News & Opinions

Winter forecast for Eastern Europe: Solid growth despite uncertainties - 04 Feb 2026

Structural change in Central and Eastern Europe is in full swing, while Trump, budget deficits and a dictated peace in Ukraine pose risks; Ukraine faces a difficult future, whereas Russia’s economy is stagnating read more

Osteuropa ist Österreichs wichtigster Handelspartner und bringt kräftige Wachstumsimpulse - 04 Feb 2026

Zusammengenommen werden die 23 Staaten in Mittel-, Ost- und Südosteuropa 2026 den größten Beitrag zum österreichischen BIP-Wachstum unter allen Handelspartnern leisten. Damit ist die Region wichtiger als Deutschland, die USA oder China read more

New Podcast - CEE Outlook 2026: Making Decisions Amid Uncertainty - 03 Feb 2026

In the latest episode of the CEE Exchange podcast, part of wiiw’s Executive Network, Executive Director Mario Holzner and Deputy Director Richard Grieveson discuss the geopolitical and economic outlook for Central and Eastern Europe in 2026 read more

Paper on international investment linkages published in Journal of Comparative Economics - 30 Jan 2026

New research by Konstantin Wacker sheds light on how foreign direct investment by multinational firms translates into domestic investment. The financial system seems to be the critical link read more

Ukrainian refugees – from emergency to long-term strategy - 23 Jan 2026

Nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europe needs to replace temporary arrangements with sustainable, long-term strategies that work for both refugees and host countries read more

Neuer Podcast: Vasily Astrov über die Aussichten der russischen Wirtschaft 2026 - 16 Jan 2026

Unter dem Titel „Bringt Putin im Jahr 2026 Russlands Wirtschaft endgültig um?“ diskutiert unser Russland-Experte Vasily Astrov mit Eduard Steiner von der Tageszeitung „Die Presse“ und dem Energie-Experten Johannes Benigni read more

A dictated peace would be a disaster for Ukraine and Central Eastern Europe - 15 Jan 2026

Without credible security guarantees, Ukraine is likely to become a vassal state of Moscow and will continue to get poorer. The EU members of the region would face economic decline and protracted conflict with Russia read more

What would an accelerated EU enlargement mean and how feasible is it? - 13 Jan 2026

EU enlargement is back on the agenda. This time, however, amid growing geopolitical pressures, the EU is exploring ways to speed up the process. But what is realistically achievable? A high-ranking panel with oiip addressed this question read more

Global Economy Lecture: Silvana Tenreyro on potential responses to economic shocks and the role of negative interest rates - 02 Dec 2025

Negative interest rates can help when there are demand shocks, but they are ineffective during supply shocks. To mitigate the risks associated with future supply stocks, there needs to be technological and trade diversification as well as the creation of resource buffers read more

Freihandel mit der Türkei brächte Vorteile für Österreich und die EU - 26 Nov 2025

Vertiefte Zollunion zwischen EU und Türkei als Win-win-Situation; große Chancen für Österreich, vor allem bei Maschinen und Fahrzeugen; Verhandlungen als Hebel gegenüber Ankara read more

Early EU accession: The economic reforms that Ukraine and the other candidate countries would need to implement - 17 Nov 2025

For rapid EU enlargement to succeed, clear priorities for economic reform are needed to address the biggest problems facing the candidate countries. The case studies of Ukraine, Serbia and Montenegro illustrate this point. 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

Recent Publications

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Steuer- und Abgabenleistung nach Branchen- und Firmencharakteristika

wiiw Research Reports in German Language read more

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Monthly Report No. 1/2026

wiiw Monthly Reports read more

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Digitalisation of jobs and gender-age segregation in digital tasks: Cross-country evidence based on ESJS2 data

wiiw Working Papers read more

Projects in Focus

Processes of labour market integration of female refugees in Austria (FIMAS+Frauen)

Client: International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD)
Duration: February 2022 - September 2022 read more

Industry 4.0, migration and the labour market adjustment: an intra-European perspective

Client: Anniversary Fund of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank
Duration: October 2021 - March 2024 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

Labour market trajectories of refugees and other migrants

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

Couples’ transition to parenthood and labour market outcomes: Analysing gender inequalities and career interactions in Austria (CoPLAN)

Client: Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften
Duration: July 2025 - June 2027 read more

Tobacco taxation in Eastern Europe 2025-2026

Client: Bloomberg Philanthropies
Duration: January 2025 - December 2026 read more

Impact Evaluation of the Interreg Central Europe Programme

Client: Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE
Duration: September 2020 - March 2023 read more

Nearshoring and decarbonisation in the Western Balkans

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

Fiscal rules and fiscal councils in the Western Balkans

Client: The World Bank
Duration: August 2023 - October 2024 read more

Political economy of public debt, growth and interest rates in the context of the Corona crisis

Client: Anniversary Fund of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank
Duration: October 2021 - September 2023 read more

Differences in real non-residential investment between the United States and EU countries

Client: European Investment Bank (EIB)
Duration: May 2023 - June 2024 read more

Capacity Building for Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe: Development, organisation, implementation and evaluation of seminars at the Joint Vienna Institute

Client: Oesterreichische Nationalbank/Austrian Ministry of Finance
Duration: January 2026 - December 2026 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

Where are the growth potentials? The sectors that can boost convergence in CESEE

Client: Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB)
Duration: June 2023 - November 2023 read more

Demographic and economic development in Central and East European countries (CEECs)

Client: City of Vienna
Duration: September 2021 - June 2022 read more


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