Ageing populations and emigration will increasingly put pressure on labour markets and long-term growth in central and eastern Europe..
As the president of the G20 this year, India has set a broad agenda spanning areas from climate-based transition to the inclusion of more developing countries in the grouping..
Energy security in the Visegrad countries has strengthened significantly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with gas storage levels well above the EU’s recommendation of 80% ahead of the next winter heating season (2023/24). However, imports of other energy sources such as oil and nuclear fuel remain high as diversification would require substantial investment to reduce dependency on Russia..
On October 20th 2023 the first ASEAN-Gulf Co‑operation Council (GCC) summit was held in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), with top leaders from both blocs in attendance..
On October 24th, at the sixth meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (the legislature), Chinese legislators approved a plan to increase Treasury issuance by Rmb1trn (US$136.8bn). .
On October 17th EU member states reached agreement on how to reform the bloc’s electricity market with the aim of protecting consumers, providing a more stable business environment and incentivising investment in renewables. .
Polling in Israel increasingly indicates declining support for the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in the wake of a deadly incursion into Israeli territory by Hamas, a Gaza-based Palestinian armed group, on October 7th. Although we expect Mr Netanyahu to remain in power as the war in Gaza intensifies, a sharp deterioration in public support for him and his party, Likud, is likely to boost opposition parties’ electoral prospects..
Near-term risks to Europe’s energy security are rising, with natural gas prices (European Title Transfer Facility) increasing by 30% since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. Israel has restricted gas flows from its Tamar and Leviathan gasfields to Egypt, which had been looking to ramp up its exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as European seasonal gas demand increases..
Bhutan and China held their 25th round of boundary talks on October 23rd‑24th, during which Bhutan’s foreign minister, Tandi Dorji, met with China’s deputy foreign minister, Sun Weidong, in Beijing (China’s capital)..
Natural gas flows from Israel to Egypt have been reduced since mid‑October, following the closure of the Tamar field in Israel by Chevron (US), the operator, for security reasons related to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Egypt’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) trains have been suspended as a result, just weeks after restarting from a pause over the Egyptian summer months, when domestic demand surged..