A collection of 305 posts
On a visit to Poland this week, the US secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, launched the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation, emphasizing the development of nuclear power as a way for Poland and others in Central & Eastern Europe to achieve their carbon reduction targets. Granholm said that
The European Union’s Court of Justice is forcing Poland to pay a huge daily fine – EUR 500,000 – for continuing to operate a lignite mine which had been ordered to cease extraction in May of this year. Calling the fine exorbitant, Poland’s government says it has no plans
If not partly or fully owned by the state, like utility and oil companies, the largest companies in the Visegrad 4 (“V4”) countries – Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia – are mostly foreign-owned and typically operate in the automotive, retail and electronics sectors. They are highly productive and prosperous, driving their
“Why risk a good relationship with the US and elicit yet another conflict with Brussels?” one might ask when pondering a bill, called “Lex TVN,” recently submitted to Poland’s parliament. One likely answer is that the Polish ruling party wants to secure its victory in the country’s next
The Belarusian government is trying to “instrumentalize human beings for political purposes,” interior ministers of the European Union warned in a joint statement after a video meeting on Wednesday. The emergency meeting requested by Lithuania was scheduled after the government there published a video of 12 Belarusian police officers armed
Two countries in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE), Bulgaria and Croatia, are on track to introduce the European common currency. In Sofia, politicians on both the left and right endorse the euro despite the looming government crisis, while Zagreb has even decided on its national symbols to be portrayed on
The leader of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party said it will change its legal system disciplining judges in an attempt to find a long-awaited compromise with the European Union. Jarosław Kaczyński, Poland’s de facto leader stated to the national press that the disciplinary chamber will be
The United States and Germany issued a joint declaration in which the two countries agreed to complete Nord Stream 2 and voiced several initiatives to support Ukraine and counter Russian attempts to use energy as a weapon. They promised an extension of the agreement with Russia on gas transit through
The European Commission along with publishing its second rule of law report for all member states on Tuesday gave a 16 August deadline for Poland to comply with the order issued by the European Court of Justice (CJEU) recently. The CJEU called on the country to freeze all actions by
Inflation may pose a real threat for countries in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE), specifically for Poland and Hungary, which are facing post-pandemic economic pressures. That’s why their economies do not appear as shiny as they used to. Hungary saw a recent inflation rate of 5.1%, while Poland’
Since Viktor Orbán became the prime minister of Hungary, cooperation among the “Visegrád 4” (V4) countries – Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland – has become a key ingredient of the Hungarian government’s rhetoric. Now, with Hungary taking over the presidency of the Visegrad Group, the country is keen to
Meeting in Warsaw, finance ministers from the “Visegrad 4” (V4) country grouping – Poland, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia – discussed post Covid-19 economic recovery plans and investments. They welcomed the global minimum tax proposed by the G7 but said they prefer an international solution in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
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
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
Poland says that closing down its open-pit brown coal mine in Turow would be an “energy disaster.” Even so, the European Commission is lining up behind the Czech Republic in an ongoing fight with its neighbor against the expansion of the mine, which is run by Poland’s state-run company