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.
Romanian deep-tech startup .lumen, the developer of what it says are the world’s first AI-powered glasses for the blind, has secured a new investment from EIT Urban Mobility, the European innovation community focused on advancing sustainable and inclusive urban mobility solutions. The value of the new funding round was not disclosed. The investment aligns with […]
The health spending per capita in Romania was the lowest in the EU, with spending less than half the EU average in 2023, the recently released report, State of Health in the EU - Romania Country Health Profile 2025, shows. At the same time, life expectancy in Romania is 5.1 years below the EU average, […]
Romania’s annual inflation rate stood at roughly 9.8% in November 2025, similar to October, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). Food prices increased by 7.6% last month, while services rose roughly 11% and non-food goods climbed 10.7%. The consumer price index rose by 0.42% in November compared with October, while […]
Three French soldiers deployed in Romania as part of NATO’s Multinational Battle Group at Cincu intervened to save a truck driver following a serious traffic accident on the A3 Bucharest–Ploiești motorway, the Romanian Ministry of Defense said. The incident occurred earlier this week as the soldiers were traveling toward Ploiești and witnessed the truck crash...
Eight contemporary art galleries will present the works of the artists they represent at the third edition of the Smallest Art Fair in Town, an event dedicated to works on paper. This edition showcases works “investigating the state of wandering, disorientation, and rediscovery in the face of uncertainty.” Under the title In Dark Woods, A […]
Parents everywhere are asking an important question: What skills will truly prepare a child for a world defined by rapid change, global uncertainty, and the rise of artificial intelligence? For decades, schools focused entirely on academics. Today, research from neuroscience, performance psychology, and leading universities shows a different reality: The students who thrive long-term are […]
