Georgia may have decades ago broken free from the Soviet Union, but its struggle for true independence is far from over. For the 15 nations once trapped behind the Iron Curtain, the Soviet Union represented not just stagnation but an imposed paralysis—a system designed to suppres … | Continue reading
Boomerang Partners, a rapidly growing global brand, recaps the first month of its second annual Golden Boomerang Awards 2025 affiliate traffic tournament. More than 400 affiliate teams from all over the world, including emerging European countries, are participating. They’re rack … | Continue reading
In an era of geopolitical challenges and unpredictability, energy security in Europe has turned an important corner. The world’s energy needs are always evolving, and recent political and economic developments in key global markets have once again sparked a monumental shift in ou … | Continue reading
Counterfeit and contraband tobacco products represent a bigger health hazard than regulated tobacco, while porous borders are a security risk for NATO’s eastern and south eastern flanks. A unnamed smuggler operating at the Romanian Ukrainian border spoke to a local media outlet s … | Continue reading
Reinvention doesn’t happen in a single moment. It’s not a dramatic pivot or a sudden epiphany. It’s a process—one that demands clarity, discipline, and self-awareness. And in my experience, there’s no better tool for that than journalling. At the start of 2020, when the world cam … | Continue reading
A country once renowned for punching well above its weight is struggling. Fortunately, its digital prowess offers hope of a quick recovery. For all its many examples of best practice, such as its world-leading system of digital public services and unique start-up culture, Estonia … | Continue reading
If a dictated peace were to be imposed on Ukraine, the most obvious economic implication for the rest of Europe would presumably be less eagerness among foreign investors to invest in Central and South Eastern Europe. A dictated peace settlement in Ukraine on terms favourable to … | Continue reading
Central and Eastern Europe is no longer Europe’s peripheral backyard. It is an emerging epicentre for technological breakthroughs and a vital node in a rapidly shifting global supply chain. It’s a self-made renaissance—an economic and technological reinvention that goes far beyon … | Continue reading
The unregulated infusion of UAE petrodollars could prove as corrosive and cancerous to Tbilisi’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations as Moscow’s ongoing hybrid warfare campaign. On January 13, at Abu Dhabi’s Radisson Blu Hotel, three MPs from Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party roughed u … | Continue reading
Artificial intelligence is transforming industries at an unprecedented pace, but its environmental footprint is expanding just as rapidly. The growing demand for AI-driven technologies has placed increasing pressure on energy grids, water resources, and raw material supplies. As … | Continue reading
Should this most reclusive of countries ever swing open its doors to outside investors, prepare for a global scramble. Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, is a city of pristine white marble, whose vast boulevards and glittering facades seem designed to dazzle anyone stepping o … | Continue reading
Reinvention isn’t a response to crisis. It’s what stops a crisis from happening in the first place. Most companies don’t fail because they’re bad businesses. They fail because they assume today’s success guarantees tomorrow’s relevance. They wait until decline is unavoidable, the … | Continue reading
An unstoppable wave of EU financing is sweeping through Central and Eastern Europe, transforming railways, roads, and power grids faster than most would have imagined just a decade ago. It may not always be immediately obvious to drivers stuck in some of Central and Eastern Europ … | Continue reading
Decoupling from Russian energy isn’t just about keeping the lights on. It’s about sparking local industries, drawing investment, and fuelling a more dynamic economy. Energy security used to be an afterthought in Central and Eastern Europe. Natural gas? Russia provided it. Oil? Ag … | Continue reading
Boomerang Partners is holding its second annual Golden Boomerang Awards 2025 global traffic tournament until May 11. Already, more than 400 teams are generating FTDs on Boomerang’s brands and accumulating points to get prizes. This year, results count in two leaderboards—sports a … | Continue reading
With cutting-edge innovations in sportsbook and casino technology, GR8 Tech has been recognised as the Best iGaming Platform in Europe 2025 by International Investor Magazine. Known for its in-depth market analysis and insights for the global investment community, the publication … | Continue reading
Landfills once defined Central and Eastern Europe’s approach to waste management, but today a wave of policy reforms, tech-savvy start-ups, and canny investors is building a different legacy: an economy that prizes reusing, recycling, and reinventing yesterday’s rubbish into tomo … | Continue reading
Nearshoring has evolved from an appealing notion to a strategic imperative for many international firms, propelled by supply-chain disruptions, shifting cost calculations, and geopolitical uncertainties. That Central Europe has quietly transformed into a dynamic manufacturing hub … | Continue reading
Europe’s labour shortages won’t vanish overnight, even with increased automation and reskilling drives. Global partnerships could offer a solution. Europe’s talent shortage isn’t just a statistic. It’s a warning sign. Right now, 84 per cent of occupations in the EU face gaps in a … | Continue reading
With Donald Trump back in the White House, official talks with Vladimir Putin about ending the Ukraine war look likely. The best place to host those talks is in Belgrade, Serbia. A meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has become increasingly likely. Speculation has gro … | Continue reading
This isn’t about ‘adopting AI’. It’s about rebuilding businesses around it. Just a couple of years ago AI was being discussed in the usual way—exciting, futuristic, but ultimately distant. It was something to prepare for, not something to actively build around. Companies were sti … | Continue reading
Historically divided by generational differences, religious beliefs, and the circumstances of emigration, Ukraine’s diaspora in the US have set aside many of their differences to support their homeland. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has acted as a unify … | Continue reading
Entrenched corruption and weakening democratic institutions in the region can frequently be attributed to the dismantling of critical checks and balances. Extensive corruption continues to plague Eastern Europe and Central Asia, according to Transparency International’s Corruptio … | Continue reading
We often think of resilience as the ability to recover from shocks and return to the previous state of being. However, we know from nature that real resilience comes from the ability to adapt and evolve. Not all digital networks, and not all nodes within them, are equal. Some net … | Continue reading
GR8 Tech has launched a five-episode video series that demonstrates how its top-tier CRM can address key client challenges, such as improving communication, automating workflows, and delivering personalised experiences. Through real-life examples from GR8 Tech’s clients, viewers … | Continue reading
While audiences across the emerging Europe region and beyond are currently more familiar with pop stars and artists of Kosovo origin, such as Rita Ora and Dua Lipa, the rising stars of the Kosovo fashion industry are poised to make their mark. In her 2017 hit single Blow Your Min … | Continue reading
A major new report from Emerging Europe suggests that governments and businesses should embrace technology-driven solutions to drive reinvention to ensure that no community, especially those in rural and remote areas, is left behind. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe an … | Continue reading
Smokestacks and tower blocks rarely conjure up visions of creative renaissance. Yet from the Silesian heartlands of Poland to the industrial fringes of Bulgaria, once gritty metropolises are rebranding themselves as cultural hothouses, powered by entrepreneurial zeal. In much of … | Continue reading
Reinvention isn’t about abandoning your past. It’s about not letting the past define your future. Reinvention isn’t optional. The companies that survive reinvent themselves before they have to. The ones that thrive make it a habit. Look at Microsoft, IBM, Philips, Boeing, and oth … | Continue reading
America’s retreat from USAID would harm the foundations of democracy in countries once occupied by, or under the influence of, the Soviet Union. Ever since the Berlin Wall came crashing down more than three decades ago, Central and Eastern Europe has been a laboratory for the som … | Continue reading
Most Kosovars hope that a parliamentary election on February 9 and the formation of a new coalition government will usher in a promising new era that will substantially improve the day-to-day lives of ordinary people. Will the new government be in tune to meet much of the public’ … | Continue reading
Hollywood is wearing Moldova. From Katy Perry to Drew Barrymore’s co-host, Moldovan fashion is making its mark. “I simply LOVE this top and trousers to go with it!!” exclaimed Sunny Anderson, co-host of Drew Barrymore’s TV show, on her Instagram page. She had just appeared before … | Continue reading
Donald Trump’s threatened duties on EU imports loom large over the region’s economic ambitions. When Donald Trump first floated the idea of imposing heavier tariffs on certain imports from the European Union, most observers glanced west—towards Germany’s mighty car industry and F … | Continue reading
Any negative impact of high US tariffs on European goods and services would be significant for members of the bloc in emerging Europe. Even though the return of Donald Trump as US president is creating great uncertainty and the international environment remains difficult, growth … | Continue reading
Donald Tusk’s government has achieved some significant reforms but growing frustration among voters means that the PM’s preferred choice for president, Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, is far from guaranteed victory in May’s presidential election. Poland’s liberal and pro-European … | Continue reading
The click of a mouse now dissolves a marriage in Estonia. In a country where citizens can start businesses, pay taxes, and even vote online, the final frontier of digital governance—divorce—has gone virtual. As of December 2024, Estonia has achieved what few nations have dared t … | Continue reading
Boomerang Partners has launched its second annual traffic tournament, Golden Boomerang Awards 2025. The competition for affiliate teams from all over the world, including emerging countries in Europe, will run from February 3 to May 11. The conditions are simple: register, by com … | Continue reading
For the first time in three decades that Moldova holds undisputed leverage in its relationship with Transnistria. The choices made now will define the country’s future path, either solidifying its European trajectory or perpetuating its vulnerability to external pressures. Since … | Continue reading
As businesses adapt to technological disruption, citizens are asking why their governments seem stuck in slow motion. Governments around the world are facing a reckoning. Voter frustration, rising expectations, and the breakneck pace of technological change are colliding to creat … | Continue reading
Europe has finally realised that it needs to catch up on innovation and production with the United States and Asia. But the key will be execution, not words. Europe just drew its line in the sand. The European Commission’s new Competitiveness Compass, published this week, isn’t j … | Continue reading
Reversing brain drain is more than a policy challenge. It is a broader project of national renewal, requiring trust in domestic institutions and belief in a shared future. Across much of emerging Europe, brain drain remains an enduring concern. Since the early years of transition … | Continue reading
E-commerce platforms with a track record of agility, such as Allegro or eMag, have shown that adaptation can be a formidable bulwark against even the largest global competitors. The e-commerce boom that has reshaped retail around the world has found especially fertile ground in C … | Continue reading
The region will become either a model of balanced sustainability or a battleground of unending disputes between industry, governments, and civil society—depending on where compromise can be found. Central and Eastern Europe is undergoing one of its most consequential transformati … | Continue reading
ICE 2025 marked GR8 Tech’s second birthday and a strong start to the year for the company. The provider showcased innovative iGaming solutions and reinforced its position as a high-performing industry leader, unveiling its partnership with Ready to Fight co-founded by boxing cham … | Continue reading
From remote Bulgarian villages to Estonian islands, a silent revolution is underway—one that promises to reshape not just healthcare delivery, but the very geography of medical access. In much of rural emerging Europe, winter often leaves villages blanketed with snow for weeks at … | Continue reading
Where resilience seeks stability, reinvention thrives on transformation. For businesses, resilience has been the word of the decade. Faced with a global pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and the economic uncertainty brought on by war and climate change, resilience has become sy … | Continue reading
Ready to Fight by Oleksandr Usyk and GR8 Tech have joined forces in a technological partnership that bridges the worlds of sports and innovation. As Ready To Fight’s exclusive partner in tech, GR8 Tech combines its unrivaled expertise in iGaming with RTF’s experience as the undis … | Continue reading
By penalising those with distant or even irrelevant ties to Belarusian state institutions, Lithuania risks undermining its own democratic values. Over the last two years, Lithuania has tightened its policies on granting residence permits to Belarusian nationals due to national se … | Continue reading