A collection of 100 posts
As Europe attempts a highly complicated manoeuvre to phase out Russian energy, two countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are taking very different roads. While EU member Slovakia is signing supply contracts for liquefied natural gas (LNG) from northern Europe, accession candidate Serbia has agreed a medium-term gas deal
Serbian and Croatian business organisations are calling for less friction in the flow of goods across their common border, in the context of the Ukraine crisis, local media reported. At a meeting in the Croatian capital of Zagreb on Monday, Serbian Chamber of Commerce president Marko Cadez and Croatian Chamber
Companies from at least nine Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries will present their products and services at the upcoming military, aeronautical and security equipment exhibition Black Sea Defense and Aerospace (BSDA) in Bucharest, Romania. The biannual event’s organisers describe BSDA as a platform for Romanian companies to establish
Estonia has the healthiest media environment in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) according to the Reporters Sans Frontiers/Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2022 World Press Freedom Index released on Tuesday 3 May. The RSF meanwhile singled out two CEE countries as showing marked promise for press freedom: “Moldova (40th) and
Nearly 300 Russian companies and nationals have been registered in Serbia since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, Belgrade-based television channel N1 reported. According to Serbia’s Business Registers Agency, 288 Russian companies registered in Serbia between 24 February and 6 April, when Ukrainians registered only 6
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić declared victory in the country’s general elections on Sunday night, as pollsters estimated that he would secure almost 60% of the national presidential vote. Vucic admitted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had affected the campaign. However he added that Serbia has no plans
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has dissolved Parliament and called for a national ballot to be held on 3 April, just 18 months after forming his government on the back of a vote boycotted by the main opposition parties, Euractiv reported. Vucic urged Serbian voters “to take part in the election
Serbia moved a small step closer to EU membership on Sunday when 60.5% of its voters cast their ballot in favour of changes to the judicial system in a referendum. President Aleksandar Vucic said the result represented “de facto progress on the rule of law, a theme which is
The so-called ‘Open Balkans’ initiative to ease movement, travel and trade restrictions between Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia has taken a big leap forward. Leaders from all three countries – Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, – met today in Albania, signing six
The Balkans region of south-east Europe has attracted at least 135 China-linked projects worth at least EUR 32 billion in the last decade, according to a new report by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network BIRN. In a wide-ranging investigation entitled “China in the Balkans: Controversy and Cost”, the outlet found
Serbia and Hungary are the Eastern European countries most exposed to Russia and China, a new study found. Czechia and Romania are most resilient CEE states regarding Russo- and Sino-influence , according to the Globsec Policy Institute report. Over two years and in eight countries, the Bratislava-based think-tank looked at five
Although the six Western Balkan countries aspiring to join the European Union, referred to as the WB6, are expected to have economic growth well above the EU average this year, the economic gap with member states remains large. In GDP per capita per purchasing power terms, all of the WB6
At a cost of roughly EUR 4 billion, a section of Belgrade’s metro system should be operational by 2028, according to Emerging Europe, which reports that construction of the Serbian capital’s first underground line will begin shortly with the help of Chinese construction firms. This follows the signing
EU leaders reaffirmed their commitment for six Western Balkan countries to join the Union, but held off opening full negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia at a one-day EU Summit in the Slovenian city of Brdo. “The Western Balkans are part of the same Europe as the European Union. The
Czech prime minister Andrej Babis is one of the most prominent active politicians featured in the so-called Pandora Papers, a massive trove of information from offshore services firms totaling 11.9 million secret files – published on 3 October by the International Consortium of Investigate Journalists. According to the revelations, Babis,