Over the past decades, cross-border financial flows have increased in importance and have in many occasions exceeded the underlying current account positions. This phenomenon has been accompanied by an increase in the volume of international equity transactions that accentuate the role of...

The objective of this evaluation is to provide an overall independent assessment of the Commission’s past and current cooperation with Colombia over the period 2002-2011. It also aims at identifying key lessons in order to improve the current and future strategies and programmes of the...

Some transformations occurred in the area of private property ownership following the change of political regime in former socialist or communist countries. The six analysed countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Serbia) illustrate well the whole range of...

This is the first EEA publication to address the impacts of natural disasters and technological accidents across Europe. Focusing on major events between 1998 and 2002, the report adds value to existing studies by bringing together available information on their human and economic costs and...

The present study aims to provide a critical analysis of the causes that lead to the most relevant recent forest fires events in the EU, focusing in particular on Southern European countries. In particular, the study assesses to what extent forest fires have been influenced by forest management,...

This Country Focus discusses the relation between public investment and economic growth in Poland. Theoretical and empirical work has shown that improvements in the quantity and quality of public infrastructure have a positive impact on growth in the medium and, possibly, in the long run. The...

Following several years of low growth Germany is presently enjoying a relatively strong recovery. With unemployment falling at record speed and fiscal consolidation progressing, the upswing is set to continue in spite of uncertainties surrounding the VAT increase of January 2007. This Country...

The Czech financial sector has changed dramatically since transition. In fifteen years, it has developed from a state-owned mono-bank into a privatised bank-based financial system with developing capital and private equity markets. This country focus analyses the development of the financial...