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3 weeks ago | 
emerging-europe.com | Marek Grzegorczyk
Bulgaria’s journey to the eurozone faces political hurdles, but economic gains beckon. Bulgaria’s currency, the lev, has been pegged to the euro since 1997 (initially to the Deutsche Mark and later to its successor). Yet despite this long monetary engagement, the actual wedding date—when Bulgaria formally adopts the single currency—has proved elusive. Now, after a series of postponements, the Balkan nation appears on track to join the eurozone on January 1, 2026.
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3 weeks ago | 
emerging-europe.com | Marek Grzegorczyk
The GovTech revolution offers a vision not of more government, nor less government, but smarter government—one that leverages private sector innovation to deliver public value more effectively than ever before. In a nondescript building in Luxembourg is the backbone of what might be the world’s most advanced digital government. But it’s doesn’t belong to the Grand Duchy. Instead, what Luxembourg hosts is Estonia’s Data Embassy.
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1 month ago | 
emerging-europe.com | Marek Grzegorczyk
An ageing continent must find new financing models in era of digital and climate transformation. Europe’s welfare states, long the envy of the world, now face an existential challenge. The financing models that sustained generous social safety nets throughout the post-war era are buckling under modern pressures. A fundamental reinvention is needed, according to researchers from the EU-funded Project WeLaR, who have highlighted these concerns in a recent policy brief.
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1 month ago | 
emerging-europe.com | Marek Grzegorczyk
As Europe scrambles to bolster its defence capabilities, Lithuania’s capital is betting that the shortest path to security runs through the stars. When we think of space technology, the mind typically wanders to Houston. Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, rarely features in such mental voyages.
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1 month ago | 
emerging-europe.com | Marek Grzegorczyk
Economic growth on par with the industrial revolution of the 19th century may be within reach, according to new research. Yet this technological bounty comes with conditions attached. Artificial intelligence could boost global economic output by up to 15 percentage points over the next decade, effectively adding one percentage point to annual growth rates, according to research published this week by PwC.
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1 month ago | 
emerging-europe.com | Marek Grzegorczyk
Kosovo has already defied sceptics by building a functioning economy despite extraordinary challenges. The question now is whether it can move beyond mere resilience to true prosperity. In the bustling cafés of Prishtina, Kosovo’s capital, the optimism is palpable. Young entrepreneurs tap away on laptops while discussing their latest business ventures over macchiatos that rival those of Italy.
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1 month ago | 
emerging-europe.com | Marek Grzegorczyk
After weathering recent global challenges with a steady 3.6 per cent growth in 2024, economies across Europe and Central Asia now face a sharp slowdown to 2.5 per cent growth in the coming years. But there are opportunities for countries willing to make bold reforms. The World Bank’s latest Economic Update for Europe and Central Asia projects regional growth to decline to 2.5 per cent in 2025-26, down from 3.6 per cent in 2024.
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1 month ago | 
emerging-europe.com | Marek Grzegorczyk
It’s time to dust off the Danube‑Black Sea Canal and make it the continent’s greenest freight superhighway. The Danube‑Black Sea Canal is arguably Europe’s best‑kept logistics secret. A 64.4-kilometre shove through the flat plains of Romania, it links Cernavodă on the Danube with Constanţa’s harbour on the Black Sea. Barges draw up to 5.5 metres, slip under 16.5-metre‑high bridges and thread two locks each 310 metres long and 25 metres wide.
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1 month ago | 
emerging-europe.com | Marek Grzegorczyk
CEE’s rapid embrace of RegTech offers a glimpse of a future where regulation is not a hindrance to progress but a catalyst for innovation and economic resilience. In an era when regulatory compliance has grown increasingly intricate, the Central and Eastern European region is emerging as a formidable hub for regulatory technology, more commonly known as RegTech.
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1 month ago | 
emerging-europe.com | Marek Grzegorczyk
The European Accessibility Act will reshape how banks and fintechs design their services—whether they’re ready or not. In an office in Vilnius, a team of fintech developers scrolls through a wireframe of a sleek new payments app. The colour palette is minimalist, the layout intuitive. But one question has yet to be answered: can a blind customer use it? Until now, the answer has too often been ‘no’. That is about to change.
