Poland
AI and cybersecurity to drive CEE tech sector
PwC and CEE Digital Coalition believe the Central and Eastern Europe region has the potential to create the EU’s Silicon Valley.
_1713386305.jpg)
Czechia paid five times more for energy imports from Russia than it spent on aid to Ukraine
The amount of money Czechia spent on Russian energy imports until the end of 2023 could finance more than three weeks of Russian fighting in Ukraine.
Polish inflation eases further to 2% y/y in March
The inflation rate landed within the National Bank of Poland’s target of 1.5%-3.5% for a second successive month
Poland’s ruling coalition pushes forward with conflicting proposals on changing abortion law
A special commission will now look at the proposals in order to hammer out a compromise text.
CEE falling inflation trend comes to an end
After spiking to 20-year highs thanks to the pandemic and Europe’s Russian induced energy crisis, inflation rates across the EU have tumbled in recent months. That trend has ended and CEE central banks are expected to hike rates again in 2H24.
Poland’s Orlen paid $400mn to scammers for oil that never arrived
'National champion' oil group humiliated by deal with unchecked middleman in scandal that only emerged after dismissal of CEO appointed by PiS government.
COMMENT: The Three Seas Initiative's digital imperative
While digital infrastructure in the region is growing, support infrastructure designed to handle the growth in demand is what requires investment.
Poland begins big abortion debate that could rock Tusk government
Conservative coalition deputies likely to vote down liberalisation, resulting in a spectacular government defeat.
IEA: Methane emissions at an all-time high need to be reduced by 75% by 2030 at a cost of $170bn
Methane emissions are 80 times more damaging than carbon dioxide. Rather than falling, they are currently at an all-time high and rising. The IEA says they need to fall by 75% by 2030 if the Paris Accord targets are going to be met.
Poland's Tusk says no to freshly agreed EU migration deal
Poland, Slovakia and Hungary slam European Parliament's migration compromise.
The EU is preparing a new, fourteenth package of sanctions
The EU is preparing a new fourteenth package of sanctions that is slated for adoption in the coming months, but is unlikely to introduce any new products and will focus mostly on enforcing the existing thirteen rounds of sanctions.
Polish energy stocks fall after government hints at dropping plan to carve out coal assets
Industry minister says new plan is to link coal-fired power plants with specific mines instead.
Where Nato has an enhanced forward presence
On Monday, 8 April, Germany sent an advance team of 20 soldiers to Lithuania, laying the groundwork for the recently discussed establishment of a permanent brigade in the Nato country, Statista reports.
Levels of the three most dangerous human-caused GHGs at record highs
Concentrations of CO2, methane and nitrous oxide climbed to record levels in the global atmosphere in 2023, contributing ever more to the climate crisis. This is according to scientists from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Europe exits the winter heating season with record gas stocks
The EU has exited the heating season with a record volume of gas in storage, following another mild winter and as a result of reduced industrial demand and a concerted effort by policymakers to boost stockpiles.
Grid bottlenecks on the way in Europe?
A new analysis by the energy think-tank Ember has found that several countries in Europe could soon face bottlenecks in their national transmission energy grids, as more solar and wind power will be generated than these networks have capacity for.
Leading emerging markets move rapidly up World Bank’s PPP GDP and FDI confidence rankings
The world’s leading Emerging Markets are moving rapidly up the World Bank’s latest GDP rankings in PPP (purchase power parity) terms as well as the annual foreign direct investment confidence ranking.
Summer starts as EU gas tanks start to fill again
Winter is over, as the EU gas tanks switch from withdrawals to filling mode again in preparation for next winter. Injection into the gas tanks started on April 1, a week earlier than in 2023 and started at an all-time high record level of 59.3% full.
Disaster season: heat waves sweep the world – in charts and maps
In the last week temperatures have soared, breaking monthly records in nearly half the countries on the planet. In much of Europe temperatures have reached those of mid-summer in the first week of April.
PiS tops Polish local elections but likely to lose three regions
Exit polls predict that Law and Justice won 33.7% of the vote, compared to 31.9% for the Civic Coalition, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.