EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell suggested on Monday in Warsaw that member states consider a temporary pause in weapon exports to countries, excluding Ukraine.

In 2023, specialized mobile teams of Czech engineers, chemists, medics, and snipers trained nearly a thousand Ukrainian soldiers in Poland. The EU-led mission will continue this year as well. According to the commander of the first rotation, Captain Pavel Kinc,  the joint preparation is also beneficial for the Czech soldiers.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed confidence on Friday that Hungary's parliament would swiftly ratify Sweden's accession to the military alliance when it reconvenes at the end of February. - Sweden's membership will make NATO stronger and us safer - emphasized the head of the Alliance. - I hope that Hungary's ratification of Sweden's application to NATO is only a matter of time.

The unemployment rate in Hungary rose to 4.4% in October-December 2023, up from 3.9% in the corresponding period of the previous year. According to KSH the highest unemployment rate was in Northern Hungary (7.3%), and the lowest in Central Transdanubia (2.2%).

On Monday, the Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy committed to addressing longstanding political disputes that have impeded their crucial wartime alliance. They also pledged to enhance defense cooperation as Russia's invasion of Ukraine approaches its third year.

"We will strengthen military cooperation. We will hold joint military exercises.

Slovakia rejects the admission of Ukraine to NATO and is prepared to veto the country's accession if necessary, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico told public radio station RTVS on Saturday. He also announced his meeting on Wednesday with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, during which he will convey Slovakia's negative position regarding Ukraine's NATO membership.

Almost every child's dream will come true for Polish elementary school students: From April, they will no longer be assigned homework. According to the Polish Minister of Education Barbara Nowacka, children should rest during their free time. Subsequently, the government ban may extend to secondary schools as well.

– There is no money in the world that we would let migrants into the country and LGBTQ propagandists into schools – the Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán alluding to the 20 billion Euros that are still withheld by the European Commission due to their alleged rule-of-law concerns. On January 18, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the violation of the rule of law in Hungary. MEPs also expressed disapproval of the European Commission's decision to unlock EUR 10.2 billion from…

The lower house in Poland (the Sejm), voted 240-191, with three abstentions, to approve budget the bill, which the Senate will take up on Jan. 24. According to the budget bill approved by the Polish lower house (Sejm) on Thursday, state revenues are planned at nearly PLN 682.4 billion (EUR 154.9 billion).

According to a report by the European Commission, Gdańsk has secured the fourth position among the best cities to reside in Europe. The residents of Prague, Białystok, Warsaw, and Krakow are also satisfied with the city they live in. According to the report, Hungarian cities such as Budapest and Miskolc performed significantly below the European average.

Economists at UniCredit expect that the economies of Central and Eastern Europe will achieve growth of around 3 percent in 2024 and 2025, with similar growth rates in the Western Balkans. “The growth rate of the CEE region is close to potential this year, while in Western Europe, at 0.5%, it is below potential”, commented Dan Bucsa, UniCredit’s Chief CEE Economist during The Central and Eastern European Forum, held in Vienna.