CSE inhabitants are earning approx. 2.5 times less than the core of the EU, but if extreme cases are omitted, it turns out that most CSE countries do not compete for investors by lowering wages.
The idea of a two-speed Europe should be viewed positively. In economic policy, permission for Member States not to join certain EU initiatives can – figuratively speaking – fill the national purse. Which is not to say that all ideas should be contested.
The Ukrainian crisis has shown that energy security in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly as regards the supply of natural gas, is not at all as certain as it seemed until recently.
The Brexit referendum has sent a shockwave through the European Union but the perspective of Brexit as a clean break with the EU might be rather far-fetched.
European banks have significantly strengthened their capitals thus capital shortfalls are no longer a problem. But there are other challenges.
The European Union needs institutional stability in a financial supervision, says Andrea Enria, Chairperson of the European Banking Authority.
Healthcare operator IHH Healthcare's indirect subsidiary has proposed the acquisition of Bulgarian Tokuda Group and merging it with Bulgaria’s City Clinic Group for a combined total of RM437m (about EUR60m).
The countries of Central and Southeast Europe have stopped narrowing the gap even with sluggish Western Europe as a result of slower productivity growth and lower capital accumulation in the Western Europe.
Bulgaria wants to cut its fiscal deficit to 0.5 per cent of GDP by 2019 and protect its currency's peg to the euro, its mid-term budget forecast shows.