Baltic States

Europe has €56bn shortfall to meet Nato 2% of GDP spending pledge

bne IntelliNews March 18, 2024

European nations within Nato are facing a €56bn shortfall in meeting the alliance's defence spending pledge of 2% of GDP this year, the Financial Times reported on March 16.

Navalny chief of staff attacked with hammer

bne IntelliNews March 13, 2024

Leonid Volkov, the former chief of staff of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, was violently assaulted near his residence in Vilnius on March 12.

Ukraine becomes world's 4th largest arms importer, European imports soar

bne IntelliNews March 12, 2024

European arms imports were up by 94% in 2019-23, as Ukraine's allies send military aid while also arming themselves, says new SIPRI report.

CENUSA: Europe needs to reduce the risks of destabilisation in its eastern neighbourhood

Denis Cenusa in Giessen March 8, 2024

Candidate states for EU accession such as Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia remain in a zone of insecurity where Russia can intervene minimally in a hybrid way.

Closing gender gap in workforce could double global growth rate says World Bank

Clare Nuttall in Glasgow March 8, 2024

Countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia have a lower gender gap than the global average but only Latvian women have equal legal standing with men.

Latvian government adopts €300mn eastern border defence plan

Linas Jegelevicius in Vilnius March 7, 2024

The Eastern border military strengthening and anti-mobility plan is part of the creation of the Baltic Defence Line involving all three Baltic states

Poland to push EU to ban food imports from Russia and Belarus

Wojciech Kosc in Warsaw March 5, 2024

Prime Minister Donald Tusk is going to ask the Polish parliament this week for a resolution calling on the ban of farm product imports from Russia and Belarus.

Macron says sending Nato ground troops to Ukraine should not be ruled out

bne IntelliNews February 27, 2024

French president says Russia now presents a greater danger and nothing should be excluded.

Romania’s president pitches to be CEE's candidate for Nato top seat

bne IntelliNews February 23, 2024

The alliance's CEE countries had hoped to be strong contenders to helm the alliance this time around, but the Netherlands' Mark Rutte appears to have it in the bag already.

CEE losing competitiveness because of soaring wages and weak productivity growth

bne IntelliNews February 19, 2024

Unit labour costs have surged by 25% since 2020 – something not seen since the early 2000s, says Capital Economics

Clear east-west divide in EU for gender balance in science and engineering

bne IntelliNews February 15, 2024

Female employment in science and engineering is well above 50% in multiple regions of Central and Southeast Europe, Eurostat figures show.

Warning of new ice age in Europe as currents in the Atlantic approach a catastrophic tipping point

Ben Aris in Berlin February 14, 2024

The currents that circulate in the Atlantic are approaching a “tipping point” that will change the way water flows around the oceans of the world, which will have a catastrophic climate impact on countries around the world.

EU may sanction Chinese companies for the first time for facilitating Russia’s flourishing trade with friendly countries

bne IntelliNews February 13, 2024

The EU is contemplating the unprecedented step of imposing sanctions on three Chinese companies alleged to be aiding Russia's military actions against Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.

Hydrogen production and demand to grow in 2024, but only slowly

bne IntelliNews February 12, 2024

Hydrogen production and use are expected to grow in 2024, but it remains very expensive to produce and transport, making progress slow.

Oil and gas companies to invest over $1 trillion in the next decade expanding production

bne IntelliNews February 12, 2024

A report from climate campaign group Global Witness reveals that the fossil fuel sector is anticipated to allocate more than $1 trillion worldwide over the next decade for the expansion of natural gas production.

BaltCap manager suspected of embezzling and gambling away up to €30m

Linas Jegelevicius in Vilnius February 7, 2024

Scandal exposes supervision loopholes in the fund, banking and gambling industries.

wiiw projects brighter 2024 for Emerging Europe

bne IntelliNews January 30, 2024

Vienna-based think-tank expects growth to get back on track this year, but warns of risks from a Trump victory in the US and escalation of fighting in Ukraine or Gaza.

NEO: EU green ambitions under siege amid Red Sea crisis, Russian aluminium ban fears

NEO January 26, 2024

The EU has long positioned itself as a global champion of green energy and the world’s battle against climate change but the Red Sea Crisis and a mooted ban on Russian aluminium imports are undermining those goals.

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