Πέμπτη 27 Αυγούστου 2026
5 άρθρα
Romania’s €770 million deadline slips away
Four governing parties have abandoned talks on a unified public-sector pay grid, leaving too little time to secure presidential approval and EU verification by 31 August. The Commission has not formally withheld the grant, but Romania now faces borrowing more—or cancelling schools, roads and local projects—as debt exceeds 60% of GDP.
Cyprus cable still waits for a ship
Meridiam’s majority stake gives the Great Sea Interconnector stronger financial backing, while Nexans has proved its cable can withstand depths of 3,000 metres. But tariffs and Cyprus’s contribution remain unresolved, 40% of seabed surveys are unfinished, and no maritime notice, vessel or coordinates have emerged for work in waters contested by Turkey.
Danube drought cuts Bulgaria’s nuclear buffer
Kozloduy’s Unit 5 has fallen from about 1,010 MW to 850 MW, trimming the electricity surplus Bulgaria exports across a strained regional grid. Romania and Hungary are already using emergency measures to protect their own Danube-cooled reactors, pushing south-east European power prices above those in Germany and raising interruption risks for industry.
Hungary widens corruption appeals before €10bn deadline
Anyone can now challenge decisions by Hungarian police or prosecutors to close corruption investigations, using anonymised rulings published by the Integrity Authority. The change arrives days before Budapest’s 31 August deadline to unlock roughly €10 billion in frozen EU recovery funds. Previous reviews rarely overturned closures, leaving the Commission to decide whether the new legal route can deliver verifiable enforcement.
Italy leaves €6 billion in SAFE loans
Rome requested only €8.9 billion of the €14.9 billion tentatively available, exposing coalition resistance to taking on more defence debt even at favourable EU rates. The unused allocation could return in a second call before year-end, with Poland already seeking more money as early borrowers turn SAFE financing into weapons orders.