This Selected Issues paper for the Netherlands highlights that Dutch cost competitiveness deteriorated significantly in the years prior to 2004. The relatively poor economic performance during the new millennium contributed to these concerns generally, as did restrained export performance more...

The Netherlands has a long-standing legal framework concerning Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism preventive measures, which dates back to 1993. The legal framework for Customer Due Diligence is generally adequate; however, a number of provisions are problematic. The...

There is terrorism and terrorist financing (TF) risk, but it appears limited based on available information. The Netherlands has criminalized money laundering (ML) fully in line with the requirements under the Vienna and Palermo Conventions. The Netherlands has a long-standing financial...

The 2008 Article IV Consultation analyzes the promise of fiscal discipline and debt relief that has boosted investor confidence and growth in the Kingdom of the Netherlands—Netherlands Antilles. Although exports moderated temporarily, tourism was a bright spot owing to improvements in...

This Selected Issues paper examines the long-term issues with pension expenditures in the Netherlands. The paper highlights that the public pension for a single person is equal to 70 percent of the (statutory) minimum wage. The minimum wage and public pensions thus move in lock-step; they are...

The two newly autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands face substantial challenges. Growth has been low, and unemployment high. The current account deficit has widened to worrisome levels, increasing the vulnerability of the peg to the U.S. dollar and stimulating calls for...

This paper describes economic developments in Kingdom of the Netherlands—Aruba during the 1990s. During 1993–94, Aruba’s economic expansion continued at a brisk pace, albeit somewhat slower than the very high rates of growth attained during the late 1980s. Growth was mainly supported by...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country

This 1999 Article IV Consultation highlights that Aruba’s real GDP grew at an annual rate of some 3 percent in 1998, while inflation remained subdued at about 2 percent. Comparable rates of satisfactory growth and low inflation have characterized the island’s development since the mid-1990s,...

Important issues of the Netherlands are discussed. Openness to trade has benefited the Netherlands before the crisis and has supported the recent recovery process. However, both financial openness and trade linkages have also been a transmission channel for the financial crisis. Synchronized...