The Bank of Lithuania on September 17 condemned the International Monetary Fund’s decision to resume economic consultations with Russia, saying that it fully supported the position voiced in a protest letter by the Baltic, Nordic and Polish finance ministers. Gediminas Simkus, the central bank’s governor and Lithuania’s representative on the IMF Board, said in a…
On September 10, the second meeting of the Strategic Investment Council was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal. The main topic of the meeting was the adoption of the Unified Portfolio of Public Investment Projects and the formation of a list of priority projects for financing in 2025. “The Unified…
The Export Credit Agency (ECA) has signed the first war risk insurance contract for an investment loan. This was announced by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko during the event “Economic Policy of Ukraine. Recovery During the War” in Kyiv on September 16. She noted that war risk insurance…
On September 11, Slovakia’s parliament passed a new bill introducing a tax on sugary drinks. The base rate is set at 15 cents per litre for standard sweetened soft drinks, such as colas, with special rates applied to energy drinks and syrups. The legislation was backed by coalition members, while opposition MPs either abstained or…
Approximately 10% of individuals who previously qualified for home loans would no longer be eligible under new regulations set by the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), according to brokers’ estimates. This change predominantly impacts those with incomes below the national average. The BNB has implemented stricter conditions for loan approvals by commercial banks. One significant new…
The Government is creating a humanitarian demining market and engaging private mine action operators to speed up this process. This was stated by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on September 13. “The financial support of our partners helps our Government to finance non-military expenditures, social programmes, and rapid…
In June, Bulgaria’s services sector saw a monthly production increase of 0.6%, while Eurostat data showed a decline in the EU for the same period. Production in the Eurozone’s services sector dropped by 0.8% compared to May, with the overall EU figure falling by 0.9%. This follows May’s figures where services output in the Eurozone…