Central Europe / News
Zelenskiy says situation at Poland border has gone 'too far'
Ukraine says Poland is not doing enough to contain the protests that hurt its economy during wartime.
Slovak foreign minister slammed by opposition and president for meeting Russia's Lavrov
Prime Minister Robert Fico praised the meeting as an example of a “balanced and sovereign Slovak foreign policy”.
Hungary’s central bank governor slams government policy and flags risks to independence
Central bank governor Gyorgy Matolcsy slammed the government's economic policy shift in mid-2021 and denounced attempts by the cabinet to curb the central bank’s independence.
Czech lower house passes watered down legislation enhancing the rights of same sex couples
Marriage for all staunchly opposed by the powerful conservative wing in the parliament.
Slovak Constitutional Court suspends part of Fico’s judicial overhaul
Court rushes to suspend several key paragraphs in the government's controversial legislative reform
Thailand's SCBX acquires PPF's Home Credit Vietnam business for €800mn
PPF founded Home Credit Vietnam in 2008, becoming the second largest player in the Vietnamese consumer finance sector.
Czech court maintains Liberty Ostrava's protection from bankruptcy
Liberty Ostrava has not been operating since December after its main energy supplier cut off power and went into bankruptcy.
Czech plan reportedly secures 800,000 pieces of ammunition for Ukraine
Czechs use worldwide arms contacts to locate ammunition stocks which “for political reasons” the supplying countries won’t be able to deliver themselves.
British man arrested after illegally trying to cross Russian border to meet online fiancée
A lovestruck Brit was arrested on February 23 after attempting to illegally cross the border from Poland into Russia, where he wanted to meet a girl he had met online.
Despite differences over Ukraine, V4 leaders stress the platform is not dead
Split over Ukraine has led analysts and journalists to describe the group as the V2+V2 rather than the V4, and to speculate whether it had a function anymore.
Hungarian central bank cuts key rate by 100bp to 9%
Hungary’s economy has seen strong and general disinflation as headline CPI last month fell 1.7pp on a monthly basis to 3.8%.
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Macron says sending Nato ground troops to Ukraine should not be ruled out
French president says Russia now presents a greater danger and nothing should be excluded.
Hungarian parliament finally ratifies Sweden's Nato membership
The saga has further strained Hungary’s ties with allies, undermined the country’s credibility and reinforced views that Prime Minister Viktor Orban serves Russian interests.
Romania’s president pitches to be CEE's candidate for Nato top seat
The alliance's CEE countries had hoped to be strong contenders to helm the alliance this time around, but the Netherlands' Mark Rutte appears to have it in the bag already.
Hungarian State Audit Office fines opposition parties for alleged foreign campaign financing
The Orban government aims to cut off all kinds of funding to its political opponents, while it has an unlimited pool of state funding for campaigns.
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Farmer protests grip Poland
The Polish government is under mounting pressure to deal with the protests and not let domestic politics compromise its support for Ukraine.
Hungary’s parliament finally sets date to ratify Sweden’s Nato membership
Hungary’s defiance over the issue has led to further souring of relations with the United States.
Hungary spent whopping €3.5bn on propaganda between 2015-2023
State advertisement contracts roughly equal half of the entire spending in Hungary’s communication market.
Hungarian influencers organise huge rally to support victims of child abuse
Biggest rally against Viktor Orban's regime since he took office in 2010.
Hungarian government officials, Fidesz cold shoulder US bipartisan delegation visiting Budapest
Senior Hungarian government officials and Fidesz parliamentary representatives declined to meet with the bipartisan US Congressional delegation on a mission focused on strategic issues confronting Nato and Hungary.