Czech Republic
Security probe launched into Czech foreign minister's appearance in fake blogger interview
Czech police protection unit investigates Petr Macinka's interview with masked online activist Vojtěch Pšenák.
AfD surge in eastern Germany puts Central Europe’s mainstream parties on alert
Election result in Saxony-Anhalt has triggered a strong response across Central Europe.
IntelliNews Lambda: EU gas storage is emptier than in the 2022 crisis, gas prices doubles
Europe will miss its 90% full target for gas storage by November and is now on course to hit only 68%. Gas prices have already doubled but another 2022 gas crisis is unlikely, according to IntelliNews Lambda's model.
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Czech PMI improves to 54.1 in August, highest level since April 2022
The PMI has remained on or above the 50-point mark separating growth and decline since February.
Central Europe seeks bigger role in shaping EU policy
PMs of Croatia, Czechia and Slovenia say CEE countries should use their growing economic and political weight to shape the EU's future.
Czech court affirms conditional sentence for MEP Nagyová in Storks’ Nest fraud case
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is also on trial in the €2mn Stork's Nest subsidy fraud case, but his part of the case has been halted while he holds parliamentary immunity.
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Czech GDP grows by 1.9% in Q2, according to refined estimate
Domestic consumption remains the main driver of GDP growth.
Czech Pilsner hikes beer prices by 2.6% over Hormuz crisis impact
Iconic Czech brewery responds to rising costs of material and commodities in connection with the conflict in the Middle East.
Radical overhaul of Czech drug policies alarms experts
Czech anti-drug policies have earned international respect in the last two decades, but recent changes raise fears country could be heading towards a similar emergency to the opioid crisis in the US.
Russia's saboteurs have followed the arms industry east into Nato
Slovak police foiled an arson attack on a Ukrainian-owned drone factory near Presov this week, the first documented attempt of its kind in the country.
The EU's trade with Russia has inverted
For the first time in the modern history of the relationship, the European Union sells Russia more goods than it buys from it. The EU used to be Russia’s biggest trade partners but little is left from the pre-war boom except fish and fertilizers.
Hungarian households' finances squeezed despite real wage growth
Hungarian households remain financially constrained despite a strong recovery in real wages, with nearly three in ten reporting having no money left at the end of the month.
IntelliNews Lambda: EU gas storage to reach only 77% by November 1, but a crisis depends on the weather
EU gas storage will be about 77% full when the heating season opens on November 1, 12 points below the fifteen-year norm and short of the 90% target. What happens after that will dependend heavily on the weather.
Europe's second inflation shock is arriving in two waves, energy now and food next year
Central bankers do not usually forecast the weather. The European Central Bank's chief economist has just put one into his.
Czech ČEZ rejects corruption speculation involving Slovak JESS nuclear company
ČEZ said it rejects "nonsensical speculations" about the value of the ČEZ share in the JESS company not bring assessed transparently.
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4iG shares in freefall after Hungarian government launches sweeping review of state ties
Peter Magyar's government is reviewing 4iG’s ownership, financing and contractual ties with the state, putting the telecoms and defence group’s rapid expansion under the previous Orbán governments under scrutiny.
Poland says Russia hired an assassin to kill an American in Warsaw, as sabotage and covert operations raise their head again
Poland says it stopped a Russian-directed plot to murder a US citizen in Warsaw - the first time, its prime minister says, that Moscow has tried to kill an American inside another Nato country.
Hungary’s commercial property market draws €610mn investment in H1
Hungary’s commercial real estate market recorded its strongest first-half performance since 2021, according to international property adviser Colliers.
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ORYNBAYEV: US STEM talent is up for grabs – the EU must poach it
America's retreat from research funding and openness to skilled immigration has handed Europe an unexpected strategic advantage. If Brussels can remove visa barriers and back scientists, it has a rare chance to narrow the innovation gap.
IntelliNews Lambda: EU gas storage refill lags badly, on track to miss 90% November target
EU gas storage is refilling at one of its slowest paces in 15 years, and the numbers say the bloc has almost no chance of reaching its 90% target by November.