News & Opinions
The Prague coffee house loses to the countryside beer saloon - 30 Jan 2018
The second round of the Czech presidential elections, held on 26-27 January, ended in the incumbent’s (narrow) victory. read more
Do trade imbalances affect economic growth? - 23 Jan 2018
The internationalisation of production appears to have caused a decline in the global wage share, while large trade imbalances may have acted as a break on growth. read more
Romania: second government crisis within a year despite economic boom - 18 Jan 2018
Why is a governing coalition with comfortable majority in both houses of parliament unable to govern when the economy is booming? read more
New Kosovan government faces a daunting set of challenges - 18 Jan 2018
Political issues may take up much of the agenda, but the administration will need to address the trade deficit, deficiencies in education and weak labour productivity. read more
Greece and Macedonia edge towards solution to name dispute - 16 Jan 2018
If an agreement is reached, the Macedonian government is in a strong position to approve it. From the Greek side it could be more challenging. read more
Post-Brexit EU-UK trade will face significant new obstacles - 11 Jan 2018
Most are focused on tariffs, yet non-compliance with non-tariff measures and regulations is likely to be more distortive and needs more attention. read more
Ten themes for CESEE in 2018 - 10 Jan 2018
Political noise notwithstanding, the region’s economies are in a sweet spot, and should continue to ride the booming Eurozone wave this year. read more
Bulgarian presidency to focus on Western Balkans, post-Brexit budget & migration - 21 Dec 2017
The government has missed the chance to highlight areas where Bulgaria is being unfairly treated by the EU. read more
IMF-led reforms in Ukraine: Barking up the wrong tree - 19 Dec 2017
Major reforms have been enacted, but a new wiiw study argues that the introduction of inflation targeting and increase in the effective retirement age will do more harm than good. read more
The EU at a crossroads - 18 Dec 2017
Current discussions over reform are running into familiar (German) obstacles, but politicians should act now while the economic backdrop is favourable. read more