This Article IV Consultation focuses on San Marino’s prolonged recession. The global crisis has led to a significant decline in budget revenues. However, San Marino’s sizable pre-2008 budget surplus, combined with recent tax measures and efforts to restrain expenditures, have helped contain...

This Selected Issues paper examines inflation dynamics in Bulgaria from January 2012 to February 2015 and highlights some stylized facts about inflation in the country. January 2012 to February 2015 is the most relevant period for identifying factors contributing to recent deflation in Bulgaria,...

This 2015 Article IV Consultation highlights that Aruba has been recovering from a severe double-dip recession. The economy faced two major shocks over the past five years-the global financial crisis and shutdown of the Valero oil refinery in 2012. After a strong recovery in 2013 with growth...

This 2015 Article IV Consultation highlights that Bulgaria achieved modest economic growth in 2014, which is expected to continue in 2015, albeit at a lower rate. Consumer prices declined by an average 1.6 percent in 2014, among the sharpest contractions in the European Union, but are projected...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The recovery is addressing flow imbalances from past current account and fiscal deficits, but stock vulnerabilities from public, private, and external debt remain high. The unemployment rate has retreated from its crisis peak, growth has resumed, and the current account is...

KEY ISSUES Background: In February 2014, the Executive Board approved a three-year Extended Arrangement with access equivalent to SDR 295.42 million (492.4 percent of quota). So far, three purchases totaling the equivalent of SDR 94.2 million have been made, and another one equivalent to SDR...

This 2015 Article IV Consultation highlights that Latvia’s strong recovery has recently slowed in the face of sluggish growth in the euro area and deteriorating economic conditions in Russia amid rising geopolitical tensions. GDP growth decelerated to 2.4 percent in 2014 reflecting weak demand...

This Selected Issues paper examines the prospects for Latvia continuing to rapidly reduce its distance from the productivity frontier. It looks at the empirical record of countries that have in the past attained a similar relative level of income to that of Latvia at present, to gauge the...

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) challenge is to cope with the adverse economic environment and prepare the ground for achieving sustainable export-led economic growth, raising living standards, and making progress toward EU accession. In addition to fiscal consolidation, this will require...