poland is way over the average predicted rise in the
Czech Republic
Czechia’s new government will allocate more EU subsidies to smaller-scale family farms, and fewer to the country’s traditionally dominant large landowners, from next year. The conservative-led coalition that succeeded Babis has deeply discussed its policy within the EU Common Agricultural Policy strategic plan. The result was a document
Baltic countries
This week The Central European Times investigates the startup scenes of the three innovative but diminutive Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, whose small size makes companies open and internationally oriented from day one. Read our exclusive reports on environmental startups in the Baltics here, healthtech startups here and cutting-edge
Featured
French President Emmanuel Macron underlined that energy policy is now a major priority for Europe when he met the leaders of the Visegrad Four countries – Poland, Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia – in Budapest this week. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban agreed that securing Europe’s energy independence is one of the
Bulgaria
“I am convinced that Bulgaria will be a totally different place four years from now,” Kiril Petkov pledged on Monday, when he was sworn in as prime minister. Petkov, who served as minister of economics in the recent caretaker government and then ran on a “zero tolerance for corruption” election