Hungary
Hungarian government finally raises 2023 deficit target from 3.9% to 5.2%
Government bows to reality after deficit hits 6.3% in first half.
Hungarian government asks banks to introduce voluntary rate caps
According to the proposal, new loans for working capital credit for businesses should be capped at 12%.
European Commission and Hungary deny report of deal with Hungary over EU funds
Reported deal would unfreeze Hungary's EU funds in order to win Budapest's approval for the increase of the EU budget to aid Ukraine.
Poland and Czechia to reintroduce controls on border with Slovakia
Migration control has emerged as a central theme in both Poland’s and Slovakia's general election campaigns.
Ukraine bows to Hungarian demands and removes OTP bank from 'international sponsors of war' list
Budapest has used OTP being on the sponsors of war list as a pretext to block EU aid to Kyiv.
VISEGRAD BLOG: Orban should hold the champagne just yet
Robert Fico, Slovakia's likely next premier, has little interest in foreign policy and is unlikely to deliberately choose to antagonise the European Commission.
Orban can't even make the trains run on time
Austrian railways cuts Hungary adrift from direct Western European services because of frequent delays
Europe’s toxic air – “severe public health crisis”
Europe faces a “severe public health crisis” with dangerous levels of pollution across the continent, according to an investigation by the Guardian newspaper.
Hungarian government gives ultimatum to banks to revive lending
Economics ministry gave one week for the Hungarian Banking Association to present an action plan on restoring lending.
Hungarian central bank cuts O/N rate by 100bp
Interest rate on one-day quick deposits offered at daily tenders and the base rate now equal at 13%.
Eastern EU members building roads instead of railways
Across the EU far more has been invested in roads than railways over the last three decades, but this trend is even stronger in the newer EU members, a study commissioned by Greenpeace finds.
Hungarian finance minister suggests raising bank levy to cover rising budget deficit
Central bank governor clashes with finance minister over who bears responsibility for the EU’s highest inflation.
Hungary indicates it will continue to block Sweden’s Nato ratification
Ruling Fidesz faction leader now uses "defamatory" film by Sweden’s public television as excuse for delaying Sweden's accession to Nato.
Hungary faces steep demographic decline in coming decades
Population will decline below 9mn by 2043 from 9.63mn today and 10.7mn in 1980.
Hungarian industrial production falls 2.6% y/y in July
Automotive production rose 14.4% y/y in July, slowing from a 19.1% increase in the previous month.
Poland gives EU “ultimatum” on Ukrainian grain imports
Kyiv has said that it will take legal action against those EU member states that impose national bans against EU-wide trade rules.
Sending Soviet tanks into Hungary and Czechoslovakia was a mistake, says Putin
"It is not right to do anything in foreign policy that harms the interests of other peoples," says Russian dictator who has fought a vicious war against Ukraine that is already being investigated for war crimes.
Czech oil imports from Russia rose to a decade high in 1H23
Share of Russian crude oil imports into Czechia is the highest since 2012 at 65%.
Hungarian government backs down from solar energy regime changes
The government has faced an unusually stern criticism from the Fidesz faction for retroactively altering financial conditions for homes bound by existing contracts