News & Opinions

The Western Balkans’ Paradoxical Resilience - 23 Oct 2025

Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia currently outperform the region of Central, East and Southeast Europe economically. Germany’s shift towards increased public spending could provide a boost to their growth read more

Autumn Forecast: Eastern Europe with robust, but slower growth - 22 Oct 2025

The economic model of CEE is changing, while rising defence spending will stimulate growth in the region. Ukraine's economy is stuck in war, whereas Russia is headed for stagnation read more

Schwächere Wachstumsimpulse aus Osteuropa für Österreich, aber auch neue Chancen - 22 Oct 2025

Trotz einiger Wachstumsrevisionen nach unten kann Österreich immer noch optimistisch auf die Wirtschaftsentwicklung in Osteuropa blicken. Der Strukturwandel in der Region eröffnet neue Chancen read more

Lecture by Guntram Wolff: Can the EU be fit for war by 2030? - 16 Oct 2025

Without a collaborative approach towards defence and military procurement, the EU risks losing its standing and credibility vis-à-vis Russia while deepening its dependency on the US read more

Neuer Podcast - Soll Europa jetzt Oligarchen und russische Kriegsflüchtlinge aufnehmen? - 16 Oct 2025

Vasily Astrov bespricht und analysiert mit „Presse“-Journalist Eduard Steiner mittwochs im Zweiwochen-Rhythmus russisches Gas, Sanktionen, Oligarchen – und vieles mehr read more

New study: Europe needs public investment to achieve its geopolitical goals and revive its economy - 13 Oct 2025

Without more public investment, the EU cannot become greener, more competitive or more resilient. Well-targeted public investment brings strong economic returns and can be financed – even through borrowing – without destabilising national budgets read more

Bridging the gap: converge2eu tracks Western Balkans’ road to EU prosperity - 09 Oct 2025

Data highlight the urgent need for action on environment, education, and infrastructure - while digitalisation shows strong progress read more

Russia is shifting its foreign trade massively towards China - 02 Oct 2025

Russia’s foreign trade is undergoing a profound shift, with China replacing the EU as Russia’s main trading partner read more

The EU is gaining influence in Eastern Europe, but losing ground to China in North Africa and Turkey - 25 Sep 2025

New Geoeconomic Interconnectivity Index (GEOII) shows: The EU should strategically leverage its economic relations with neighbouring countries in order to remain competitive with China, Russia and the US read more

Recent Publications

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Monthly Report No. 10/2025

wiiw Monthly Reports read more

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Hardening fault lines: CESEE in the age of fragmentation

wiiw Forecast Reports read more

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Easier to afford, more likely to be smoked? Marlboro indices show higher cigarette affordability in the South and East of Europe

wiiw Policy Notes and Reports read more

Upcoming Events

18  November 2025    5:45 pm CET

In cooperation with CEU, FIW, Universität Wien, WIFO, WIIW and WU.

Christoph Boehm (Associate Professor at UT Austin and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research) presents his research (jointly with Andrei Levchenko, Nitya Pandalai-Nayar, and Hiroshi Toma) in the Vienna International Economics Seminar (VIES) series

Dynamic Models, New Gains from Trade?

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Projects in Focus

Nearshoring and decarbonisation in the Western Balkans

Client: DIHK - Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag
Duration: January 2024 - September 2024 read more

Ex post evaluation of Cohesion Policy Programmes 2014-2020: Crisis response

Client: European Commission, DG Regional Policy
Duration: November 2023 - December 2024 read more

Welfare systems and labour market policies for economic and social resilience in Europe (WeLaR)

Client: European Commission, Horizon Europe
Duration: September 2022 - August 2025 read more

The impacts of recent inflation development on the EU finances

Client: European Parliament
Duration: July 2023 - November 2023 read more

The Economic Impact and Potential of Formal and Informal Roma Workers in Eastern Europe

Client: Roma Foundation for Europe
Duration: March 2025 - November 2025 read more

Labour market trajectories of refugees and other migrants

Client: Anniversary Fund of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank
Duration: January 2021 - June 2023 read more

Interreg Transnational Programmes: needs and opportunities for the future cooperation (TNCOOP)

Client: European Observation Network, Territorial Development and Cohesion (ESPON)
Duration: April 2025 - April 2026 read more

Analysis of the Fiscal and Health Impact of Increasing Tobacco Excise Taxes

Client: The World Bank
Duration: February 2024 - December 2024 read more

The spatial impact of EU policies

Client: European Commission, DG Regional Policy
Duration: October 2023 - January 2025 read more

The EU and Global Production Networks: The Length of Key Value Chains, Trends and Underlying Drivers

Client: Joint Research Centre (JRC)
Duration: January 2021 - June 2022 read more

Production and analysis of Cedefop’s new European Skills Forecast

Client: CEDEFOP
Duration: September 2024 - August 2028 read more


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