Features
YUGOSLAVIA 30 YEARS ON: Seven decades of Bosnia’s “red capitalist” Energoinvest
Energoinvest is one of the few large Bosnian companies that survived the wars of the 1990s and their aftermath.
Russia and Europe: friends again?
Tired of the endless bickering and headaches that the Kremlin has caused in Europe’s backyard and increasingly further afield, Germany and France have called for an EU summit with Russia to settle their differences and get back to work.
Fix Price: the bricks and mortar retail disruptor
The stagnation of real incomes in Russia is driving the business of Fix Price, the leading hard discounter that is now one of the fastest growing retail businesses in the world.
Belarusian prosecution asks for 15-year sentence for jailed presidential candidate Viktor Babariko
Belarus’ prosecution has asked for the maximum 15-year sentence for the jailed presidential candidate Viktor Babariko, who has been on remand for a year on embezzlement charges.
DATACRUNCH: Central banks hike rates in the fight against inflation
The economies of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are bouncing back from the pandemic recession but this will also stimulate inflation, posing a dilemma for central banks.
Armenia's Pashinyan wins re-election in landslide
The elections were a unique event in post-Soviet Armenian history, as the results were not a foregone conclusion. The incumbent won an unexpectedly large mandate to stay in power.
YUGOSLAVIA 30 YEARS ON: Historical conflicts hold region’s EU future to ransom
North Macedonia not expected to get green light for start of accession negotiations at this week’s EU Council meeting, while Bosnia and Kosovo have yet to achieve candidate status.
Central European monetary policymakers set to raise rates this week
Hungarian and Czech central banks could be first in EU to raise rates despite ongoing pandemic.
Armenia's Pashinyan holds last major pre-election rally
Politician made PM after bloodless street revolution urges voters to deliver a “steel revolution”. Defeat could mean him facing inquiry over his handling of last year’s war with Azerbaijan.
Late analysis suggests Pashinian to triumph in Armenia's June 20 election
Main rival Kocharyan’s support has risen on his aggressive approach to national security, but as an “old regime” figure he struggles with a high unpopularity rating.
The Russian equity market rallies on fading geopolitical tensions and recovering economies
US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet today in a palace on the shores of Lake Geneva to try to find some common ground and stabilise fraught relations between US and Russia.
Turkish firms benefit from Azerbaijan’s victory
Following the victory over Armenia, Azerbaijan has thanked Turkey by awarding several multimillion-dollar contracts to companies close to the Turkish president.
Russia hits herd hostility to vaccines as COVID rages
Russia has hit herd hostility to vaccination against coronavirus (COVID-19), with a majority of people dead set against taking any of its available jabs – even as the country grapples with a third wave of the pandemic.
Armenian election rhetoric grows violent
Once Armenia’s democratic hope, Nikol Pashinian is now calling for “vendettas” and to “replace his velvet mandate with a steel one.” And he’s not the only candidate using that kind of language.
International banking groups look to expand in Central and Southeast Europe despite pandemic
International banking groups remain committed to the region, with their strategies tilted towards expansion or stability despite the coronavirus pandemic, EIB survey shows.
Rethink of global supply chains creates opportunity for Western Balkans
Region is ideally positioned as a nearshoring destination for West European companies but reforms are needed if it is to attract potentially billions of euros in foreign direct investment.
LONG READ: Russia’s sanctions soft underbelly: precision machine tools
Russia imports almost 100% of its high precisions machine tools as the collapse of the Soviet Union destroyed it’s once legendary machine building sector. Since then there have been several technological leaps forward but Russia is still behind
Why Iranians won’t vote: new survey reveals massive political disenchantment
Findings from the Netherlands-based Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) ahead of the Islamic Republic’s June 18 presidential election.
Poland's PKN Orlen bulks up to play in the big league
As part of the company’s PLN140bn investment drive by 2030, Orlen plans getting into offshore and onshore wind, solar energy, as well as energy storage.
Double landlocked Uzbekistan and Pakistan trial cargo route via Afghanistan
Pilot journey inches forward plans to integrate economies of Central and South Asia. Whether the Taliban will stand in the way of the cargo route is still unclear.
