#ECONOMY

Bulgaria is ready to adopt the euro at the start of 2026, has met all the criteria, and has written to EU institutions to initiate the final accession procedures, the country’s finance minister has said.

Falling mortgage rates, cheaper fuel, and a resurgent housing market are offering Polish consumers some relief – but fiscal and global risks still loom.

Ukraine produced eight times as many cruise missiles in 2024 as it did the year before, a government minister has said.

Asian markets fell as the tariffs took effect on Wednesday.

The newly announced trade tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump are set to cost Poland an estimated 10 billion złoty (about €2.3 billion), according to Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister. This figure represents roughly 0.4 percent of Poland’s GDP, which the prime minister acknowledged as notable, though not yet critical, provided the situation does not deteriorate further.

“Let’s be prudent and don’t panic,” former Polish PM and economist Jan Krzysztof Bielecki told TVP World while discussing the economic impact of U.S. tariffs on the CEE region and the global market situation.

The value of Ukraine’s exports last month was 4.5% higher than a year earlier and the country is on track to record its third consecutive year of GDP growth, according to officials.

The Warsaw Stock Exchange opened on Monday with a massive sell-off.

The average hourly wage in Poland reached €14.20 in 2024 – a substantial 19% increase compared to the previous year, making it the fastest wage growth in the entire European Union. According to new data from Eurostat, this dramatic rise far outpaced the EU-wide average increase of just 5.1%, highlighting the rapid pace at which Poland's labor market is developing.

Fresh data from Poland’s Central Statistical Office (GUS) have raised doubts about the strength of the country’s economic recovery. In a disappointing turn, retail sales fell by 0.5% in February compared to the same month last year, surprising economists who had predicted another robust performance following January’s unexpectedly strong 4.9% growth.

Poland’s inflation rate came in lower than initially expected, offering some relief to both consumers and policymakers. In February, the annual inflation rate stood at 4.9%, the same as in January.

A seismic shift is underway in Germany’s economic policy. Friedrich Merz, widely expected to be the country’s next chancellor, has announced plans to amend the German constitution to ease fiscal restraints, paving the way for a historic increase in government spending.

Ukraine’s diplomatic standing with the U.S. suffered a major blow over the weekend after a dramatic confrontation between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and both U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House.

Poland’s February purchasing managers' index (PMI) surpassed the 50-point benchmark, indicating growth for the first time in nearly three years.

Poland is the most business-friendly country in its region, an annual ‘Bureaucracy Index’ has found.

The value of Poland as a global brand grew by 23% last year, making it the 18th most valuable national brand in newly-published world rankings.

Germany's economic sentiment saw its strongest rise in two years just days before Sunday's national elections, where boosting growth and improving living standards are the main voter priorities.

Poland’s economy surged ahead of the rest of the EU in late 2024, recording the bloc’s fastest growth.

Poland’s trade surplus shrank dramatically in 2024, with total exports reaching 1,512 billion złoty (€363 billion), while imports stood at 1,509 billion złoty (€363.5 billion).

Stock exchanges across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) saw strong gains last week, led by Warsaw, Prague and Budapest.