Bulgaria's macroeconomic performance in the face of the prolonged slowdown in the EU has been impressive, but risks have intensified. The response of fiscal policy to these risks has been adequate. Plans to increase reliance on state enterprises to carry out public sector activities are...

This paper examines Bulgaria’s 2004 Article IV Consultation and Ex Post Assessment of Longer-Term Program Engagement. Foreign direct investment inflows have been strong, reserves are rising, and competitiveness appears broadly adequate. Fiscal policy has been tightened in 2003, as the...

The staff report for the Post-Program Monitoring highlights economic developments, fiscal policy, and monetary policy. The primary risk to the near-term outlook for the Philippine economy is that the prevailing state of uncertainty proves to be protracted and sidelines economic reforms. Adverse...

The staff report for the Republic of Congo’s combined 2008 Article IV Consultation and Requests for a Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility is discussed. To enhance external viability, the authorities recognize the need to improve competitiveness, raise...

Belarus’s economy has performed well owing to its strong macroeconomic policies, which facilitated rapid real income growth, near-full employment, and a reduction in poverty to the lowest level in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Executive Directors welcomed the disciplined...

This paper focuses on the First Review for the Republic of Congo under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Policy implementation under the authorities’ PRGF arrangement through 2008 and the early part of 2009 was broadly satisfactory. The quantitative target on the non-oil...

The Canadian financial sector is among the world’s most highly developed. The five large banking groups that form the core of the system are conservatively managed and highly profitable. The stress tests suggest that the large Canadian banks can withstand a broad range of shocks. The...

This Selected Issues paper describes the three phases of IMF engagement in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with a view to drawing lessons that could prove useful in identifying objectives and policies for a medium-term program that could be supported through a successor Poverty Reduction...

Well-balanced macroeconomic policies, accompanied by an improvement in terms of trade during recent years, have allowed Bolivia to achieve very positive macroeconomic results. The 2012 Article IV Consultation highlights that the outlook for 2012 is favorable and short-term downside risks are...