A collection of 157 posts
Romania’s 2024 presidential elections marked the first instance of a national vote annulled due to foreign interference within the EU, the European Commission noted. The episode has triggered renewed calls in the EU and NATO for enhanced cybersecurity capacity and democratic resilience across CEE.
Finland and Sweden abandoned their long-standing neutrality and joined NATO in 2023 and 2024 respectively, citing heightened security threats from Russia. Austria, bordered by NATO members Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia, is increasingly the odd one out in Central Europe’s defence landscape.
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.
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."
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 People for Peace coalition, which includes left-aligned Dutch lawmakers and activists with prior ties to Russian disinformation networks, is expected to stage events near the World Forum venue and at key traffic corridors.
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
The Som-8 well is Hungary’s first meaningful local oil addition since 2019. National demand averaged 167,000 bpd in 2024, while domestic crude output stood closer to 23,000 bpd, according to industry data.
Hungary and Slovakia have emerged as the most vocal opponents of two of the EU’s most consequential reform proposals: plans to phase out Russian energy imports and to overhaul the bloc’s long-term budget to prioritise defence, climate and digital transition. EU mulls ban of new Russian energy contracts
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz party submitted on Tuesday, 13 May a bill that would allow the government to monitor, penalise and potentially ban organisations receiving foreign funding and categorised as threats to national sovereignty. The draft law would expand the powers of the Sovereignty Protection
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has arrested two Ukrainian military veterans in Zakarpattia, west Ukraine, on suspicion of high treason, it announced on Friday, 9 May. Ukrainian authorities claim Hungary was collecting sensitive military data with an eye on a possible future incursion into western Ukraine. The SBU said
Poland has launched a new national doctrine aimed at establishing the country as the dominant military and economic power in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the "Piast Doctrine" during a speech in Gniezno, central Poland. "Maybe today it is worth announcing
Romania will hold fresh presidential elections on 4 May, after its Constitutional Court annulled November's vote, citing Russian interference. However, the decision to disqualify nationalist frontrunner Calin Georgescu has seemingly propelled far-right leader George Simion into a commanding position, fuelling concerns about the direction of Romanian democracy. Generational