The Polish prime minister’s agenda has more to do with eradicating his predecessors, Law and Justice, than restoring the rule of law. One month into his latest term in office as Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk has wasted no time to confront the controversial state apparatus … | Continue reading
Facing an immediate cash crunch Ukraine’s leader made a new plea for financial support, but also pitched to global CEOs about the long-term need—and opportunities—for investment in the reconstruction of the country. Last year it was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s wife, … | Continue reading
Uzbekistan’s economy has proven resilient to recent global challenges and has continued to grow at a rapid pace. The outlook remains positive, as the country courts foreign investors across several key sectors. One of the youngest and fastest growing countries in the world (it h … | Continue reading
A new accelerator programme from Startup Lithuania aims to provide start-ups with global experience and a worldwide network from the outset. Startup Lithuania, the Baltic country’s start-up ecosystem facilitator, has partnered with the global innovation platform Plug and Play and … | Continue reading
Over the past year, the front line in Ukraine has hardly shifted. Fierce fighting is taking place in the southern and eastern regions of the country. At the same time, the Russians are seriously engaged in integrating the occupied Ukrainian territories with their own. In November … | Continue reading
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda this week claimed that for the first time since what he dubbed ‘the dark days of totalitarian rule’, Poland has political prisoners. It doesn’t. Anyone thinking that the Polish political scene would be a more peaceful, less antagonistic place foll … | Continue reading
The collective West must close ranks to enforce a uniform travel ban and more stringent banking restrictions on Russia’s entire citizenry. Doing so will serve as a litmus test of whether civil society is truly sold on the hype surrounding ‘multipolarity’ and ‘de-dollarisation’. F … | Continue reading
Catch up quickly with the stories from Central and Eastern Europe that matter. Russia’s war on Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that a ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine would not lead to political dialogue, and would only benefit Moscow. Speaking to r … | Continue reading
GR8 Tech, a dynamic iGaming provider of high-performance sportsbook and casino platforms, is attending the ICE London 2024 exhibition on February 6-8. Moreover, on ICE week’s Monday, February 5, GR8 Tech will also visit the Global Gaming Awards EMEA 2024 ceremony. The company is … | Continue reading
In 1994, the psychological need to maintain ties with Russia pervaded Belarusian society, beset by economic woes after the dissolution of the USSR. Thirty years ago, in January 1994, the Belarusian Supreme Soviet voted to remove Stanislau Shushkevich from his position as Chair of … | Continue reading
Hope of victory is no longer enough for Ukrainians. They want tangible support from the West in order to bring about tangible results. While popular support for Ukraine remains high, tangible assistance is becoming harder to obtain. What at first looked like simple bureaucratic p … | Continue reading
The Tallinn-based AI-powered quality management platform is set to become part of Danish-American giant Zendesk. Klaus, an Estonian AI-powered quality management platform that helps companies drive revenue through outstanding customer service, this week announced that it had agre … | Continue reading
Uncertainty surrounding the evolution of Russia’s war on Ukraine plays an important role in shaping the regional outlook, says the World Bank. Excluding these two economies, growth in the region is expected to accelerate to 3.1 per cent this year and to 3.7 per cent in 2025. As t … | Continue reading
Boomerang Partners, a leading global gaming affiliate programme, has been nominated for Affiliate Programme of the Year in the annual Global Gaming Awards EMEA 2024, following up on the brand’s impressive achievements in 2023. Back by solid results, Boomerang’s Affiliate Program … | Continue reading
Both Slovakia’s Luigi’s Box and Czechia’s Persoo develop personalised search and product recommendation solutions for e-commerce, fully leveraging the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The rapidly growing Slovak e-commerce software firm Luigi’s Bo … | Continue reading
From Tallinn to Ljubljana, emerging Europe is reaping the benefits of two decades of EU membership. But while even the region’s eurosceptics have no real intention of leaving the bloc, more could be done to sell the clear advantages of being part of the world’s largest single mar … | Continue reading
Kosovo and Serbia remain far from agreeing a long-term deal that would see Belgrade recognise Prishtina’s independence, but a seemingly minor agreement on car license plates is a welcome step forward. Since January 1, Kosovars have been able to visit the European Union visa-free. … | Continue reading
Bosnia and Herzegovina is not an easy country to govern, something that prevents its economy from reaching its full potential. No overview of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s economy can begin in earnest without a look at the country’s achingly complicated political landscape, not least … | Continue reading
Catch up quickly with the stories from Central and Eastern Europe that matter. Russia’s war on Ukraine Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and its second-largest city, Kharkiv, came under heavy Russian missile attacks on Tuesday, killing at least five people, a day after Vladimir Putin warn … | Continue reading
MELP, a start-up developing and growing a digital employee well-being management platform, has attracted investment of 635,000 euros to expand internationally. Hardly had the new year begun when news broke on January 3 of the first major funding announcement of 2024 in emerging E … | Continue reading
When selecting a creative suite, it’s important to understand that while these will typically be designed by those with editing knowledge, not all will incorporate the same features. As a result, users will need to look for not only standard video editing tools, but also addition … | Continue reading
Amidst rapid technological advancements and evolving customer expectations, businesses across the globe are racing to harness the transformative power of generative AI. This surge in reliance upon AI technologies, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), is revolutionising oper … | Continue reading
Moldova faces a presidential election and a referendum on EU integration in 2024. Victory for the incumbent Maia Sandu and the pro-EU camp will be crucial to supporting the country’s growth. It’s difficult not to view the recent trajectory of Moldova as one of the most impressive … | Continue reading
What does 2024 hold for the emerging Europe region? We’ve put together a handy primer. While 2024 is unquestionably a year of immense potential for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), it remains to be seen if the region will be able to fully grasp the opportunities with which it h … | Continue reading
From Ukraine’s ongoing resilience in the face of Russia’s brutal aggression to Hungary’s intransigence and a changing of the guard in Poland, this is our review of 2023 in Central and Eastern Europe. Ukraine resists. Russia made few—if any—territorial gains in its neighbour duri … | Continue reading
From the Russian-occupied regions of Georgia and Moldova to the beaches of Albania and the sumptuous dining cars of the Orient Express, these are the ten Emerging Europe stories that grabbed your attention the most in 2023. It’s not just Ukraine. Russia occupies territory in othe … | Continue reading
State-supported demand boosters could potentially revolutionise the energy markets of Poland, Romania, Czechia, Slovakia, and Bulgaria, turning them into a global launch pad for SMR deployment. COP 28’s failure to agree a timetable for phasing out fossil fuels this year is extrem … | Continue reading
As the ESG landscape evolves, board members must adapt to new responsibilities, understand the legal implications of non-compliance, and develop strategies to manage ESG risks effectively. In the contemporary business landscape, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) conside … | Continue reading
Catch up quickly with the stories from Central and Eastern Europe that matter. Russia’s war on Ukraine Ukraine’s military wants to mobilise up to 500,000 extra people, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday, as the war with Russia nears a two-year mark. At a news conference … | Continue reading
Bulgaria’s slow pace of European integration stems from Russia taking full advantage of its failure to make a clean break from communism in 1989. Almost two decades have passed since Bulgaria became a member state of the European Union. And yet, the country is still the poorest i … | Continue reading
As environmental awareness among consumers continues to grow, there is a pressing need to transition away from the current linear “take-make-waste” economic model. Among the most promising solutions, the circular economy is a transformative approach that decouples economic growth … | Continue reading
Visa Foundation and Village Capital have announced their latest equity-free investment of 125,000 US dollars into 11 women-led sustainability as part of the Greentech Europe 2023 programme. Now in its second year, the programme has supported over 135 women-led ventures dedicated … | Continue reading
Personal finance is an area that undergoes changes more than any other. For example, we in Ukraine are so used to the massive digitalisation of this sphere that we are unlikely to go to banking branches and are often surprised by the international payment experience. But what els … | Continue reading
NovaPay is the first among Ukrainian non-banks to present its mobile application, in which Ukrainians can instantly open a payment account, issue a virtual card, and immediately start using it. It became possible due to the extended license of the National Bank of Ukraine; curren … | Continue reading
Azerbaijan will host next year’s COP 29. The EU should seize the moment and make it a game changing event, ushering in a new era of European-Turkish-Central Asian energy and trade co-operation. After COP 28 in the United Arab Emirates, next year’s COP 29 is set to take place in a … | Continue reading
It could be a pivotal year for North Macedonia. Parliamentary and presidential elections await, while economically—after a period of moderate growth, the landlocked Balkan nation is gearing up for a year that could potentially mark a significant upturn in its fortunes. In 2022, … | Continue reading
By bringing together the potential of nature and the power of tech, Estonian start-up Arbonics is making forest carbon removal projects transparent, accurate, verifiable and scalable. Launched in late 2022, Estonian naturetech firm Arbonics already works with 4,000 landowners, pl … | Continue reading
Montenegro began EU membership talks in June 2012. Since then, it has opened 33 out of 35 negotiation chapters, of which only three have been completed—and those only provisionally. A short scene from the Ukrainian comedy series Servant of the People, in which Volodymyr Zelensky … | Continue reading
Catch up quickly with the stories from Central and Eastern Europe that matter. Russia’s war on Ukraine The European Council agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, Council President Charles Michel announced on Thursday evening. Michel made the announcement during … | Continue reading
Romania’s government appears ready accept partial Schengen membership, it’s Bulgarian counterpart less so. Reports on December 9 that Austria was ready to soften its stance over the entry of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union’s border-free Schengen zone provoked very diff … | Continue reading
In the long term, Ukraine’s effective integration with the EU will be the main factor influencing the pace and quality of post-war reconstruction. EU leaders will on December 15 decide whether to start accession negotiations with Ukraine—currently unlikely, given Hungary’s curren … | Continue reading
The last three years brought an accelerated rhythm of change, and significant changes that are yet to be fully assimilated in terms of business impact. High stakes decision making, a process much dreaded for its energy and nerve consuming profile, is becoming more ubiquitous in o … | Continue reading
Poland’s Silesia region, in the past identified with heavy industry and mining, is today increasingly promoting its innovative economy, based on knowledge and modern technologies. As a result, the region has in recent years seen an economic transformation in which new solutions a … | Continue reading
Serbia’s united opposition may not win the country’s upcoming parliamentary election but its emergence bodes well for the future—if it can stay together in defeat. As Serbia heads to the polls for a snap parliamentary election on December 17, the nation finds itself at a critica … | Continue reading
In an exceptional move reverberating through the corridors of technology and governance, the European Union has provisionally adopted the Artificial Intelligence Act, heralding a new era of digital ethics and innovation. This groundbreaking framework is not just a set of regulati … | Continue reading
In an era where technology dictates economic prowess, Moldova is stepping up in the global tech arena. The nation is making a significant mark, boasting a tech sector that contributes a remarkable 7.4 per cent to its GDP. This is a testament to Moldova’s growing strength in IT, a … | Continue reading
Activists from Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia are hopeful that the EU accession process will improve LBGT+ rights in their countries, and are calling on the EU itself to make sure it delivers on its promises. LGBT+ activists from European Union hopefuls Ukraine, Moldova and Georgi … | Continue reading
Romania. It’s come a long way these past 30 years, but can still often be the victim of awful, outdated stereotypes, from Dracula to stray dogs and abandoned orphans. Make your own mind up about Romania by taking a literary journey through the country’s history, culture, politics … | Continue reading