Balkan countries

A collection of 54 posts

Von der Leyen pledges more EU on Balkans visit

Von der Leyen pledges more EU on Balkans visit

European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen announced further EU flood recovery funding and reiterated the EU’s commitment to addressing climate change, in Slovenia on Monday, 2 September. On a tour of the Balkans, von der Leyen visited northern Slovenia, which was hit by flooding in November 2023.

Baltics ranked #2 region for internet speed, Eastern Europe #4

Baltics ranked #2 region for internet speed, Eastern Europe #4

In total 6 of 17 countries from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) made the top 50 for fastest internet speeds, with an average download speed of 76.58 Mbps, placing it the 4th global region. CEE’s top performers were Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, with average speeds of 145.19

As Serbia mulls lithium mine, Bulgaria, Slovenia explore sodium-ion as alternative

As Serbia mulls lithium mine, Bulgaria, Slovenia explore sodium-ion as alternative

As tens of thousands of Serbians rally in opposition to the contentious lithium mining project planned by company Rio Tinto in Jadar, west Serbia, an alternative is being investigated elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). A crucial material for enabling the EU to meet its 2030 climate goals may

Belgrade protests planned lithium mine in Jadar

Belgrade protests planned lithium mine in Jadar

Serbian police forcibly removed demonstrators from railway stations protesting the lithium mining project planned by company Rio Tinto, in the country’s capital Belgrade on Sunday August 11. President Aleksandar Vucic’s government last month authorised the British-Australian global mining group to establish Europe’s largest lithium mine – and reportedly

Erste sees moderate economic growth in CEE

Erste sees moderate economic growth in CEE

Adoption of zero-emission vehicles gaining traction in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), according to Erste Group’s macroeconomic report for August 2024. The Austrian financial service provider’s analysis sees varied economic trajectories and fluctuating trade balances across CEE, as Slovenia reported a trade deficit of EUR 0.64bn in

Albania tops region for sustainable energy mix

Albania tops region for sustainable energy mix

The share of renewable sources in gross final energy consumption at the EU level reached 23% in 2022, up 1.1 percentage points (pp) year-on-year, the bloc’s statistics office Eurostat reports. The EU’s revised Renewable Energy Directive has upped the bloc’s 2030 renewable energy target from 32%

Sanctions cannot bring Russia to its knees - MOL CEO

Sanctions cannot bring Russia to its knees - MOL CEO

Only 6% of Ukrainian diesel imports come from Hungary, the head of Hungarian energy giant MOL said at a conference on Saturday, 29 July. MOL CEO Zsolt Hernadi was responding to a recent article by Netherlands daily Handelsblatt, which said MOL’s oil deliveries to Ukraine have doubled in the

Austria, Estonia, Croatia high on organic farmland rankings

Austria, Estonia, Croatia high on organic farmland rankings

Austria (26%) and Estonia (23%) had the EU’s highest proportions of organic land within their total utilised agricultural area (UAA) in 2020, according to recent data released by Eurostat. In 2021, the area used for organic farming expanded to 15.9mn hectares (ha) – or just under 10% of the