The French president tried to persuade sceptical East Europeans that they had nothing to fear from a Europe that was more self-reliant in security – and he almost pulled it off.
Democratic governance deteriorates in Emerging Europe and Central Asia, with worst declines in already authoritarian regions.
Seasonal pattern was most pronounced in Croatia, with 60% of tourist nights spent in July and August.
Azerbaijan can’t fully substitute for Russian gas at the pan-European level, but it can play a crucial role in promoting the energy security of individual states.
Inflation remains a drag on growth in Emerging Europe, along with sluggish growth in advanced economies and stricter financing conditions in Central Europe and the Baltic states.
After the pandemic, working from home and hybrid models have significantly transformed trends in the office market.
Albania’s currency, the lek, continued its rise against the euro in the first five months of 2023, reaching new highs against the European single currency.
Major new investments in marinas at Vlora in Albania and Rijeka in Croatia are going ahead, as infrastructure is developed along the eastern Adriatic coast.
Albania’s inflation has been on a downward trend since it peaked at 8.3% in October.
Modest inflation, a record-high lek and one of the Emerging Europe region’s fastest projected growth rates.
Fires in 45 countries burnt an area the size of Montenegro, with Ukraine, Spain and Romania the worst affected countries.
Albania, Kosovo and Romania stand out with strong projected growth in 2023-25, wiiw forecasts show.
The Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe economies have largely digested the economic shock caused by the war in Ukraine and are heading for modest growth this year, says wiiw.
Unemployment fell, but mainly as a result of the declining labour force and an increase in inactivity, World Bank report reveals.
Core inflation has increased in almost all Western Balkan countries since mid-2022 and price pressures remain broad-based.
World Bank says reforms are needed to prepare the region for future shocks as growth is set to moderate this year.
World trade has been falling, but we still expect growth to return this year. We do notice large shifts in world trade as advanced economies – especially the US – are diversifying input sourcing.
Amid a downgrade to the IMF’s global growth forecast, EM sovereigns should remain resilient with areas of relative growth outperformance, easing pressure on commodity importers and fiscal reform momentum.
There is no end in sight yet to the war in Ukraine, but governments and businesses in Central and Southeast Europe are already eyeing potential contracts when the war finally does cease and rebuilding on a massive scale can start.
A new study published by the IMF finds PPP investments in the region compared to GDP are higher than in the EU, and warns of the risks from poorly managed PPP projects.