A collection of 156 posts
In total 6 of 17 countries from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) made the top 50 for fastest internet speeds, with an average download speed of 76.58 Mbps, placing it the 4th global region. CEE’s top performers were Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, with average speeds of 145.19
Transport was on the agenda when Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, Latvia Prime Minister Evika Silina, and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal met in Klaipeda, west Lithuania, at the weekend. The Rail Baltica, a high-speed rail connection across the Baltic states, is encountering significant challenges and rising costs, drawing concern
The new report on rule of law and governance by the European Commission (EC) gives a mixed picture on Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) anti-corruption efforts, judicial independence, media freedom, and legislative practices. The EC’s Rule of Law Report 2024, its 5th, included assessments of developments in Bulgaria, Czechia,
Lithuania’s outgoing government led by Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte faced multiple crises over its four years in power, some of them natural, and others self-inflicted, local media wrote as she left office. Black swan events from the start Simonyte’s centre-right government took office amidst the Covid-19 pandemic in
Romania reported the highest inflation rate in May, of 5.8%, driven by significant increases in housing and utilities prices, according to the latest data from the EU’s official statistics agency Eurostat. Croatia experienced the second highest inflation in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), of 4.3%, driven primarily
Despite an overall downturn, the Central and Eastern European (CEE) start-up scene showed resilience in the first quarter of 2024, when it secured USD 11.8bn in investor funding. AI continues to attract significant interest, representing about 17% of global funding. Other key industries receiving investments in CEE include enterprise
The EU elections, which will be held from on 6-9 June, involve nearly 400mn voters across 27 countries deciding on 720 seats in the European Parliament (EP). The vote will decide who will lead the European Commission (EC), with EC President Ursula von der Leyen vying for a second term,
Countries from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) made up five of the seven signatories states of a letter expressing concern over recent developments in Georgia to its Parliamentary Chairman H.E. Shalva Papuashvili sent on Friday, 24 May. In recent months, Georgia has witnessed political and social upheaval, as anti-government
Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda secured re-election on Sunday 26 May, according to official results, in a vote heavily dominated by defence concerns regarding neighbouring Russia. The electoral commission reported that Nauseda garnered 74.6% of the vote, with 90% of ballots counted following the polls’ closure on Sunday. His
Per capita income in Slovenia will surpass that of Italy by 2029 when adjusted for purchasing power (PPP), according to the latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) projections, while Lithuania will draw level and Poland will not be far behind. The shift makes good on promises that the Central and Eastern
Lithuania had the lowest annual inflation rate of 0.4% in the EU in March 2024, EU official statistics office Eurostat reports. The EU’s highest inflation rates were also recorded in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries, with the steepest price increases in Romania (6.7%), Croatia (4.9%
Lithuania will hold a constitutional referendum on whether its citizens can hold dual and multiple citizenships on 12 May 2024, in tandem with the first round of its presidential elections. Dual citizenship is mostly banned and around one thousand Lithuanian citizens annually give up their citizenship each year to take
The first German troops of a brigade to be fully deployed as the German Army 45th Brigade Lithuania within 4 years arrived in Lithuania on Monday, 8 April, when Lieutenant General and Bundeswehr chief Alfons Mais visited Vilnius. Around 5,000 military personnel and civilians will move to Lithuania, including
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg agreed to progress with planning a greater role in coordinating aid to Ukraine on the first of two days of meetings at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday 4 April, the 75th anniversary of the signing of the defence alliance’s founding document.
The expansion plan of the new ammunition plant of Rheinmetall in Varpalota, west Hungary, has been underway since January, the German automotive and arms manufacturer has revealed. The extension will increase the size of the plant by 20 hectares to some 120 hectares and payroll to around 200 employees. The