The network takeover
Throughout CEE, we can see that the monopolistic nature of digital hubs such as eMag, Allegro, Vinted and OLX are creating information bottlenecks that are concentrating value in the hands of a small number of firms.What is really interesting about the digital economy is not the opportunities that it might create for efficiencies or cost…
Has the United Nations outlived its usefulness?
The UN, which was established to foster global peace and stability, has now become a paralysed institution that inadvertently contributes to raging conflicts because it is constrained by an archaic structure that no longer meets the dramatically changed world order.The United Nations, established in 1945 at the end of World War II, has sadly virtually…
Falling demand slows Europe’s dash for LNG
With energy prices stabilising and European gas consumption decreasing, LNG terminals risk becoming costly, stranded assets.In the immediate aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Europe witnessed a rapid surge in liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal construction, not least in Central and Eastern Europe. As countries scrambled to wean themselves quickly off Russian…
Carrying the torch: How a Ukrainian Baptist convention upholds a legacy of activism
At the height of the Cold War, the Ukrainian diaspora played an active role in influencing public opinion regarding the Soviet Union. What is seldom mentioned is the role that Ukrainian evangelicals played in this period. One Ukrainian Baptist convention has not forgotten its history and continues the previous generations’ legacy today.The Seventh World Congress…
Kosovo needs NATO protection
To join NATO, Kosovo needs the approval of all 32 members, only 28 of whom recognise Kosovo as an independent country.As Kosovo commemorates the 25th anniversary of NATO’s intervention against Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War, the country has embarked on a new chapter by gaining acceptance as an associated member state by NATO’s parliamentary observers.This…
In Brussels, agricultural policy is becoming an afterthought
Of the EU’s 27 member states, 23 have seen protests by farmers in 2024. Despite this wave of action by the agricultural sector, not a single candidate has been nominated for chair of the European Parliament’s agriculture committee.Of the nearly 400 million eligible voters in the European Union, only about nine million work directly in…
Bulgaria’s unlikely quest to form a stable government
In order to end years of political instability, Bulgaria might need to start thinking seriously about changing its electoral system.Following the announcement of the results of the June 9 elections for the 50th National Assembly of Bulgaria and European Parliament, the constitutional procedure for forming a new government was set into motion. Last week, the…
Winner takes all: Romania’s election marathon
Besides local and European elections which take place this weekend, Romanians will also vote in September for a new president, and in December for a new parliament.For the Romanian political landscape, 2024 is gearing up to be an ‘all-in’ scenario, with all types of elections occurring just months apart and with the victor likely to…
Football, protests, and the emergence of New Georgia
As Georgia rallied against government overreach earlier this year, and then cheered its footballers at Euro 2024, a new country began to emerge—determined, united, and fiercely European in spirit.In recent months, two major news stories about Georgia have made international headlines—the protests against the Kremlin-style foreign agents law and the unlikely success of the Georgia…
Strength in the Union
To mark the 20th anniversary of eight CEE countries joining the EU, Emerging Europe speaks with PwC’s Agnieszka Gajewska, uniquely placed to offer insight on what has been a huge success—for all concerned.PwC’s Global Government and Public Services Leader and CEE Clients and Markets Leader Agnieszka Gajewska remembers precisely where she was on May 1,…