Croatiaʼs trade deficit fell to HRK 31.6 billion in the first half of 2020, from HRK 39.3 billion a year earlier, the countryʼs statistical office said.

The number of road accidents in Hungary resulting in injury or death fell 30% year-on-year in March 2020, as a result of a coronavirus-related countrywide lockdown introduced during the month, state news wire MTI reports, citing data by the Central Statistical Office (KSH).

CPI Property Group (CPIPG) successfully issued Hungaryʼs first corporate green bond last week, according to a press release sent to Budapest Business Journal.

Slovakiaʼs trade surplus increased to EUR 641.7 million in June from EUR 87.7 mln in the same month last year, the countryʼs statistics agency reported.

Mónika Pais has been appointed as general manager of Diageo’s Business Operations Center in Budapest, taking over from Gábor Zeisler, who carries on as finance director, Diageo Northern Europe, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

MFB Invest, a unit of the state-owned Hungarian Development Bank (MFB), has subscribed a HUF 490 million bond issued by CyBERG, a company listed on the Budapest Stock Exchangeʼs Xtend platform which runs Kajahu, a "social digital restaurant chain", state news wire MTI reports, citing a disclosure posted on the bourseʼs website shows.

The number of active coronavirus cases in Hungary has increased to 614, up from 601 yesterday, according to data by government coronavirus information site koronavirus.gov.hu.

Estoniaʼs consumer prices continued to decline in July, data from Statistics Estonia (SE) showed on Friday. The consumer price index (CPI) fell 0.9% year-on-year in July, following a 1% decrease in June.

On Lake Balaton, the booking value increased by more than 10 percentage points compared to last year, especially in the direction of apartments and holiday homes, writes portfolio.hu.

Mineral water and soft drink sales volume in Hungary fell about 8% year-on-year to 1.177 billion liters in the first half as second-quarter sales plunged because of a lockdown to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the head of the Hungarian Mineral Water, Juice and Soft Drink Association told state news wire MTI.

Among the measures introduced due to the coronavirus epidemic, reduced working hours and the home office proved to be effective for many companies, so they may remain in the future, according to a survey conducted by K&H Bank in June, writes novekedes.hu.

Two leading European banks are promoting the electric car industry with an investment in a new plant in central Poland run by global chemicals and sustainable technologies group Johnson Matthey. 

The reported number of cases of tick-borne encephalitis in the Czech Republic has increased by 25% on the previous year, according to data released by the National Institute of Public Health, reported the Czech Radio.

The stateʼs student loan program will be extended to vocational training and adult education programs from April 2021, the Innovation and Technology Ministry said, according to a report by state news wire MTI.

The Romanian government will grant parents an aid of 75% of the salary in the new school year if classes are suspended in a certain school due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced last week. 

The next event of the European Cricket Series (ECS), held in Hungary on the weekend of August 22-23 will be filmed and streamed live over Facebook and Youtube, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

The latest weekly sales of the Hungarian Government Securities Plusz bonds for retail investors dropped to HUF 57.2 billion after jumping to HUF 82.1 bln, a peak so far this year, in the previous week, state news wire MTI reports, citing data released by the Government Debt Management Agency (ÁKK).

Real estate developer Skanska started the development of the first phase of its new office complex H2Offices in Budapest, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

Croatian electricity and gas regulator Hrvatski Operator Tržišta Energije has launched a tender for 88 MW (megawatt) of renewables capacity, reported pv-magazine.

The National Bank of Hungary (MNB) purchased a total of HUF 33.9 billion corporate bonds under its Bond Funding for Growth Scheme (BGS) in July, state news wire MTI reports, citing data published on the central bankʼs website.