Poland exported 115,000 tonnes or 13% of the EU’s total chocolate exports in 2023.
Czech GDP increased in the fourth quarter by 0.4% quarter on quarter and by 0.2% year on year following a revision by the Czech Statistical Office.
Bulgaria has the EU's lowest labour cost, while Romania still lags well behind Poland and Hungary.
Romania has been catching up with the EU average faster than Hungary, which fell into recession in 2023.
Policymakers had discussed three options, a 50bp, 75bp and 100bp cut, and decided unanimously on the 75bp one, deputy governor Barnabas Virag said after the rate decision.
Water is not only the basis of life for animals and plants but is also likely to become a contested resource in parts of the world in the coming decades, reports Statista.
Consumption is expected to drive Polish economic growth in 2024 to 3%-4% after an expansion of just 0.2% last year.
Poland's producer price index declined 10.1% year on year in February, following a revised fall of 10.4% y/y in January.
Eurostat data shows fall in populations of biggest urban areas in Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania in last five years.
Poland’s core inflation eased growth to 5.4% y/y in February after growing 6.2% y/y the preceding month.
It is the lowest inflation level in over two years and was down by 0.5 percentage points on the January level.
Polish consumer price inflation (CPI) expanded 2.8% year on year in February (chart) to the lowest level in three years, data from Poland’s statistical office GUS showed on March 15.
The strongest negative influence came from a 6.2% decrease in the country’s decisive sector, the manufacture of transport equipment.
Hungary's inflation slowed to 3.7% in February, down from 3.8% in the previous month.
Hungary's cash flow-based general government deficit reached HUF1.7 trillion (€4.3bn) at the end of February, which accounts for roughly 70% of the HUF2.5 trillion full-year target.
The Czech unemployment rate remained at 4% in February, unchanged month-on-month. In year-on-year terms, it increased by 0.1%.
The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for Czechia, compiled by market intelligence company S&P Global, inched upwards in February to 44.3 amid some positive signs in the struggling manufacturing sector.
Poland's Purchasing Managers' Index rose 0.8 points to 47.9 in February, the economic intelligence company S&P Global said on March 1.
Investment held up well, growing 8.7% y/y, adding 1.5pp compared to the preceding quarter.