THE WORLD BANK RECENTLY RAISED ITS ECONOMIC GROWTH FORECAST FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IN 2021, EXPECTING THEIR ECONOMIES TO GROW BY 3.6% THIS YEAR AND 4.2% IN 2022.IN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, THE CONSUMER CONFIDENCE INDEX IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES SUCH AS POLAND CONTINUED TO RISE, AND INTERNAL DEMAND AND INVESTMENT CONTINUED TO EXPAND. THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF E-COMMERCE HAS BECOME A NEW ENGINE FOR REGIONAL ECONOMIC GROWTH. IN 2020, THE SALES GROWTH OF E-COMMERCE IN POLAND WAS BETWEEN 35% AND 60%. DURING THE EPIDEMIC PREVENTION AND CONTROL PERIOD IN SERBIA, E-COMMERCE SALES INCREASED BY 100%, AND THE AVERAGE ONLINE INCOME OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES INCREASED BY 20% TO 30%.SINCE LAST YEAR, CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES HAVE BECOME HOTSPOTS FOR NEW ENERGY INVESTMENT, WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE AND NEW ENERGY COMPANIES INVESTING AND BUILDING FACTORIES HERE. MANY CHINESE CLEAN ENERGY COMPANIES HAVE ALSO INCREASED THEIR INVESTMENT IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, BECOMING IMPORTANT PARTICIPANTS IN THE EUROPEAN NEW ENERGY MARKET.THE ECONOMIES OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ACCELERATE THEIR RECOVERY, BENEFITING FROM TIMELY ECONOMIC SUPPORT POLICIES AND MEASURES INTRODUCED BY REGIONAL COUNTRIES. TO COPE WITH THE IMPACT OF THE NEW ROUND OF EPIDEMIC, COUNTRIES HAVE ONCE AGAIN INTRODUCED NEW ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE PLANS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE POLISH GOVERNMENT RECENTLY ALLOCATED 4.5 BILLION ZLOTYS (APPROXIMATELY 3.8 ZLOTYS PER US DOLLAR) TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO STRUGGLING BUSINESSES. THE NEW BATCH OF AID INCLUDES 1 BILLION ZLOTYS OF SOCIAL SECURITY EXEMPTION AND 1 BILLION ZLOTYS OF FREE ASSISTANCE FOR SMALL AND MICRO ENTERPRISES. THE HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT WILL PROVIDE INTEREST FREE LOANS FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES NATIONWIDE FOR UP TO 10 YEARS, WITH A LOAN LIMIT OF 10 MILLION FORINTS (APPROXIMATELY 299.2 FORINTS PER US DOLLAR), AND CAN APPLY FOR A DELAY IN PRINCIPAL REPAYMENT FOR UP TO 3 YEARS. THIS IS A NEW ROUND OF SUPPORT POLICIES FOLLOWING THE INTRODUCTION OF MEASURES SUCH AS PROVIDING WAGE SUBSIDIES FOR THE CATERING AND TOURISM INDUSTRIES AT THE END OF LAST YEAR.TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF VACCINE SHORTAGE, CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ARE MAKING EFFORTS TO EXPAND VACCINE IMPORT CHANNELS, INCLUDING IMPORTING VACCINES FROM CHINA. HUNGARY IS THE FIRST EU COUNTRY TO APPROVE AND PURCHASE CHINA'S COVID-19 VACCINE. THE HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED ON APRIL 6 THAT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE VACCINATED WITH COVID-19 VACCINE IN THE COUNTRY HAS EXCEEDED 2.5 MILLION. SERBIA HAS RECEIVED FOUR BATCHES OF CHINA'S COVID-19 VACCINE, AND THE NUMBER OF DOMESTIC VACCINATIONS HAS EXCEEDED 1.1 MILLION.ARON GLEBEN, CHIEF ADVISOR OF THE ECONOMIC DEPARTMENT OF THE EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK, STATED THAT IN THE POST PANDEMIC ERA, THE ECONOMIES OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES WILL PLACE GREATER EMPHASIS ON INNOVATIVE GROWTH, GREEN DEVELOPMENT, AND DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION, WHICH ARE KEY TO ACHIEVING ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT.