Central Europe / Features
The European Commission proposes to “creatively” tap Russia’s $300bn of frozen assets with Reparation Loans
The European Commission is floating a new idea of how to “creatively” tap Russia’s $300bn of frozen assets without the need to appropriate, which is legally questionable, by replacing the money transferred to Kyiv with EU-backed bonds.
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Will Poland’s defence splurge spark an economic boom?
Poland’s rapid defence spending rise won’t translate into a broader economic boom unless deeper structural shifts will happen that will take bolder reforms.
Businesses fear Slovenia’s cannabis reform to create a workforce of stoners
Allowing limited personal use of cannabis poses serious risks for workplace safety, liability and public trust, employers tell bne IntelliNews.
INTERVIEW: Slovenia’s sovereign sustainability-linked bond could catalyse Europe’s stalled SLB market
First European sovereign SLB paves the way for other European sovereigns and corporates to follow, IEEFA sustainable finance analyst Kevin Leung tells bne IntelliNews.
Poland faces political paralysis as leadership divide deepens
Poland’s mounting conflict between nationalist President Karol Nawrocki and pro-EU Prime Minister Donald Tusk is paralysing governance and undermining credibility abroad.
LONG READ: Europeans face recession, financial crises, as they struggle to boost defence spending
US President Donald Trump has dropped the burden of supplying and supporting Ukraine’s battle against Russia firmly in Europe’s lap. But cash-strapped and with the UK and France on the verge of crisis, they are going to struggle to manage.
INTERVIEW: How tiny Slovenia’s equity market outpaced global peers
InterCapital’s Divo Pulitika analyses why Slovenia and Romania have quietly delivered some of the best equity market returns in the world over the past decade — and whether this can continue.
Europe overtakes US as main supplier of military aid to Ukraine
Europe, including the United Kingdom, has outstripped the United States in total military aid to Ukraine for the first time since mid-2022, with a growing share of support sourced directly from defence industry production rather stockpiles.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said there are signs Russo-Ukraine war could stop soon as fatigue builds
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on July 30 that there are “many signs” that suggest the war in Ukraine may soon be at least temporarily halted but warned that even a ceasefire would not change Poland’s policy of building up its army.
Poland sees record life expectancy amid deepening demographic crisis
Life expectancy in Poland reached its highest recorded level in 2024, with men living on average 74.93 years and women 82.26 years, the Central Statistical Office (GUS) reported on July 30.
EXPLAINER: Ukraine's EU accession path
The war is not an obstacle to Ukraine's membership of the EU, and most of the EU members states have thrown their support behind getting Ukraine into the club as fast as possible.
CEE healthcare remains attractive as private equity investors branch out into dental and pet care
Two decades after private equity firms first started to bet big on Central Europe’s private healthcare, the sector remains a magnet for investors, who are also eyeing deals in adjacent sectors.
UNFPA survey reveals why millions can’t have the families they dream of
A growing global crisis in reproductive agency – not overpopulation or declining birth rates – is one of the most urgent demographic challenges of our time, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said.
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Russian aid agency seeking to fill USAID gaps in former Soviet Union
Imperial attitudes undermine ambitions for expanded influence.
EU eyes new Asian trade alliances to offset US trade war risks
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is pushing for closer ties with Asia as part of a new EU trade strategy to offset the growing trade war risks with the Trump administration and reforming the global trade system.
Global uncertainty causes FDI to plummet in Emerging Europe
wiiw research blames crisis in German industry and the uncertainty surrounding Donald Trump’s second term as US president for sharp slowdown in FDI.
Proposed defence spending hike to 5% of GDP exposes divisions among Nato members
Russia hawks in Poland and the Baltic States are firmly behind plan to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP, while other members question new target.
Żabka opens 100th Froo convenience store in Romania
Polish convenience store operator Żabka has opened its 100th Froo-branded store in Romania, one year after launching in the market, the company said on June 16.