Budapest is often hailed as a ‘City of Spas’—and not without reason. Sitting on hundreds of thermal springs, the city’s bath culture dates to Roman times, although it was during the Ottoman occupation of the 16th and 17th centuries that it flourished, when tens of bathhouses were … | Continue reading
Georgia’s struggle with the “foreign agents” bill highlights broader issues of democratic backsliding and geopolitical tug of war. The law is seen as a threat to civil society and democratic principles, prompting widespread protests and international condemnation. Georgia’s polit … | Continue reading
Catch up quickly with the stories from Central and Eastern Europe that matter, this week led by news of the shooting of Slovak PM Robert Fico. The shooting of Robert Fico A suspected “lone wolf” gunman was on Thursday charged with the attempted murder of Robert Fico, the Slovakia … | Continue reading
AM Craft’s CEO says that the wider adoption of 3D printing should enable airlines to accelerate sustainability goals that the industry is pursuing. Latvian start-up AM Craft this week announced the closing of a 600,000 euros pre-seed funding round led by Change Ventures, with the … | Continue reading
In many countries across the region, legislative proposals to boost LGBT+ rights that have been on the table for years are not moving forward. Published this week by Europe’s leading LGBT+ organisation, ILGA-Europe, the 16th annual Rainbow Map, which ranks 49 European countries o … | Continue reading
Moldova is set to make a significant impact on the global digital landscape as it hosts the Moldova Digital Summit 2024 from June 6-7 in the country’s capital, Chișinău. Under the theme, Powering a 100% Digital Tomorrow, the event serves as a platform to emphasize holistic transf … | Continue reading
EIT Food’s Empowering Women in Agrifood (EWA) programme offers female entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop the kind of innovative ideas needed to create a future-fit food system. Women play a crucial role for the development and economic growth of rural communities across Eur … | Continue reading
Central Asia is expected to see a slight decline in growth from 5.7 per cent in 2023 to 5.4 per cent in 2024, but will still see Eurasia’s highest levels of growth—much of it driven by a soaring ICT sector. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) expects outpu … | Continue reading
Lower transaction costs can lead to a virtuous cycle of increased trade volumes, better cash flow for businesses, and a surge in foreign direct investment. In an era where digital transformation dictates economic progress, the significance of seamless, cost-effective business tra … | Continue reading
Lower transaction costs can lead to a virtuous cycle of increased trade volumes, better cash flow for businesses, and a surge in foreign direct investment. In an era where digital transformation dictates economic progress, the significance of seamless, cost-effective business tra … | Continue reading
The 2024 MAC Awards have opened voting to recognise industry leaders. Community votes will be accepted until May 20 to select the foremost affiliate marketing performers Boomerang Partners has earned a well-deserved nomination for the Best iGaming Affiliate Programme at the MAC A … | Continue reading
NATO has recently upped its game when it comes to helping out defence tech start-ups in the three Baltic states. And there are signs that the EU is moving in a similar direction. Before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the idea of a senior mili … | Continue reading
Looking beyond emerging Europe can offer a new perspective on how our region can improve. This week brought me to Nairobi, Kenya’s capital and largest city with a metropolitan population of over 5.5 million. I joined the Elevate Africa conference, organised by CCI Global, one of … | Continue reading
Moldovan Eurovision singer Pasha Parfeni was one of the few to stand up for freedom. It cost him everything. A local celebrity, Parfeni, was about to step onto the stage. But no one was ready for what he was planning to do. It was a late summer evening in August 2016. People gath … | Continue reading
Georgia’s government appears unaware, or unperturbed, by the threat its so-called ‘foreign agents’ bill poses to the country’s investment climate, and its EU prospects. This time, Georgia’s government looks set to push through controversial legislation that would oblige certain n … | Continue reading
Catch up quickly with the stories from Central and Eastern Europe that matter, this week led by news that the Ukrainian domestic intelligence service has uncovered a plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky. Russia’s war on Ukraine Ukraine this week said it uncovered a ne … | Continue reading
Notwithstanding Estonia’s success in the ICT sector, policies are needed that boost digitalisation, innovation, and skills across firms, including through enhancing cooperation between the public and private sector to raise investment in innovation. The Estonian economy had been … | Continue reading
Defective measures from the central bank of Czechia, combined with regulatory requirements for construction in the capital Prague, are keeping people homeless. It’s a needless problem which would be easy to solve, if only we can strip back Czech bureaucracy. The magic of Prague’s … | Continue reading
There’s money available for the right firm. Over the past seven days Innova Capital has closed its hugely successful latest fund, and Bolt has taken another step towards an IPO. Warsaw-based Innova Capital, one of the leading private equity firms active in Central Europe, this we … | Continue reading
Challenges there may be, but Albania’s economy is broadly in a good place. A boom in tourism is driving growth at levels above most of its regional peers. While tourism across most of the world has broadly recovered from the massive impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, in a select fe … | Continue reading
The escalating incidents of GPS disruptions in the Baltic Sea region, primarily attributed to jamming and spoofing activities originating from Russian territories, represent a significant concern not only for global navigation and security but also for the fields of cybersecurity … | Continue reading
With just one week remaining until the Golden Boomerang Awards 2024 finale, it’s the prime time for the final push. This final week of the highly-anticipated traffic tournament has something special in store for both top participants and newcomers on the leaderboard. The Golden B … | Continue reading
The success of Poland’s corporate reforms hinges on the ability to strike a delicate balance between political pragmatism and institutional integrity. Since Poland’s October 2023 elections, the country’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have undergone a dramatic transformation. Und … | Continue reading
Chişinău in Moldova, a country sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania, with a population of 2.5 million, could be Europe’s next outsourcing champion. Atlanta was this week a global business services (GBS) hotspot. Dozens of global GBS leaders, analysts, and enterprise decision-ma … | Continue reading
Some key new initiatives look set to help Latvia’s start-up scene move out of the shadow of its northern neighbour Estonia. That Estonia’s start-up scene owes so much to Skype is no secret. Just ask anyone in the technology and innovation sector in neighbouring Latvia, which has … | Continue reading
Catch up quickly with the stories from Central and Eastern Europe that matter, this week led by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg’s morale boosting visit to Kyiv. Russia’s war on Ukraine NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Ukrainians this week that his alliance’s members had f … | Continue reading
Ongoing GPS jamming in the Baltic has led to all flights to Tartu in Estonia being cancelled. With Russia the likely culprit, Baltic foreign ministers are calling for a joint NATO response. The departures and arrivals board at Tartu Airport is currently a depressing sight. In wha … | Continue reading
Ukraine sees itself as one of the largest exporters of green hydrogen to the European Union. But it will need serious investment to make it happen. Ukraine’s Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko has long said that renewables will play a major role in the reconstruction of the coun … | Continue reading
Twenty years ago this week, eight CEE countries joined the EU. According to analysis by the Polish Economic Institute, the GDP per capita of the eight countries in the region is 27 per cent higher than it would have been had they not joined. The real GDP per capita at purchasing … | Continue reading
To mark the 20th anniversary of eight CEE countries joining the EU, Emerging Europe speaks with PwC’s Agnieszka Gajewska, uniquely placed to offer insight on what has been a huge success—for all concerned. PwC’s Global Government and Public Services Leader and CEE Clients and Mar … | Continue reading
It’s hard to start a new company anywhere, but starting one as a woman in Moldova adds another layer to the challenge. Amid grey apartment buildings and speeding cars, there is a space in Ciocana, a suburb of Chişinău, the capital of Moldova, that stands out. It’s hidden behind a … | Continue reading
Stereotypes are like old, worn-out labels that people slap onto others without really thinking. They’re based on the idea that everyone in a certain group is the same. Artificial intelligence might be the most important technology we ever develop. Ensuring it is safe, trustworthy … | Continue reading
The latest exhibition at the MO Museum in Vilnius focuses on sexuality, gender representations and relations in the visual art of the Baltic region from the 1960s to the present. Curated by Inga Lāce, Adomas Narkevičius, and Rebeka Põldsam, the title of the latest exhibition at t … | Continue reading
Central to Kosovo’s economic future is its ongoing dispute with Serbia, which restricts access to international markets and impedes foreign investment, crucial for its economic expansion. Europe’s youngest country, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, since when it h … | Continue reading
Catch up quickly with the stories from Central and Eastern Europe that matter, this week led by the news that on Tuesday, the US finally passed support package for Ukraine. Russia’s war on Ukraine Joe Biden told Volodymyr Zelensky this week that he will “move quickly” to send Ukr … | Continue reading
Initial resistance from medical professionals towards AI has been overcome by working closely with doctors to develop technology they want to use. “Doctors should be using AI not only for a more precise diagnosis but for a more precise diagnosis 35 times an hour. That’s the real … | Continue reading
However, excessively weak recovery in Germany, disruptions to global supply chains and the election of Donald Trump as the next US president could also create turbulence in the region. Despite the challenging international environment and significant downside risks, the economies … | Continue reading
The EU’s poor record in the Western Balkans over the past decade does not bode well for further enlargement. As we remember the success of 2004, it’s time to remember that the EU once openly embraced a large part of the European continent. It can do so again. On May 1, 2004, the … | Continue reading
A regulatory environment conducive to the development of the fintech industry, and ongoing dialogue between market players and institutions has helped Lithuania sustain its position as a fintech hub. Lithuania’s financial technology sector remains robust and forward-moving, affir … | Continue reading
Investors and venture capital funds ignoring female founders are simply acting to the detriment of their own businesses. Earlier this week, I joined EIT Food and hosted an online event focused on encouraging more female entrepreneurs to come up with agrifood solutions across the … | Continue reading
Record high temperatures across much of Central and Eastern Europe have once again sounded the alarm about the threat climate change poses to the region’s economies. It can’t go on, but it will. March 2024 saw much of Europe record its highest ever temperatures while globally Mar … | Continue reading
Catch up quickly with the stories from Central and Eastern Europe that matter, this week led by Volodymyr Zelensky asking why Ukraine’s allies have not provided Kyiv with the same level of air defence offered to Israel. Russia’s war on Ukraine If the United States and its allies … | Continue reading
Landlocked Tajikistan recently featured prominently in two key reports—one highlighting its stellar growth and another naming it as one of the least democratic countries in the world. Be it the development of new, high-rise apartment blocks (some built in questionable taste) or t … | Continue reading
A major new study offers a complete guide to navigating Moldova’s IT sector, and the advantages offered by its unique IT park—a key feature in the country’s development as a booming IT hub. With few natural resources and perhaps best known internationally for its outstanding wine … | Continue reading
ComplexDiscovery, a leader in delivering insights on cybersecurity, information governance, and eDiscovery, has launched its Spring 2024 Business Confidence Survey. Now in its 34th iteration, this highly recognised quarterly survey seeks to capture the viewpoints of professionals … | Continue reading
I am often asked why Ukrainian fintech is so developed and successful. I will say the key thing is the people. But it’s not just that. There is a range of factors, future directions of movement, and challenges. Even before the Russian full-scale invasion, Ukrainian fintech proved … | Continue reading
‘We showcase once again that Europe stands with Ukraine for as long as it takes, and that we are ready to deliver much-needed financial support,’ says president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. As the United States continues to waver over providing more aid to Ukr … | Continue reading
Investors increasingly view the space domain is the next big thing in the defence sector. Blackswan Space, a Vilnius based space tech start-up developing advanced software products for complex space and defence missions last week secured 760,000 in pre-seed funding round. Since 2 … | Continue reading