Articles

Economic policy in Europe is visibly shifting towards prioritizing competitiveness over green objectives. Over the past year, former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta published an ambitious report in support of the EU single market, followed by Mario Draghi\'s widely quoted report on the future of European competitiveness.

Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election has understandably caused a stir worldwide. There is a prevailing fear of the radicalism and unpredictability of the new president’s actions as he has already shown his controversial nature while holding this office between 2016 and 2020. Even as president-elect, Trump expressed ownership aspirations toward the Panama Canal, Greenland, and Canada.

There is a \'vibe shift\' going on around economic growth and deregulation. With new governments in the US and UK making radical reforms to pare back the regulatory state and foster growth and investment, the EU risks being left behind. Poland is positioning itself as the driving force behind a revival of European economic growth.

We know that disinformation as a tool of war is conducted in the shadow of war in the sense that it is a continuous, systematic, and diversified process, used not only during wartime but also—perhaps primarily—during \"peacetime.\" In modern armed conflict, disinformation is the strategic use of false or misleading information to influence perceptions of reality, behaviors, and military outcomes.

In 2024, Ukraine demonstrated a strong commitment to its economic obligations, meeting key conditions under the IMF and EU support programs. The country remained on track with its structural benchmarks, ensuring the flow of critical financing for non-defense expenditures. Entering 2025, risks persist, but Ukraine\'s focus on reforms and its urgent financing needs make staying the course essential.

At the outset of 2024, many economic projections assumed the war in Ukraine would conclude within the year. However, reality defied expectations. The war persisted, bringing new challenges, including territorial losses, large-scale infrastructure destruction, and sustained Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid. The Government faced the pressing need to secure funding for the war effort and mobilize additional defense forces.

Artificial intelligence and robots will soon create prosperity that will make human work superfluous, not to mention that there will not even be a place to work as we will become redundant. Echoing his earlier predictions, Elon Musk added that people will be able to stop working if everyone is paid a \"universal high income\". Not a \"universal basic income\", he argued, but a \"universal high income\".

Price inflation is not inevitable. One of the most common explanations for price growth is identifying it with capitalism. The argument is that inflation is unavoidable as the economy grows. It is thought that for businesses to have an incentive to invest and wages to grow, the prices of goods and services should rise in the first place.

In its third consecutive meeting, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) cut all three key interest rates as expected by a quarter of a percentage point. They are now in a range of 3.00%-3.40%. Although before the announcement of the decision, there were some speculations that monetary policymakers might resort to a more rapid easing, the gradual tapering path ultimately prevailed.

The new coalition in Lithuania has made it clear that the aim is to ensure adequate funding for defense and national security. It has promised to reform the second pillar of pension funds as a priority. In addition, it has proposed a tax reform, with a specific component: progressive taxation for higher earners, irrespective of their income.