Slovakia
Slovak parliament moves closer to approving foreign agent bill aimed at NGOs
NGOs which receive more than €5,000 from outside of Slovakia will be labelled “organisations with foreign support”.
‘Accession bonus’ gave new EU members advantage over fellow emerging markets
EBRD research shows GDP per capita in 8 CEE countries that joined the EU in 2004 has close to doubled as a share of Germany’s GDP per capita.
20 years after accession 'big bang' wiiw economists say CEE needs a new model to catch up with the West
Eastern EU members are growing much faster than the eurozone, but must focus more on innovation for a full catchup.
Central European populism bites the hand that feeds it
20 years after Central European countries' accession, the region's populists present a grave threat to the EU's fundamental values.
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Czech police point to Russia's GRU as investigation into ammunition explosion is shelved
Czech interior minister says that Russia is “transgressing valid international agreements” after it refused to cooperate with Czech authorities on the case.
COMMENT: Testing the limits – the politics of EU membership in CEE 20 years after accession
Apathy and lack of trust in national institutions, combined with ‘convergence fatigue’, have created favourable conditions for populist forces that have degraded the quality of institutions in many of the CEE states that joined the EU in 2004.
THE VIEW FROM MITTELEUROPA: Has EU enlargement been an economic success story?
20 years after the accession of Central Europe, EU enlargement can be seen as an engine of economic growth, even if it was not a success everywhere and in all areas.
Czech tycoon Kretinsky enters steel business with 20% stake in Thyssenkrupp
EP is in talks to acquire a further 30% of the steel business in a pursuit of forming a 50:50 joint venture.
Fears grow of Russian interference in Central European media space
At the same time, in Poland and Hungary, social networking sites and messaging apps are considered more free and more trustworthy than mainstream media, according to new poll.
Bankers reassessing accelerating climate crisis in anticipation of trillions of dollars of annual damage
As the climate crisis accelerates, banks are facing increasing financial risks and have begun to try to assess their exposure to the trillions of dollars of damage extreme weather will do every year.
Slovakia’s cabinet approves legislation to restructure public broadcaster
New bill will allow government to change leadership of public broadcaster, while 'ethical council' will oversee content.
CEE recovering but no full rebound in sight, says wiiw
Germany’s slow recovery is dampening growth prospects for Central and Southeast European economies.
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Slovak unemployment inched further down to 3.88% in March
There were 167,493 job applicants in March, which is at its lowest level since the end of 2019.
AI and cybersecurity to drive CEE tech sector
PwC and CEE Digital Coalition believe the Central and Eastern Europe region has the potential to create the EU’s Silicon Valley.
Czech tycoon Kretinsky’s £4.5bn bid for owner of Royal Mail rejected
IDS shares jumped by 29% on April 17 after it announced it had turned down an indicative offer at 320p per share from Kretinsky’s EP Group.
Slovak presidential campaign showed how populists can dominate the narrative to mobilise support
Government candidate Peter Pellegrini used trumped-up messages of fear channelled through social media networks.
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Slovak inflation eased further to 2.3% in March
Prices in the alcohol and tobacco sector increased by 19% y/y, including the 9.1% spike in tobacco prices as a result of the new consumption tax.
COMMENT: The Three Seas Initiative's digital imperative
While digital infrastructure in the region is growing, support infrastructure designed to handle the growth in demand is what requires investment.
IEA: Methane emissions at an all-time high need to be reduced by 75% by 2030 at a cost of $170bn
Methane emissions are 80 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. Rather than falling, they are currently at an all-time high and rising. The IEA says they need to fall by 75% by 2030 if the Paris Accord targets are going to be met.
The EU is preparing a new, fourteenth package of sanctions
The EU is preparing a new fourteenth package of sanctions that is slated for adoption in the coming months, but is unlikely to introduce any new products and will focus mostly on enforcing the existing thirteen rounds of sanctions.