The Dispatch

EC questions Romania’s latest commissioner nomination

There are "serious doubts that Romania’s nomination [for the position of European Commissioner] was legitimately sent by the interim government,” EC spokesperson Mina Andreeva stated on October 30. It is…

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Photo Story: Commemoration on the anniversary of Romanian nightclub blaze

An elderly Romanian man makes the sign of the cross after burning candle in the memory of the victims of a night-club fire accident in front of the building…

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Photo Story: US Air Force Osprey conducts demonstration flight in Budapest

A CV-22B Osprey type aircraft of the US Air Force conducts a demonstration flight above Budapest, Hungary, 29 October 2019, on the fifth day of a joint operation of Hungarian…

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Austrian Post fined for selling customer data

Austrian Post has been ordered to pay €18 million for collecting and selling mailers' perceived political preferences. The Austrian Data Protection Authority decided on the administrative penalty after finding that…

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Romanian leaders’ squabble over Commission pick

Romania's political leaders are at loggerheads over the country's nominee for the next European Commission, with the president accusing the caretaker prime minister of being "irresponsible" for putting someone forward for…

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Photo Story: Quadruplets born in Hungary

A combo picture shows nurses tending to newborn Hungarian quadruplets Anna Nagy (top L), Panna Nagy (top R), Anita Nagy (bottom L) and Richard Nagy (bottom R) in the prenatal…

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EPA’s Eye in The Sky: Bieszczady Mountains, Poland

An aerial picture taken with a drone shows foggy morning over the Lake Myczkowskie in the Bieszczady Mountains, in Myczkowce, south-eastern Poland. Photo: EPA-EFE/GRZEGORZ MICHALOWSKI

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EU criticises Romania for not tackling corruption

The European Commission released its report on Bulgaria and Romania on Tuesday. The annual studies, done to measure how far the two countries have progressed with required judicial reforms, the…

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Airbus Helicopters considers giving up factory in Romania

Airbus is considering giving up the completion of its new helicopter factory in Brasov, central Romania, where it has already invested EUR 10 million of a total of EUR 15…

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Slovak prosecutor charges four in murder of investigative journalist

Slovak authorities charged four people on Monday in the murder of an investigative journalist and his fiancée, a case that sparked major protests against high-level corruption and forced then-premier Robert…

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Photo Story: Italian actress Sophia Loren honoured in Vienna

Italian actress Sophia Loren (R) is kissed by her son Carlo Ponti Jr. on stage. The Italian actress was awarded the European Cultural Award Taurus for her lifetime achievements during…

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Rally for solidarity with the women who have been victims of violence in Bucharest

A Romanian masked woman plays in a street theatre act, meant to show women's condition in Romanian society, prior to a solidarity march with the women who have been victims…

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Orban says would have to ‘use force’ if Turkey ‘opens gates’ to refugees

Hungary would "use force" at its southern border with Serbia to protect the European Union's frontier if Turkey follows through on its threat to open the gates to Europe to…

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Polish Election Update: PiS wins majority in parliamentary vote, expected to lose Senate (UPDATED)

UPDATE: Poland's nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party looked to have narrowly won a second term in power, according to preliminary results from Sunday's parliamentary election, but fell short of the…

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Highlights from the Caravaggio & Bernini exhibition in Vienna

Photos from the press preview of the Caravaggio & Bernini exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History) in Vienna, Austria, 14 October 2019. Paintings by Caravaggio, sculptures by…

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Orban suffers his biggest political setback in a decade as opposition wins Budapest mayoral race

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban suffered his biggest political setback in a decade on Sunday, when an opposition candidate became mayor of Budapest by defeating an incumbent backed by the ruling…

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Opposition parties face ‘existential’ battle in Poland and Hungary in Sunday elections

This Sunday will be a crucial test for the opposition in central Europe’s two populist strongholds as liberal forces in both countries attempt to win back ground from nationalists. In…

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Poles to vote in one of most important elections in decades

Poland’s ruling conservative party heads into Sunday’s election to the 460-seat lower house and the 100-seat Senate as Poland’s most popular party, largely thanks to generous social spending and an…

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Photo Story: Eliud Kipchoge breaks two-hour marathon mark by 20 seconds

Eliud Kipchoge, Kenyan marathon world record holder, celebrates with the flag of Kenya in front of the finish line after the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria, 12 October…

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England football fans in violent clashes with police in Prague

England fans have been involved in violent clashes with police in Prague, with several supporters arrested. Thousands travelled to watch England take on the Czech Republic in a Euro 2020…

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Romania urges its workers to go back

The government in Bucharest has launched an advertising campaign to encourage workers home. It is putting in place a range of incentives made up of grants and loans in order…

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Hungary urges EU dialogue with Turkey to prevent new wave of migrants

The European Union should have a dialogue with Turkey despite Ankara’s offensive on Kurdish-led forces in Syria, in order to avoid a fresh wave of migrants coming to Europe, Hungarian…

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EU sues Poland over judicial independence laws

The European Commission has referred Poland to the top European court over concerns that new laws strip judges of their independence. Investigations and even sanctions are expected to follow. The…

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Romania government falls after no confidence vote

Romania's government has fallen after Social Democrat Prime Minister Viorica Dancila lost a no confidence vote. Official data showed that 238 lawmakers voted to topple the Romanian PM, with the…

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Tension over gay rights moves to the fore as Poland gets ready to vote

Activists say reports of attacks against the Polish LGBT community are up in Poland, where months of anti-gay rhetoric by politicians and church leaders before Sunday’s parliamentary elections have created…

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Romania’s second proposal for EU commissioner rejected

The European Commission’s president-elect Ursula von der Leyen has rejected Romania’s second proposal for commissioner – Socialist MEP Dan Nica, EC spokesperson Nina Andreeva confirmed to the Romania news station…

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Photo Story: Commemoration of the 1849 Arad Martyrs in Budapest

The flag of Hungary flies at half-mast during the annual commemoration of the 1849 Arad Martyrs at the Parliament building in Budapest, Hungary, 06 October 2019. The thirteen Hungarian rebel…

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Photo Story: Bulgarian President Rumen Radev visits Austria

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev (L) and Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen (R) arrive ahead of a meeting at the Presidential residence of the Hofburg Palace, in Vienna, Austria.…

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Bank analyst says Romania’s industry is in recession

Romania’s industry “undergoes recession”, Raiffeisen Bank’s chief economist Ionut Dumitru said at a conference, adding that other sectors perform comparatively better. The slowdown experienced by the local economy is to…

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Important win for Polish homeowners

Around half a million indebted Polish homeowners have won their fight to be freed from crippling Swiss franc mortgages. The Swiss currency has doubled in value since 2008, sending mortgage-holders'…

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Juncker Plan backs Croatia’s first social impact fund

Thanks to EU support, Croatian and Slovenian startups will benefit from Croatia's first social impact fund, Feelsgood. The European Investment Fund contributed half of the capital of this €30 million-strong…

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V4 Presidents’ Summit with Serbia and Slovenia

(L-R) Czech President Milos Zeman, Hungarian President Janos Ader, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova, Slovenian President Borut Pahor and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic pose for photographers before…

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Romania government in jeopardy as Opposition submits no-confidence motion

Romania’s main opposition party, the National Liberal Party (PNL), submitted its no-confidence motion against the Government of prime minister Viorica Dancila on Tuesday. The Government only has minority support in…

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Clear victory for Sebastian Kurz’s People’s Party in Austrian vote

Austria's People's Party, led by former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, has won a clear victory in Sunday's general election. With nearly all the votes counted, Kurz's party has more than 38%…

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30th anniversary of East German exodus into West German embassy in Prague remembered

A license plate of East Germany (DDR or GDR) is placed on East Germany-made Trabant car before ceremony at the German embassy during 30th anniversary of East Germans exodus in…

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Austrian election campaign winds up

Austrian political parties wound up their campaigns on Friday evening, before a parliamentary election on Sunday which Sebastian Kurz’s conservatives are tipped to win. Sunday’s vote is being held in…

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Flashmob to mark the World Heart Day

Nearly 800 kindergarten and elementary school pupils form a giant heart at the flashmob of the local Association For Heart Patients. The event marked World Heart Day on Friday in…

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Thomas Cook’s Polish arm Neckermann ‘insolvent’ after group collapse

Thomas Cook's Polish division, Neckermann Polska, has been declared insolvent, intensifying the crisis over the group's collapse. The news was announced by officials in Poland, little more than 48 hours…

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Agreement so Romanian Laura Codruta Kovesi becomes first head of the new EU Public Prosecutor’s Office

The European Parliament and EU Council negotiators agreed on appointing Romanian Laura Codruta Kovesi as the first head of the new EU Public Prosecutor’s Office, the European Parliament announced on…

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Albrecht Duerer exhibition in Vienna

Highlights from the press preview of the 'Albrecht Duerer' exhibition at the Albertina museum in Vienna, Austria. It has been decades since so many works by Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) have…

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Austria revives double passport plan for Alto Adige

The Austrian parliament on Friday revived a plan to give a double passport to give citizens in the Italian region of Alto Adige who are German and local Ladin speakers…

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Microsoft Flagship School opens doors in Gdynia in Poland

One of the most innovative and technologically developed educational institutions in the world was inaugurated recently in Gdynia. School Complex No. 8, included in the Microsoft Flagship School program, has…

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Polish ambassador advises Poles in UK to ‘seriously consider’ leaving

Poland's ambassador to the UK has written to 800,000 Polish nationals, advising them to "seriously consider" leaving the country after Brexit. Arkady Rzegocki said living standards in Poland were improving,…

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Photo story: Life-size Lego Technic Bugatti Chiron on display in Budapest

The life-size Lego Technic Bugatti Chiron is on display at the WestEnd City Center in Budapest, Hungary. The functioning and driveable Chiron was made from around one million Lego Technic…

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€676 million worth of EU investments in Poland for better rails and roads

The European Commission adopted three major Cohesion Policy projects, modernising the Polish rail and road network and increasing travel safety while reducing costs and travel time. EU-funded works will replace…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Kiskore, Hungary

A picture taken by a drone shows a blackhoe loading floating plant debris and communal waste onto a barge at the barrage of Kiskore hydroelectric power station at Kiskore, eastern…

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Prague state attorney halts investigation of suspected fraud by Czech PM Andrej Babis

The Prague state attorney has halted investigations against Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis. Babis was suspected of alleged misuse of EU subsidies in a total of 50 million Czech crowns…

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Photo exhibition by the homeless on the homeless in Hungary

Scenes from downtown Budapest in Hungary from the outdoor photography exhibition 'My Budapest Photo Project 2019' by the homeless in Hungary. For the third consecutive year, the food-saving charity organisation…

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V4 and Western Balkan partners meeting in Prague

Leaders of the Visegrad Group (V4) and Western Balkan partners pose for photographers during the summit on Thursday in Prague, Czech Republic. (Back row, L-R) North Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran…

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Photo Story: Algae bloom in Hungary

Freshwater algae proliferate in the southern tip of Lake Balaton at the mouth of the Zala river near Fenekpuszta, southwestern Hungary. Researchers suspect that phosphorus escaped from the lakebed sediment…

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Donald Tusk should face special court for failing to protect Poland’s tax system – Parliamentary Commission

A group of Polish lawmakers said Friday that the current European Council President and former Prime Minister Donald Tusk should face a special court for allegedly failing to protect the…

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Swiss artist installs 300 trees in football stadium

Basel-based artist Klaus Littmann has transformed a 30,000-capacity stadium in southern Austria into a forest as part of an exhibit paying tribute to nature. It is Austria’s largest public art…

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Romania’s former ruling party leader and his family banned from entering the US

The former president of Romania’s Social Democratic Party (PSD) and former Chamber of Deputies speaker Liviu Dragnea has been banned from entering the United States, after a decision of the…

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Photo Story: Hot air balloon festival in Hungary

Teachers and students of the Oroshaza Liszt Ferenc School of Art play music with wind instruments in the basket of a hot air balloon. This was done on Thursday, during…

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Czech state attorney halts PM Babis’ fraud investigation

A Czech state attorney has halted an investigation of suspected fraud by Prime Minister Andrej Babis, the newspaper Denik N reported on Monday, citing two sources with knowledge of the…

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German president asks Poland to forgive Nazi ‘tyranny’

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has asked Poland's forgiveness for Nazi "tyranny", 80 years on from the start of World War Two. Steinmeier and a number of world leaders, including US…

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Poland marks 80th anniversary of start of WW2

Leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday will be in Poland to mark 80 years since the start of World War Two, with…

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