Specialists work at Number 4 Reactor of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant in Paks, Hungary, 2019. Photo by TAMAS SOKI/MTI/PAP/EPA (JAP)

Hungary’s tourism sector “exceeded expectations” in 2022, Zoltan Guller, the head of the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ), said on Monday. Photo by MTVA/Commissioner: Csaba Jászai

Poland will spend 4 percent of its GDP on defense this year, becoming the largest contributor relative to its economy in NATO, the country’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced on Monday. Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaking at a press conference in Siedlce, where he met with soldiers of the 18th Mechanized Division.

A former general Petr Pavel prevailed over a billionaire former prime minister Andrej Babiš on Saturday in the runoff vote. Retired NATO general Pavel has defeated opponent Babiš with 58 percent of the vote and will become just the fourth Czech president in the country's 30-year history. Photo by MARTIN DIVISEK/PAP/EPA

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Hungary’s security comes first, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview on Friday. Photo by MTI/Prime Minister's Press Office/Zoltán Fischer

Tripadvisor has ranked Budapest as the 7th best place for culture for 2023,  based on reviews from the global travel community. Warsaw was ranked 22nd.

Germany officially approved sending 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Berlin will also give permission for other countries to send theirs Leopard tanks too. Photo by Moritz Frankenberg/PAP/DPA (JAP)

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) will be held in Budapest again in May 2023. Former US Senator and member of the Republican Party, Rick Santorum, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Budapest, Hungary, 19 May 2022. Photo by Szilard Koszticsak / MTI / PAP/EPA

A Hungarian team has come in third place at the Bocuse d'Or 2023 international gastronomy contest final in Lyon. The top prize went to a team from Denmark.     Final day of Bocuse d'Or in Lyon. Photo by Reynaud Julien/APS-Medias/ABACA (JAP)

78 percent of Europeans are worried about the influx of illegal immigrants and that 56 percent think Europe's Christian traditions should be preserved - data from Századvég’s Foundation most recent survey indicates.  

Foreign companies, with the support of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, invested over EUR 3.7 billion in Poland in 2022, i.e. EUR 200 million more than a year ago

- The battle for freedom and our future is raging as we speak... Tanks must not be left in storehouses, but placed in their hands - the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki declared on Monday in Berlin.

– Never before in the history of Poland has such large funds been provided for the modernization of the army, emphasized Deputy Minister of Defense Michał Wiśniewski, pointing out that a record amount of PLN 524 billion was allocated for the modernization of the Polish army. The deputy head of the Ministry of National Defense declared the readiness of the Polish government to cooperate with foreign partners.

Global ratings agency Fitch has confirmed Poland's long-term rating at the 'A-' level with stable outlook. "Poland had a diversified economy, a fairly sound macroeconomic framework and slightly lower public debt levels compared to its peers" - Fitch said in a statement late on Friday.  

Retired general Petr Pavel scored a narrow win over ex-premier Andrej Babis in the first round of the Czech presidential election on Saturday. Petr Pavel. Photo by Vit Simanek/CTK/PAP