Central East Europe / News
Protests intensify against Lithuanian culture minister exposed in viral sauna video
Lithuania’s cultural community has vowed to press ahead with protests over the government’s decision to hand the culture ministry to the radical right Nemunas Dawn party.
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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.
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.
Slovakia adopts PM Fico’s amendments enshrining two genders in constitution
The constitutional changes, which include limiting who can adopt children, may put Slovakia at odds with EU norms on equality.
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.
Lithuanian government confirmed despite outrage over minister’s half-naked dance video
Protests erupt after viral video shows incoming Culture Minister Ignotas Adomavicius dancing lewdly in a hot tub.
Slovenia bans Israeli PM Netanyahu
Slovenia imposes ban as debate intensifies within the EU over how to respond to Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank, where humanitarian conditions have deteriorated sharply.
Slovenia’s pharma exports take $830mn hit from US tariffs
EBRD research finds Slovenia's pharma exports slashed mainly because of integration with Swiss supply chain after Switzerland was slapped with 39% tariff.
"Don’t come here to whine" if Nato downs your jets, Poland’s Sikorski warns Russia at UN
Polish foreign minister's rebuke follows incursion into Estonia airspace by Russian MIG-31s and drone violations over Poland and Romanian.
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.
Estonia’s foreign minister summons Russia’s chargé d’affaires over 12-minute incursion in Estonia’s airspace
Estonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 19 summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Russian Federation in Estonia to lodge a protest for an "unprecedentedly brazen" violation of Estonia’s airspace after three MiGs entered its airspace.
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.
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.
Rail Baltica signs €1.77bn electrification contract in Vilnius
Deal moves forward one of the largest infrastructure agreements in the region’s history, that has faced multiple delays and rising costs.
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.
Lukewarm support for Polish UN vote condemning Russian drone incursion
Only 46 out of 193 UN member states signed a joint UN declaration on September 12, denouncing Russia’s alleged involvement in a drone incursion into Polish airspace two days earlier.
Hungarian foreign minister fails to condemn Russian drone attack during Belarus visit
Peter Szijjarto avoided blaming Russia for drones crossing Polish airspace and causing damage, a stance in line with Budapest’s longstanding reluctance to confront Moscow directly.
Von der Leyen pledges unwavering support for Ukraine, unveils competitiveness reforms in EC state of the Union speech
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her annual EU State of the Union address on September 10 to reaffirm the bloc’s commitment to Ukraine, signal a tougher stance on Israeli settler violence, and outline reform
Poland to invoke Nato’s article 4 after Russian drones’ incursion into Polish airspace
PM Donald Tusk says overnight incursions were "incomparably more dangerous" than previous incidents since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.