Hungary
Hungary has world's second-largest LEGO plant after €140mn expansion
Danish toy maker LEGO's expansion of its Hungarian base boosts production by 30%.
Orban says ‘Hungary can't be circumvented' on Ukraine EU accession
Ukraine's accession procedure to the European Union cannot be opened through "legal tricks" circumventing Hungary, PM Viktor Orban tells journalists at EU summit in Copenhagen.
.jpg)
EU presses ahead with December signing of divisive Mercosur deal
The European Commission is gearing up to sign its contentious trade agreement with South American bloc Mercosur on December 5 in Brazil, possibly sealing the fate of an accord that has languished in negotiations for more than a quarter-century.
VISEGRAD BLOG: Will Czechia drift into Slovak and Hungarian direction after this week’s elections?
Czech populist stalwart Andrej Babiš and his ANO party are projected to make a comeback after this week's elections, raising questions about the country's future direction.
EBRD warns CEE competitiveness at risk as China’s export power grows
China's exports have become more similar to those from Central Europe and Turkey, as its share in global manufacturing exports surges.
Orban dismisses Ukraine drone incursion as “it is not a sovereign state”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban dismissed allegations that Hungarian drones violated Ukrainian airspace last week as irrelevant even if they had, as “Ukraine is not an independent, sovereign country”, he said in an interview.
Croatian PM angrily rejects Hungarian accusations of war profiteering
"We're the good guy," says Andrej Plenkovic after Hungarian foreign minister claims Zagreb is profiting from disruptions in Russian supplies.
Hungary's Fidesz on the defensive after paedophile allegations against high-level government officials
Claims senior politicians could have shielded the director of Budapest-based juvenile correctional institution Szolo Street have the potential to become a "Hungarian Epstein case".
European diplomats warn Kremlin that Nato is prepared to shoot planes over its airspace
European diplomats warned the Kremlin that Nato is prepared to shoot down any Russian fighter jets that violate their airspace, as military tensions between the EU and Russia continue to mount.
Poland building a drone wall to protect Europe
Poland will lead an effort to build a “drone wall” to block Europe’s airspace to swarms of Russian UAVs should a pan-regional war ever break out.
COMMENT: Trump is preparing a “back door” plan to blame EU for Ukraine’s failure - FT
European officials fear that US President Donald Trump’s dramatic U-turn on Ukraine is a back door plan to shift responsibility for the West’s failure to prevent Ukraine’s defeat in its war with Russia or help it recover afterwards.
EBRD says geopolitics, tariffs and China competition weigh on Emerging Europe growth
Development bank downgrades 2025 forecasts for Central and Eastern Europe citing weak external demand, rising debt and the impact of US tariffs.
EU launches red-tape cutting reforms seeking to make Europe competitive again
Brussels will start cutting red tape with the so-called omnibus legislation this autumn as it sets out to make Europe competitive again, Politico reported on September 17.
EU finance ministers discuss Ukraine's Reparations Loan but no decision yet
EU finance ministers met in Copenhagen on September 20 to discuss tapping the cash pile of frozen Central Bank of Russia (CBR) money and using it to make a large Reparation Loans to Ukraine, but no final decision has been reached.
EU passes nineteenth sanctions package, accelerates LNG phase out
The European Commission has published proposals for a 19th sanctions package against Russia that would tighten curbs on energy trade and payments, with new measures aimed at oil refineries, oil traders and petrochemical companies in third countries.
Europe’s summer heatwaves killed more than 16,000 people
The heatwaves that swept the Continent were responsible for more than two-thirds of the 24,400 heat-related deaths estimated in Europe this summer, or 16,266 people, according to a new study conducted by scientists at Imperial College London.
Russian team comes dead last in Hungary’s annual grave digging contest
In a surprise move, Hungary invited a Russian team to its annual grave digging competition. In an even bigger surprise the team from Novosibirsk came dead last.
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.
Ukraine hits multiple Russian oil refineries, Trump calls for more EU oil sanctions
Ukraine is expanding its campaign of trying to cut the Kremlin off from its oil export income with a campaign of targeting Russia’s oil refining and pipeline assets, using its new long-range drones and missiles.
COMMENT: Europe’s summer of humiliation
This summer started with optimism around trade deals and progress in Ukraine, but quickly unravelled. Trade uncertainty is back, the war drags on with rising casualties, and Europe is now grappling with a raft of political crises.