Joint letter says Russian assets should rebuild Ukraine
Leaders from the Baltic nations and Poland have called for the utilization of approximately EUR 300bn worth of assets from the...
European Union
EU widens embargo on Russian diesel, oil
The European Union expanded its ban on Russian diesel fuel and refined oil products with immediate effect on Sunday 5 February,...
Hungary bails out steelmaker Dunaferr
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with a working group aiming to save the indebted steel company Dunaferr on Wednesday, 1...
CEE countries ask EU to fund Azeri gas pipelines
Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia have jointly requested EU funding to develop the necessary infrastructure to support increased gas supplies from...
Poland emerges as European defence power
As President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine nears its first anniversary and Russia regroups, the defence sector politics of Central and...
Hungary, Poland hope law reforms will see EU unfreeze billions in funding in 2023
The EU last year attempted to address the erosion of perceived democratic norms of the populist governments of Hungary and Poland,...
Hungary, EU agree conditional release of disputed funds
The Council of the European Union adopted legislation Friday on releasing funds for Hungary’s EUR 5.8bn Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF)...
Bosnia, Kosovo, move closer to EU, amid scepticism over lengthy accession process
Bosnia and Herzegovina became an official candidate for EU membership in Brussels on Thursday, as the European Council approved the recommendation...
Eight CEE countries push for ‘significantly lower’ EU gas price cap
A total of eight Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries have co-signed a paper with four other EU member states that...
EU clears path for EUR 18bn loan to Ukraine
Next year the EU will provide Ukraine with EUR 18bn, circumventing Hungary's veto, the Council of the European Union announced on...
EU green lights Croatia to join Schengen, snubs Bulgaria, Romania
Croatia will become the Schengen zone’s newest member on 1 January, the Council of the EU announced on Thursday, 8 December. Croatia will...
EU moves to freeze Hungary funds, but real picture more nuanced
The European Commission (EC) opened the possibility for EU national leaders to punish Hungary in an upcoming vote on funding suspensions, on...
Serbia backtracks on deal with Kosovo
The EU brokered a last-ditch agreement between Kosovo and Serbia on Wednesday, 23 November, only for Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to...
EC to decide on Hungary funding by end of month
Hungary will find out whether it will receive its EUR 7.2 bn pandemic recovery fund payment on 22 November, Bloomberg reports,...
Bulgaria, Romania edge towards Schengen membership, as MEPs express overwhelming support
MEPs backed Bulgaria and Romania joining the Schengen zone in the coming months by an overwhelming margin on Tuesday. Of the 639...
Qatar to open embassy in Czech capital
Czechia and Qatar signed bilateral agreements on Wednesday, as the Gulf state announced that it will open its first embassy in...
‘The Chinese always have a multi-layered approach’ – CEPA expert Tamas Matura talks China in CEE with CET
Hungarian Sinologist Tamas Matura argued in his recent report for CEPA that China wields little influence in Hungary, despite the Hungarian...
MEPs to vote on rule of law in Hungary, as EC mulls next move on suspended funds
As the September 21 deadline approaches, leaders in Brussels are split on whether to finally unlock billions of euros that have...
EU member states split over strictness of visa policy for Russians – CET analysis
After months of deliberation, Estonia banned Russian citizens with tourist visas from entering its territory on Thursday, effective as of next...
Hungary makes energy crisis plans
The Hungarian government unveiled a number of energy-related measures at the weekend, in response to soaring prices and an impending autumn...