This Selected Issues paper explores different aspects of fiscal consolidation in Belgium. Belgium is facing higher structural deficits and rising debt after the pandemic and energy crisis. Fiscal consolidation is needed to lower inflation, rebuild buffers, reduce debt, and preserve Belgium's...

features of Belgium's wage-formation process. It then tries to identify some weaknesses and policy recommendations that strive to strike a balance between maintaining benefits of wage indexation while attenuating drawbacks for the economy. Inflation at record levels is putting the sustainability...

This Selected Issues paper presents a comparison on public expenditure of Austria and other countries. In the past decade, Austria's government expenditure growth has been very steady, thus avoiding the boom-bust pattern of some other European countries. However, expenditure levels are...

This paper focuses on Austria's 2013 Article IV Consultation on economic development and policies related to labor demand and supply. Austria taxes labor heavily, and this practice explains in particular the limited labor supply of low-skilled workers and women. The IMF report highlights that...

Europe is at a turning point. After last year's crippling energy price shock caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe faces the difficult task of restoring price stability now while securing strong and green growth in the medium term. Economic activity has started to cool and inflation to...

Economic growth has tumbled across Europe, inflation remains too high, and financial sector risks have materialized. Taming sticky inflation while avoiding financial stress and a recession will require tighter macroeconomic policies-tailored to changing financial conditions, stronger financial...

Europe is in a deep recession. Adverse feedback between the financial and real sectors and across borders is likely to delay the recovery and create downside risks. Unprecedented policies have been undertaken to address the crisis-but are they likely to be successful and sufficiently coordinated...