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 prime minister Ilie Bolojan, on November 19, in an interview given to ProTV and quoted by Hotnews.ro, explained that the pension-wage cumulation ban will apply only to the so-called special pensions, namely those not based on past contributions, as opposed to all pensions as implied by Social Democrat (PSD) labour...
Statements by Romanian prime minister Ilie Bolojan about cutting by 10% the total personnel budget for all ministers and other similar contracting units, as opposed to only the central administration of the respective bodies, prompted on November 19 a radical reaction from the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and trade unions in the public sector. No […]
Romania’s Ministry of Labour unveiled for public consultations the revised law on magistrates’ pensions, and the government, in a press release, expressed its hope that the approval process, including by the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM), will proceed expeditiously. However, CSM vice president Claudu Sandu has already publicly rejected the law as insufficient. The bill is […]
PPC, the largest power supplier in Greece, also active in Romania with distribution, production, and supply operations after it took over Enel's operations in the country, announced at the Capital Markets Day event investment plans worth EUR 3 billion over the next three years in Romania, according to Economica.net....
The Romanian authorities will prepare framework legislation aimed at smoothing the sale of Lukoil's assets, including Petrotel refinery, according to Digi24, citing sources familiar with the negotiations. Initially, minister of energy Bogdan Ivan said Romania must take...
Romgaz will not make investments in carbon capture (CCS) capacities until the projects are technically, economically, and commercially feasible, said Gabriela Trâmbițaș, the state-owned company's financial director, during the conference call with analysts following the publication of the third-quarter financial results, according to
