Poland
COMMENT: Trump is preparing a “back door” plan to blame EU for Ukraine’s failure - FT
European officials fear that US President Donald Trump’s dramatic U-turn on Ukraine is a back door plan to shift responsibility for the West’s failure to prevent Ukraine’s defeat in its war with Russia or help it recover afterwards.
EBRD says geopolitics, tariffs and China competition weigh on Emerging Europe growth
Development bank downgrades 2025 forecasts for Central and Eastern Europe citing weak external demand, rising debt and the impact of US tariffs.
EU launches red-tape cutting reforms seeking to make Europe competitive again
Brussels will start cutting red tape with the so-called omnibus legislation this autumn as it sets out to make Europe competitive again, Politico reported on September 17.
"Don’t come here to whine" if Nato downs your jets, Poland’s Sikorski warns Russia at UN
Polish foreign minister's rebuke follows incursion into Estonia airspace by Russian MIG-31s and drone violations over Poland and Romanian.
Holidays in the sun hit Polish retail sales figures in August
Polish retail sales grew just 3.1% y/y in August, slowing from a 4.8% y/y rise in July.
EU finance ministers discuss Ukraine's Reparations Loan but no decision yet
EU finance ministers met in Copenhagen on September 20 to discuss tapping the cash pile of frozen Central Bank of Russia (CBR) money and using it to make a large Reparation Loans to Ukraine, but no final decision has been reached.
COMMENT: Russian drone and jet incursions highlight shortcomings in Nato’s multilayered air defence system
A spate of Russian drone incursions has stress-tested Nato’s air defences. On September 10, nineteen Russian drones violated Poland’s airspace — the alliance’s worst such breach in more than seventy-five years.
EU passes nineteenth sanctions package, accelerates LNG phase out
The European Commission has published proposals for a 19th sanctions package against Russia that would tighten curbs on energy trade and payments, with new measures aimed at oil refineries, oil traders and petrochemical companies in third countries.
Europe’s summer heatwaves killed more than 16,000 people
The heatwaves that swept the Continent were responsible for more than two-thirds of the 24,400 heat-related deaths estimated in Europe this summer, or 16,266 people, according to a new study conducted by scientists at Imperial College London.
Polish border shutdown poses questions on Asia-Europe rail freight
The closure of Poland’s crossings with Belarus on September 12 has rattled transport and logistics companies, which warn that a prolonged halt could drive cargo away from the country, disrupt supply chains and inflate costs for businesses,
The European Commission proposes to “creatively” tap Russia’s $300bn of frozen assets with Reparation Loans
The European Commission is floating a new idea of how to “creatively” tap Russia’s $300bn of frozen assets without the need to appropriate, which is legally questionable, by replacing the money transferred to Kyiv with EU-backed bonds.
Ukraine hits multiple Russian oil refineries, Trump calls for more EU oil sanctions
Ukraine is expanding its campaign of trying to cut the Kremlin off from its oil export income with a campaign of targeting Russia’s oil refining and pipeline assets, using its new long-range drones and missiles.
COMMENT: Europe’s summer of humiliation
This summer started with optimism around trade deals and progress in Ukraine, but quickly unravelled. Trade uncertainty is back, the war drags on with rising casualties, and Europe is now grappling with a raft of political crises.
Extreme poverty falling steadily – OWID
To track progress towards ending extreme poverty, the United Nations relies on World Bank estimates of the number of people living below a poverty threshold called the “International Poverty Line” (IPL), Our World in Data (OWID) reports.
Two thirds of Germans fear a Russian invasion fuelling far-right election gains in western heartland
Public anxiety over a potential Russian attack on Nato territory has surged in Germany following the recent drone incursion on September 10 into Polish airspace that coincided with sharp gains by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
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Will Poland’s defence splurge spark an economic boom?
Poland’s rapid defence spending rise won’t translate into a broader economic boom unless deeper structural shifts will happen that will take bolder reforms.
Lukewarm support for Polish UN vote condemning Russian drone incursion
Only 46 out of 193 UN member states signed a joint UN declaration on September 12, denouncing Russia’s alleged involvement in a drone incursion into Polish airspace two days earlier.
COMMENT: What were Russian drones doing in Poland?
With no clear explanation from Moscow, theories have proliferated over how and why more than a dozen Russian drones crossed into Poland on September 10—and what this means for European security.
One in three Poles blame Ukraine for the drone incursion into Polish airspace
For the first time during the full-scale war in Ukraine, Poland has shot down multiple Russian drones in its airspace on September 10, but a third of Poles have blamed the strike on Ukraine, not Russia, according to a poll.
Hungarian foreign minister fails to condemn Russian drone attack during Belarus visit
Peter Szijjarto avoided blaming Russia for drones crossing Polish airspace and causing damage, a stance in line with Budapest’s longstanding reluctance to confront Moscow directly.