A collection of 315 posts
The EC is expected to present the proposal formally as part of its mid-term budget review later this year. The plan must be approved unanimously by all 27 member states and endorsed by the European Parliament. Opposition is expected from net contributor countries and regions facing cuts.
CEE contributions include cross-border logistics, public-private coordination platforms, and green recovery initiatives. Regional forums such as the Three Seas Initiative are also expected to play a larger role in financing and implementation.
The European Commission (EC) published long-term budget allocation plans on 17 July, showing Poland set to receive the highest national allocation under the 2028-34 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), totalling EUR 123.3bn.
Serbia and Bulgaria did not sign the Dubrovnik declaration. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has maintained a policy of strategic ambiguity regarding NATO, while Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has voiced concerns about deepening military support for Ukraine.
EC President Ursula von der Leyen said: "Russia has repeatedly attempted to blackmail us by weaponising its energy supplies. We have taken clear steps to turn off the tap and end the era of Russian fossil fuels in Europe for good."
The signatories, including Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, said the policy’s “visibility and predictability” would be compromised if merged into a broader single investment fund.
Global Peace Index (GPI) founder Steve Killelea spoke to the Central European Times on the day of the release of the GPI's 18th annual report. Despite the steep rise in militarisation in CEE, investment-led ambitions are currently limited by fragmentation, Killelea tells CET.
Producers in Poland, Czechia and Moldova are rebranding locally and pursuing new strategies to stay afloat after the collapse of major foreign markets, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Western sanctions on premium alcohol.
The withdrawal will take legal effect on 2 June 2026, making Hungary the first EU member state to exit the Rome Statute, which underpins the ICC’s jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
Hungary has now fallen to the lowest position in the EU for actual individual consumption (AIC), despite its starting position ahead of several regional peers two decades ago.
Polish Deputy PM and Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said in April that Poland’s defence strategy prioritises frontline support and rapid capacity building. He added that Poland “will not turn anyone away” from its training centres, including non-combat personnel.
In late May, Merz said Nord Stream 2 must stay closed to “weaken Moscow's war machine” and also declared that his government would “do everything” to prevent the pipeline from going online.ce
“If Ukraine falls, Lithuania is next. That’s not speculative. It’s consistent with everything Putin has said and done,” Petraeus said.
The result will extend Law and Justice (PiS) party influence over the presidency and its continued obstruction of the "big tent" pro-EU governing Civic Coalition (KO) led by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Poland’s Parliament passed new legislation on 24 May expanding the use of artificial intelligence in public surveillance, authorising facial recognition and behavioural tracking tools for use by law enforcement and municipal authorities. The bill, backed by the ruling Civic Coalition and several allied MPs, permits the deployment of AI