Read all posts for ‘Central and Eastern Europe’

Should you ever end up on the operating table in Romania, one of the last thoughts that might go through your mind before passing out is: “Did I pay the doctor enough?” Photo: The U.S. National Archives For a long time, as a child, I was convinced my grandmother was […]

What would you do with a country where you have a very generous healthcare system, an aging society and a pretty complicated economic situation? Hungary is well known as a country on its way to embracing Western European standards in terms of social security and economic success. A lesser known […]

Over the past few years, Hungarians have spent far more than they could afford. Now the government is trying to save them from the consequences of the financial crisis and their own irresponsibility. But is it really a good idea to be such a nanny? Before the financial crisis, bank […]

With scary news about the “financial crisis shaking the world!” making the headlines every second day, you can easily end up blaming the godawful traders for every single bit of wrong-doing. Or Greece. As time goes by, I more and more have the impression that everyone around is turning into […]

One of the first effects of the crisis on Slovakia – one of the most open, export dependent economies in Europe  – was felt when the country’s rich customers started importing fewer Slovak goods. Similar problems have started to occur again recently, with the slowdown in China, a major destination […]