South East Europe Correspondent

The Financial Times is looking for a correspondent to cover Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia and the western Balkans, based in Budapest. This is a stringer position.

The region is now at the forefront of many of the most exciting stories in Europe, including: the ideological battle over values led by Hungary’s self-declared “illiberal democrat” premier Viktor Orban; tussles with Brussels over respect for the rule of law and democratic norms; the spread of crony capitalism; and geopolitical competition as China, Russia and Turkey seek to build their influence at a time of wavering EU commitment to further enlargement.

These are also some of the fastest growing economies in Europe, with skilled workforces and strong links to German supply chains. But they are afflicted by emigration, depopulation and corruption. Rising labour costs are pressing governments to find higher valued-added sources of growth.