A collection of 207 posts
Slovakia has donated 13 MiG-29 fighter jets to the Ukrainian forces, Slovak state news agency TASR reported on the morning of Monday, 17 April. The transfer of the last nine Soviet-era fighters, aimed at supporting Ukraine in its defence against Russian military aggression, was completed recently, after the initial four
Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia expressed concern in a letter to the European Commission (EC) on Friday over an “unprecedented” increase in the number of Ukrainian grains, oilseeds, eggs, poultry and sugar in their countries. Large quantities of cheaper Ukrainian grains have been redirected to countries in Central and
Hungary could realistically replace Russian gas imports, according to local analysts, who say its dependence is reliant on the will of Hungarian politicians and economic players. Gas supply already shifting away from Russia Hungary’s procurement of sources has broadened and the partial replacement of Russian gas has begun, local
The number of pay TV subscribers in Eastern Europe will decline by 8mn from its peak of 81mn in 2018, to 73 million by 2028, according to a new report by Digital TV Research. However, the figures for 2018 included 17mn analogue-cable subscribers, which will have dropped to zero by
Poland will send Ukraine four MiG-29 fighter jets in the coming days, with more to follow later, according to an announcement by Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday, 16 March. The move will make Poland the first NATO member country to fulfil the Ukrainian government’s increasingly urgent requests for
Estonia is named the most prosperous country in Eastern Europe, and the 21st globally, in the newly-released 2023 Legatum Prosperity Index. Legatum’s 16th annual survey praises the Baltic country’s “effective policy response” to Covid, which meant “Estonia’s pandemic-period contraction was one of the smallest in Europe”, and
Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia have jointly requested EU funding to develop the necessary infrastructure to support increased gas supplies from Azerbaijan. The countries say they recognize the importance of energy security for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and see the potential for Azerbaijan to play a crucial role in
Geopolitics is leaving its mark on the arms race in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Countries are drifting further away from the concept of a united European armed force amid shifting geopolitical realities, mistrust and the revival of long-standing historical alliances. The rearmament of Europe lurched back onto the global
More people in Estonia use online banking services than anywhere else in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), according to a new report by the official EU statistics office Eurostat. In Estonia, 83.36% of residents used digital banking in 2022, with Latvia close behind on 82.45%. Other countries high
Net4Gas, Czechia’s natural gas transmission system operator, had not received its contracted monthly payment from Russian state-owned Gazprom by 4 January, Czech Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Sikela announced. Gazprom contracts made up 75% of the revenues of Net4Gas in 2021. In an official filing Net4Gas stated that it
A total of eight Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries have co-signed a paper with four other EU member states that calls for the EU-wide cap on gas prices to be “significantly lower” than is currently being considered. Gas prices – and consequently inflation – have spiked in Europe since Russia’s
Wizz Air will serve 31% more passengers than Ryanair in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Caucuses this winter, according a new report that cites Official Aviation Guide (OAG) data. While the Hungary-headquartered airline runs 651 routes to, from and in CEE, this figure is 514 for Ryanair. That
Orlen Unipetrol, owned by Poland’s leading energy company PKN Orlen, will take over 143 petrol stations in Hungary and 39 in Slovakia, the Budapest Stock Exchange announced on Thursday, 1 November. The regional shake-up of retail fuel operators involves all of the Visegrad Four (V4) countries, Poland, Czechia, Hungary
Robotisation has risen sharply in CEE, according to a new report entitled “How do Economies in EU-CEE Cope with Labour Shortages?” released by the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw). As robotisation levels mainly depend on the automotive, electrics and electronics industries, they have spiked in recent years in
The European Commission (EC) told Slovakia on Tuesday to include spending limits in its state budget or risk endangering the EUR 6.3bn it has earmarked for the country via its Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). According to the EC, Slovakia has failed to follow up on calculating how spending