Joint programme to boost competitiveness and support the digital transformation of small businesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina Fostering SME investments in technology and automation to help meet EU standards EU grants to help make investments more affordable The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union (EU) are stepping up support for…
The FINANCIAL — Tropical trees in Australia’s rainforests have been dying at double the previous rate since the 1980s, seemingly because of climate impacts, according to the findings of a long-term international study published in Nature today. This research has found the death rates of tropical trees have doubled in the last 35 years, as…
Ukrainian forces began a counteroffensive Saturday near the Russian-controlled town of Izium in northeastern Ukraine, a regional governor said. Ukraine wants to push Russia from its staging area there and prevent it from encircling thousands of Ukrainian troops on the eastern front of the Donbas. The Russians turned their focus on the Donbas after they…
Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Finnish counterpart that it would be a “mistake” for Finland to join NATO, according to statement from the Kremlin. The two leaders spoke by phone on Saturday as U.S. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell led a delegation of Republican senators on a visit to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy…
The FINANCIAL — In 2020, the number of people killed in road traffic accidents in the EU decreased by 17% compared with 2019. Although this number decreased gradually over the last decade, the unprecedented drop in 2020 was largely due to the impact of COVID-19 restrictive measures on passenger transport. This information comes from data on road…
Office of the President of the Republic of Finland Prime Minister’s Office Press release 30/2022 12 May 2022 During this spring, an important discussion on Finland’s possible NATO membership has taken place. Time has been needed to let Parliament and the whole society establish their stands on the matter. Time has been needed for close…
Finland is 99.9% likely to join Nato, a former prime minister of the country tells the BBC. Alexander Stubb, who was PM from 2014-15, says the Finnish president will announce Finland’s intention to join tomorrow, followed by an announcement from the government over the weekend, and a joint statement from Finland and Sweden early next…
Pyongyang’s sophisticated cyberwarfare arsenal has triggered far less attention and international response than its nuclear and missile weapons, despite having been used repeatedly in attacks against governments, financial institutions, and industries. North Korea has conducted cyber guerrilla warfare to steal classified military secrets, swipe billions of dollars in money and cybercurrency, and inflict extensive damage…
Asylum 2021: asylum decisions and unaccompanied minors Print Asylum 2021: asylum decisions and unaccompanied minors In 2021, EU Member States granted protection status to 267 360 asylum seekers, down by 5% compared with 2020 (281 055). Syrians received the highest number of protection status in the EU last year with 69 140, followed by Afghans…
The FINANCIAL — More than 11 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine since the war began. Five million of them looked for safety and shelter in the EU. Political scientist Polly Pallister-Wilkins discusses fundamental differences we witness in this crisis. ‘To the Ukrainian refugees we see a completely different response that relates to…
In 2020, road transport accounted for more than three-quarters (77%) of the EU’s inland freight transport, the highest figure recorded in the past decade. Rail and inland waterways transport accounted for 17% and 6% of inland freight transport respectively (based on tonne-kilometres performed). The share of road transport increased by 1 percentage point (pp) compared…
In 2021, the value of total trade (import plus exports) of raw materials between the EU and the rest of the world reached €178 billion. Since exports (€71.3 billion) were lower than imports (€106.8 billion), this resulted in a trade deficit of €35.5 billion. Between 2002 and 2021, EU trade in raw materials almost tripled,…
The FINANCIAL — In 2020, the life expectancy at birth in the EU was 80.4 years. This figure was 5.7 years higher for women (83.2 years) than men (77.5 years). In fact, female life expectancy was higher than male life expectancy in every NUTS level 2 region with available data. Compared with 2019, the life…
VoxEU — The Russia/Ukraine conflict has sent shockwaves throughout the world economy. Commodity prices, including energy, have increased sharply as uncertainty about supply disruptions has grown (Bachmann et al. 2022, Chepeliev et al. 2022). In addition, sanctions and trade restrictions have been imposed on Russian banks, businesses, and individuals (Berner et al. 2022). Finally, the…
The conducted survey of retail investor sentiment in Russia shows a sharp decline of optimism about the future and their own financial situation, according to Levada, a Non-governmental organization based in Moscow. Confidence that their personal financial situation will improve has been decreasing throughout the year, but the current drop was especially dramatic: the number…
