Poland
Central European populism bites the hand that feeds it
20 years after Central European countries' accession, the region's populists presents a grave threat to the EU's fundamental values.
Poland’s Tusk orders thorough probe into Orlen’s $370mn botched oil deal
Orlen's PiS-appointed CEO reportedly disregarded warnings from the company's security team about head of Swiss subsidiary's alleged Hezbollah links.
COMMENT: Testing the limits – the politics of EU membership in CEE 20 years after accession
Apathy and lack of trust in national institutions, combined with ‘convergence fatigue’, have created favourable conditions for populist forces that have degraded the quality of institutions in many of the CEE states that joined the EU in 2004.
THE VIEW FROM MITTELEUROPA: Has EU enlargement been an economic success story?
20 years after the accession of Central Europe, EU enlargement can be seen as an engine of economic growth, even if it was not a success everywhere and in all areas.
Poland facing arbitration over Warburg Pincus' complaint about rules limiting pharmacies
Polish legislation limits pharmacy ownership to pharmacists only, restricts opening of new pharmacies near existing ones, and sets a cap where one owner can only have four pharmacies nationwide.
Poland signs $1.6bn deal with South Korea for Chunmoo rocket artillery systems and missiles
A significant portion of Poland's new military acquisitions has come from South Korea, including light combat aircraft, tanks and self-propelled howitzers.
Fears grow of Russian interference in Central European media space
At the same time, in Poland and Hungary, social networking sites and messaging apps are considered more free and more trustworthy than mainstream media, according to new poll.
Poland in two minds over Ukraine’s efforts to bring conscription-age men home
Poland is ready to help Ukraine bring conscription-age men home after Kyiv stepped up its mobilisation effort, a top government official said this week. But hundreds of thousands of people leaving Poland could be a huge problem for the economy.
Bankers reassessing accelerating climate crisis in anticipation of trillions of dollars of annual damage
As the climate crisis accelerates, banks are facing increasing financial risks and have begun to try to assess their exposure to the trillions of dollars of damage extreme weather will do every year.
CEE recovering but no full rebound in sight, says wiiw
Germany’s slow recovery is dampening growth prospects for Central and Southeast European economies.
Poland’s industrial production disappoints in March as output declines 6% y/y
Poland’s industrial production fell 6% year on year in constant prices in March (chart), after a gain of 3.3% y/y the preceding month, unadjusted data from the statistical office GUS showed on April 22.
President Duda says Poland 'ready' to host nuclear weapons
Government queries president's comments, while Moscow attacks them as "provocative".
Poland's first nuclear plant may carry €35bn price tag
Construction is expected to start in 2026, but the head of nuclear power SPV Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe (PEJ) warns the costs will be high.
AI and cybersecurity to drive CEE tech sector
PwC and CEE Digital Coalition believe the Central and Eastern Europe region has the potential to create the EU’s Silicon Valley.
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Czechia paid five times more for energy imports from Russia than it spent on aid to Ukraine
The amount of money Czechia spent on Russian energy imports until the end of 2023 could finance more than three weeks of Russian fighting in Ukraine.
Polish inflation eases further to 2% y/y in March
The inflation rate landed within the National Bank of Poland’s target of 1.5%-3.5% for a second successive month
Poland’s ruling coalition pushes forward with conflicting proposals on changing abortion law
A special commission will now look at the proposals in order to hammer out a compromise text.
CEE falling inflation trend comes to an end
After spiking to 20-year highs thanks to the pandemic and Europe’s Russian induced energy crisis, inflation rates across the EU have tumbled in recent months. That trend has ended and CEE central banks are expected to hike rates again in 2H24.
Poland’s Orlen paid $400mn to scammers for oil that never arrived
'National champion' oil group humiliated by deal with unchecked middleman in scandal that only emerged after dismissal of CEO appointed by PiS government.
COMMENT: The Three Seas Initiative's digital imperative
While digital infrastructure in the region is growing, support infrastructure designed to handle the growth in demand is what requires investment.