Latest Updates

INTERVIEW: Making privatisation work in Uzbekistan

Despite the pandemic conditions Uzbekistan accelerated its privatisation drive this spring. The head of the State Assets Management Agency Akmalkhon Ortikov explains how.

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BALKAN BLOG: Head prosecutor Stoianoglo is first target and first test for new pro-EU government in Moldova

Moldova’s President Maia Sandu wants to resume the judicial reforms she started in 2019, beginning with exactly what led to her dismissal as prime minister: the appointment of new head prosecutors.

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bneGREEN: Global investors turn to green energy and away from fossil fuels

The world’s largest global debt and equity investors are continuing to invest in renewable energy despite the pandemic, driven by the wealth of investment opportunities, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis said.

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BRICKS & MORTAR: Residential real estate markets bounce back in Southeast Europe

Strong recovery after spring 2020 lockdowns partly driven by demand for houses and rural properties, but prices remain among the lowest in Europe.

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MOSCOW BLOG: Russia in July

The good news is that Russia’s economy continues to grow faster than expected. Russia’s Economic Development Ministry has upgraded its growth forecast for this year to 3.8% from 2.8%.

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Da Vinci fund III aims to deRussify its portfolio companies and make them more valuable

Da Vinci Capital, one of Russia’s biggest private equity investors, has been helping its portfolio companies to build up a more international business that will increase their valuation. Now it has launched a new fund that excludes Russia entirely.

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MOSCOW BLOG: Merkel goes to Washington

German Chancellor Angela Merkel went on her last foreign trip, to see US President Joe Biden, but on the face of it, it seems that the meeting didn't go as well as planned. Or did it?

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CONFERENCE CALL: Afghanistan crucial to rebuilding ties between Central and South Asia

There is strong political will to forge trade, transport and energy links between Central and South Asia, but achieving this depends on restoring peace in Afghanistan.

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Russian prosecutors propose suspended sentence for Calvey

Kremlin seeks face-saving solution for American fund manager accused of embezzlement and fraud by former partner.

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Looming new coronavirus wave prompts vaccination push in Southeast Europe

Russia raises key rate to 6.5% amid strong inflationary pressure

Erdogan’s relations with West in danger of renewed deterioration in ‘Varosha’ row

Looming new coronavirus wave prompts vaccination push in Southeast Europe

With the delta variant starting to spread in Southeast Europe, officials are warning of a new wave of the pandemic that may put pressure on hospitals as early as August or September.

Russia raises key rate to 6.5% amid strong inflationary pressure

Inflationary pressure higher and more persistent than forecast, says CBR, warning of signs of overheating in some sectors.

Erdogan’s relations with West in danger of renewed deterioration in ‘Varosha’ row

Merkel remarks that she “wants close relations with Ankara, but does not anticipate Turkey's accession to the EU”.

News

Ukraine makes surprise policy rate hike to 8% to fight inflation

NBU governor Kyrylo Shevchenko says further rate increase to 8.5% is planned with inflation expected to pass 10% soon.

US court rules Kyrgyzstan in contempt for pushing ahead with local legal action against Kumtor Gold

State’s seizure of control of gold mine from subsidiary of NYSE-listed Centerra Gold has shocked foreign investors.

Turkey extends 'undeclared state of emergency'

Erdogan administration has in fact held on to emergency regime powers ever since the failed July 2016 coup attempt. Yet a lot of reporting on the country fails to take that into account.

Hungarian PM announces referendum on anti-LGBT law

Referendum widely seen as diversion from Pegasus wiretapping scandal and the suspension of recovery fund money from Brussels.

Far Eastern Yakutsk city under threat from unprecedented forest fires

Raging fires have been an increasing occurrence in Siberian summers, with the trend widely attributed to climate change, which has caused temperatures in the vast Taiga forest to spike each year.

Ukraine makes surprise policy rate hike to 8% to fight inflation

2 days ago

US court rules Kyrgyzstan in contempt for pushing ahead with local legal action against Kumtor Gold

2 days ago

Turkey extends 'undeclared state of emergency'

2 days ago

Hungarian PM announces referendum on anti-LGBT law

3 days ago

Far Eastern Yakutsk city under threat from unprecedented forest fires

3 days ago

More News

Tech

Russia temporarily disconnects from the World Wide Web

Russia has been considering the concept of a "sovereign internet”, namely cutting itself off from the World Wide Web.

Bulgaria's Maxcom, Austria's Pierer to build €30.7mn e-bike plant in Plovdiv

Caretaker Economy Minister Kiril Petkov says Bulgaria has the chance to become 'number one in the whole of Europe' in e-bike sector.

Georgian e-commerce market more than tripled in 2020 report says

E-commerce in Georgia increased more than threefold year-on-year in 2020 to nearly $45mn, a new Galt&Taggart report states.

US blockchain company Guilded mulls investment in Serbia

PM Ana Brnabic says Guilded interested in Serbia’s data storage capacities and data centre in Kragujevac.

The SPAC wave hits Russia

Could a Russian tech company ever be targeted by a SPAC, the special purpose acquisition companies that raise money with a list and only then try and acquire a promising company. Russia is about to see its first SPAC.

Russia temporarily disconnects from the World Wide Web

2 days ago

Bulgaria's Maxcom, Austria's Pierer to build €30.7mn e-bike plant in Plovdiv

2 days ago

Georgian e-commerce market more than tripled in 2020 report says

4 days ago

US blockchain company Guilded mulls investment in Serbia

4 days ago

The SPAC wave hits Russia

4 days ago

More Tech

Opinion

HOMANS: Putin's Epistle to the Ukrainians

On July 12, Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, released an epistle entitled "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians" that has set the cat amongst the pigeons

Perspectives | Blame it on Russia? The danger of geopolitical takes on Georgia’s far right

Framing Georgia’s far right as a unified pro-Russian actor obscures complex local problems.

COMMENT: Uzbekistan will have to host Afghan refugees in the near future

Issue one of many to be addressed by July 15-16 conference, "Central and South Asia: regional dependence. Threats and opportunities", convened on initiative of Uzbek president.

STOLYPIN: Putin’s cybercrime challenge

Following recent cases of Russian-linked cyberespionage and ransomware attacks. President Biden has cranked up the pressure on Vladimir Putin to act.

ING: Russian inflation hits 6.5%, and can go higher

Russian CPI jumped to 6.5% y/y in June and kept accelerating in the first week of July. While supply-side inflation seems to have stabilised, demand-driven CPI stands out in pharma, construction materials, and tourism sectors.

HOMANS: Putin's Epistle to the Ukrainians

5 days ago

Perspectives | Blame it on Russia? The danger of geopolitical takes on Georgia’s far right

11 days ago

COMMENT: Uzbekistan will have to host Afghan refugees in the near future

11 days ago

STOLYPIN: Putin’s cybercrime challenge

13 days ago

ING: Russian inflation hits 6.5%, and can go higher

16 days ago

More Opinion

Data

Surge in arrivals from Kosovo pushes Albanian tourist arrivals to pre-pandemic level

Arrivals from neighbouring countries shot up when Albania eased restrictions.

Bulgaria’s central bank revises up 2021 economic growth forecast to 4.1%

National Recovery and Sustainability Plan projects, together with higher exports and domestic consumption to drive recovery in Bulgaria.

Average gross wage in Slovenia up by a real 3.9% y/y in May

Wage growth accelerated from just 0.9% y/y in the previous month.

Polish retail sales ease growth to 8.6% y/y in June

Household consumption set to be one of the main drivers of Poland’s economic growth in 2021.

Natural disasters caused €80mn of damage to Croatian agriculture in 2021

Frost, flooding and pests all damaged crops in Croatia this year, raising fears of price increases.

Surge in arrivals from Kosovo pushes Albanian tourist arrivals to pre-pandemic level

4 hours ago

Bulgaria’s central bank revises up 2021 economic growth forecast to 4.1%

12 hours ago

Average gross wage in Slovenia up by a real 3.9% y/y in May

2 days ago

Polish retail sales ease growth to 8.6% y/y in June

3 days ago

Natural disasters caused €80mn of damage to Croatian agriculture in 2021

3 days ago

More Data

Features

Azerbaijani government silent on phone spying revelations

The list of journalists and activists reportedly spied on using the Israeli-made Pegasus software continues to grow. But Baku is keeping quiet.

DATACRUNCH: demographic disaster in Russia, but a catastrophe in Ukraine

Russia is facing two decades of stagnation thanks to its shrinking population caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union. But in Ukraine the problem is far worse, as the population has shrunk to levels last seen in the '50s.

bneGREEN: Drought causes mass livestock die-offs and irrigation water shortages in Central Asia

Studies detect shifts in precipitation patterns in the Tian Shan mountains that supply region with much of its freshwater.

LONG READ: Putin’s babies

Russia’s economy is expected to stagnate for the next two decades because the population is now shrinking. President Putin made fixing the demographic problem a core goal and big successes have been scored, but the problem is too big to fix.

INTERVIEW: Europlan, the pioneer of Russia’s car leasing business

Why buy a car when you can lease one? The option of leasing vehicles is perfect for Russia’s fast growing economy. Europlan has been on the market for two decades and pioneered leasing in Russia.

Azerbaijani government silent on phone spying revelations

2 days ago

DATACRUNCH: demographic disaster in Russia, but a catastrophe in Ukraine

10 days ago

bneGREEN: Drought causes mass livestock die-offs and irrigation water shortages in Central Asia

10 days ago

LONG READ: Putin’s babies

11 days ago

INTERVIEW: Europlan, the pioneer of Russia’s car leasing business

11 days ago

More Features

Blogs

Turkmenistan: Going for gold

Ashgabat has great confidence these days in its Europe-bound exports. Plus, a mysterious tragedy on the Afghan border. Eurasianet's weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

Turkmenistan: As Taliban arrives at the gates, diplomats and army scramble

Turkmenistan is showing itself happy to work with the Taliban. This and more in Eurasianet's weekly briefing.

BALKAN BLOG: Diaspora voters set to choose change in Bulgaria and Moldova

Bulgaria and Moldova will hold general elections on Sunday that follow public debates over the number of polling stations for diaspora voters – an issue that has repeatedly surfaced in elections in the region.

ISTANBUL BLOG: The political killing of Deniz Poyraz, a very Turkish tragedy

MP warns brutal murder should not be seen as a hate crime, but as part of a government crackdown.

CONFERENCE CALL: Economists warn over inflation and rising debt

As the world starts to emerge from the Coronacrisis, economists on an EBRD panel warned over rising inflation, debt and the uneven recovery from the crisis, with emerging markets and developing economies lagging behind their richer peers.

Turkmenistan: Going for gold

4 days ago

Turkmenistan: As Taliban arrives at the gates, diplomats and army scramble

9 days ago

BALKAN BLOG: Diaspora voters set to choose change in Bulgaria and Moldova

16 days ago

ISTANBUL BLOG: The political killing of Deniz Poyraz, a very Turkish tragedy

23 days ago

CONFERENCE CALL: Economists warn over inflation and rising debt

23 days ago

More Blogs

bneGREEN

bneGREEN: BlackRock raises $250mn to fund climate transition in emerging markets

BlackRock has raised $250mn from a consortium of ten institutional investors, governments and charities for its flagship blended finance fund, which aims to help emerging market economies reduce carbon emissions.

bneGREEN: EU carbon pricing set for radical reforms

The European Commission is to publish legislation on July 14 that will detail the EU’s plans, dubbed “Fit for 55,” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% from 1990 levels by 2030 as part of wider reforms to European energy and climate laws.

Kazakhstan unveils ambitious green-hydrogen project

Kazakhstan hopes to build the world’s largest green-hydrogen project, which could – in the distant future – help Nur-Sultan meet its clean-energy promises.

bneGREEN: CEE surfs the green bond wave

Issuance has been impressive but in some countries green bonds are still to get off the ground, while in others there is a shortage of high-yield, local currency or 'dark green' issues.

Four Southeast European countries commit to exiting coal energy

The step is most significant for Montenegro and North Macedonia, which generate around half of their electricity from coal.

bneGREEN: BlackRock raises $250mn to fund climate transition in emerging markets

11 days ago

bneGREEN: EU carbon pricing set for radical reforms

12 days ago

Kazakhstan unveils ambitious green-hydrogen project

15 days ago

bneGREEN: CEE surfs the green bond wave

16 days ago

Four Southeast European countries commit to exiting coal energy

24 days ago

More bneGREEN

Latest Updates

News

NBU governor Kyrylo Shevchenko says further rate increase to 8.5% is planned with inflation expected to pass 10% soon.

State’s seizure of control of gold mine from subsidiary of NYSE-listed Centerra Gold has shocked foreign investors.

Erdogan administration has in fact held on to emergency regime powers ever since the failed July 2016 coup attempt. Yet a lot of reporting on the country fails to take that into account.

Referendum widely seen as diversion from Pegasus wiretapping scandal and the suspension of recovery fund money from Brussels.

Raging fires have been an increasing occurrence in Siberian summers, with the trend widely attributed to climate change, which has caused temperatures in the vast Taiga forest to spike each year.

Tech

Russia has been considering the concept of a "sovereign internet”, namely cutting itself off from the World Wide Web.

Caretaker Economy Minister Kiril Petkov says Bulgaria has the chance to become 'number one in the whole of Europe' in e-bike sector.

E-commerce in Georgia increased more than threefold year-on-year in 2020 to nearly $45mn, a new Galt&Taggart report states.

PM Ana Brnabic says Guilded interested in Serbia’s data storage capacities and data centre in Kragujevac.

Could a Russian tech company ever be targeted by a SPAC, the special purpose acquisition companies that raise money with a list and only then try and acquire a promising company. Russia is about to see its first SPAC.

Opinion

On July 12, Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, released an epistle entitled "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians" that has set the cat amongst the pigeons

Framing Georgia’s far right as a unified pro-Russian actor obscures complex local problems.

Issue one of many to be addressed by July 15-16 conference, "Central and South Asia: regional dependence. Threats and opportunities", convened on initiative of Uzbek president.

Following recent cases of Russian-linked cyberespionage and ransomware attacks. President Biden has cranked up the pressure on Vladimir Putin to act.

Russian CPI jumped to 6.5% y/y in June and kept accelerating in the first week of July. While supply-side inflation seems to have stabilised, demand-driven CPI stands out in pharma, construction materials, and tourism sectors.

Data

Arrivals from neighbouring countries shot up when Albania eased restrictions.

National Recovery and Sustainability Plan projects, together with higher exports and domestic consumption to drive recovery in Bulgaria.

Wage growth accelerated from just 0.9% y/y in the previous month.

Household consumption set to be one of the main drivers of Poland’s economic growth in 2021.

Frost, flooding and pests all damaged crops in Croatia this year, raising fears of price increases.

Features

The list of journalists and activists reportedly spied on using the Israeli-made Pegasus software continues to grow. But Baku is keeping quiet.

Russia is facing two decades of stagnation thanks to its shrinking population caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union. But in Ukraine the problem is far worse, as the population has shrunk to levels last seen in the '50s.

Studies detect shifts in precipitation patterns in the Tian Shan mountains that supply region with much of its freshwater.

Russia’s economy is expected to stagnate for the next two decades because the population is now shrinking. President Putin made fixing the demographic problem a core goal and big successes have been scored, but the problem is too big to fix.

Why buy a car when you can lease one? The option of leasing vehicles is perfect for Russia’s fast growing economy. Europlan has been on the market for two decades and pioneered leasing in Russia.

Blogs

Ashgabat has great confidence these days in its Europe-bound exports. Plus, a mysterious tragedy on the Afghan border. Eurasianet's weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

Turkmenistan is showing itself happy to work with the Taliban. This and more in Eurasianet's weekly briefing.

Bulgaria and Moldova will hold general elections on Sunday that follow public debates over the number of polling stations for diaspora voters – an issue that has repeatedly surfaced in elections in the region.

MP warns brutal murder should not be seen as a hate crime, but as part of a government crackdown.

As the world starts to emerge from the Coronacrisis, economists on an EBRD panel warned over rising inflation, debt and the uneven recovery from the crisis, with emerging markets and developing economies lagging behind their richer peers.

bneGREEN

BlackRock has raised $250mn from a consortium of ten institutional investors, governments and charities for its flagship blended finance fund, which aims to help emerging market economies reduce carbon emissions.

The European Commission is to publish legislation on July 14 that will detail the EU’s plans, dubbed “Fit for 55,” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% from 1990 levels by 2030 as part of wider reforms to European energy and climate laws.

Kazakhstan hopes to build the world’s largest green-hydrogen project, which could – in the distant future – help Nur-Sultan meet its clean-energy promises.

Issuance has been impressive but in some countries green bonds are still to get off the ground, while in others there is a shortage of high-yield, local currency or 'dark green' issues.

The step is most significant for Montenegro and North Macedonia, which generate around half of their electricity from coal.

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