Social polarisation, the rise of fake news and loss of trust in authority form the top of the biggest threats to European companies in 2024, including from a crisis communication perspective. Cyber-attacks rank particularly high and remain the biggest risk to organisations, with cyber-crime estimated to cost the global economy $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. This is the conclusion drawn at the end of the Crisis Communication Network Europe (CCNE) annual meeting in Munich. For Western and Eastern European companies, there are several common risks, but also some differences, mainly due to the level of economic development, but also to cultural specificities and regional trends. In addition to the top four threats, next year's elections and the rise of extremist discourse are concerns shared by organisations from all EU regions. In addition, companies operating in Western Europe point to the all-too-fast rise of artificial intelligence in relation to the lagging regulatory framework. From this perspective, integrating risk and crisis management with digital transformation is seen as crucial, requiring coordination between different departments and an understanding of the complexity of technology, data and operating environments. As the threat of cyber-attacks increases, there has been a trend among global companies to merge GRC (Governance, Risk and Compliance) and ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) policies, promoting crisis scenario planning and hypothesis testing capabilities that consider both risk factors and sustainability aspects. A specificity of Eastern European companies is fiscal unpredictability and higher risks of contagion following the war in Ukraine. "Regarding the forecast for Romania, it is worth noting that next year will be an extremely dynamic year from a political perspective, as it is the first year in which Romania has elections on all fronts. In this context, populist messages and media intoxications, including în terms of fiscal predictability, will put companies in problematic situations, easily generating communication crises", says Ana Maria Gardiner, Managing Partner Lighthouse PR. CCNE is a European association of independent consultancies with proven expertise in crisis prevention, management and communication. Through the network, its members can better support their clients in cross-border crises. In Romania, the PR and strategic communication agency Lighthouse PR is the only member of the group and the only one in Central and Eastern Europe.
Homedit, a Romanian brand of premium furniture and home décor, announces the official opening of its first showroom, located in an interwar house in central Bucharest ("The Bamboo House”, located at No.3, Dumbrava Roșie St.). With a total investment of approximately EUR 12 million, the business was founded in 2016 as an online store by […]
The 32nd edition of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS) begins on Friday, June 20, bringing over 5,000 artists from 82 countries to the city. The events will take place over ten days and will transform the city into an "open-air stage, with large-scale productions, impressive installations, parades, fire shows, live music, aerial dances, and […]
The well-known science and nature channel Discovery is currently marking four decades since its global launch in 1985 with a special series titled "Discovery Changed My Life,” bringing testimonies from personalities whose vision was shaped by Discovery. Among those featured is also Romanian mountaineer and conservationist Alex Găvan. The series premieres on Sunday, June 22, […]
Meta Estate Trust (MET), a holding company operating in the real estate sector, has invested approximately EUR 2 million in a new retail park currently under development in Ciolpani, a commune located on the Bucharest–Ploiești corridor (DN1), it said. The project is scheduled to be completed and handed over to tenants this year, with an […]
Romania benefits from a series of favorable factors that facilitate the growth and expansion of data center capacity and could emerge as a developing market, according to an analysis conducted by the real estate consultancy company Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. A diversified energy mix, with over 50% of energy production coming from renewable sources, along […]
The German company DEHN, a manufacturer of electrical engineering solutions for critical infrastructure, including lightning and surge protection, as well as safety equipment, will open a production site in Piteşti, southern Romania. The facility, the company's first in the country, will expand its capacities to serve customers in Europe. It fits seamlessly into the company's […]
