Hungary

Hungarian government finally raises 2023 deficit target from 3.9% to 5.2%

Tamas Csonka in Budapest October 4, 2023

Government bows to reality after deficit hits 6.3% in first half.

Hungarian government asks banks to introduce voluntary rate caps

Tamas Csonka in Budapest October 4, 2023

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

Tamas Csonka in Budapest October 4, 2023

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

Wojciech Kosc in Warsaw, Albin Sybera October 4, 2023

Migration control has emerged as a central theme in both Poland’s and Slovakia's general election campaigns.

ING: Hungarian risks accumulating

bne IntelliNews October 3, 2023

Ukraine bows to Hungarian demands and removes OTP bank from 'international sponsors of war' list

Tamas Csonka in Budapest October 3, 2023

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 Anderson in Prague October 2, 2023

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

Tamas Csonka in Budapest October 2, 2023

Austrian railways cuts Hungary adrift from direct Western European services because of frequent delays

Europe’s toxic air – “severe public health crisis”

by Roberta Harrington in Los Angeles September 27, 2023

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

Tamas Csonka in Budapest September 27, 2023

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

Tamas Csonka in Budapest September 27, 2023

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

bne IntelliNews September 23, 2023

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

Tamas Csonka in Budapest September 22, 2023

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

Tamas Csonka in Budapest September 22, 2023

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

bne IntelliNews September 15, 2023

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

Tamas Csonka in Budapest September 14, 2023

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

Wojciech Kosc in Warsaw September 13, 2023

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

Tamas Csonka in Budapest September 13, 2023

"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

Albin Sybera September 11, 2023

Share of Russian crude oil imports into Czechia is the highest since 2012 at 65%.

Hungarian government backs down from solar energy regime changes

Tamas Csonka in Budapest September 11, 2023

The government has faced an unusually stern criticism from the Fidesz faction for retroactively altering financial conditions for homes bound by existing contracts

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