Uncategorized
The governments of nine EU member states, among them Germany, have signed a joint statement that they cannot back any measure – including plans for an EU electricity reform – which conflicts with the gas and energy markets. The letter came as a reaction to the French-Spanish proposal presented at last week’
Uncategorized
A leading think-tank has upped its growth forecast for Central, East and Southeast European economies this year to 5.4%, up from 4% in the summer in 2021. The region’s smaller services sector and looser COVID restrictions have been drivers in good economic performance, the Vienna Institute for International
Uncategorized
Albania and North Macedonia are on the march towards EU accession talks, according to the latest annual European Commission (EC) progress report that assesses the membership chances of those two Western Balkan countries as well as Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are collectively known as the WB6.
Uncategorized
President Vladimir Putin brushed off accusations that Russian-state-owned Gazprom is responsible for soaring energy prices across Europe at an energy conference in Moscow this week. European energy commissioner Kadri Simson says Gazprom has not boosted short-term supplies of natural gas that could bring down prices. Putin insists that Gazprom is
Uncategorized
Digital bank Revolut is in talks with the Hungarian National Bank (MNB) about entering the central European country’s market, deputy CEO Andrius Biceika announced on Wednesday. The Hungarian regulator is not opposed to the move, Biceika said in a keynote speech at the Banking Technology conference in Budapest. The
Uncategorized
US authorities were called by European airlines on Wednesday to set a date for reopening and to agree a list of mutually recognized coronavirus vaccines. Earlier in September, US president Joe Biden promised to make the reopening reality in November, primarily for EU citizens. Washington is planning to check full
Uncategorized
To date, on Tuesday the European Commission issued the world’s largest green bond package worth EUR 12 billion, raising funds from the financial markets to finance the green parts of its EUR 800 billion coronavirus recovery fund. The latest bond issuance is the fifth in a row since June
Uncategorized
Alexander Schallenberg is expected to be sworn in “within days” as Chancellor of Austria following the resignation of Sebastian Kurz over the weekend. It would be an “enormously challenging task,” said 52-year-old Schallenberg, who has been Austria’s foreign minister since 2019. Kurz, 35, stepped down on Saturday amid claims
Czech Republic
Corruption allegations against prime minister Andrej Babis are dominating the headlines in Czechia as its citizens prepare to go to the polls on Friday and Saturday. Already reeling from his ANO party’s fall in support during September – from 32.4% to 27.3%, according to pollster STEM – the oligarch
Uncategorized
At the first meeting of the newly founded EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) the EU and the US governments have set the stage for closer technological cooperation and a sharing of progressive trade rules. The aim of TTC is two-fold: simultaneously support domestic industries and achieve a higher level
Uncategorized
Electric car sales more than doubled in 2020 in the European Union, and are up by 130% for the first half of this year. That’s why electric auto manufacturers from China are looking to make inroads into Europe, where the European Union is pushing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Uncategorized
Getting more women involved in the workforce in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) could reap huge benefits – billions of euros – for the region’s economies and even address its labor shortages. That’s according to a report recently released by McKinsey entitled “Win-win: How empowering women can benefit Central and