The purpose of this evaluation specifically relates to the SIGMA Programme implemented in eleven beneficiary countries of the European Neighbourhood Region (ENP) from its inception in the ENP Region in 2008 until mid-2013. This evaluation assesses the SIGMA Programme in the ENP Region in terms...

The European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) was created as a successor to the cooperation programmes TACIS (for the Eastern European countries) and MEDA (for the Mediterranean countries), with enlarged objectives and an increased budget. It was operational from January 2007, and...

Given the consolidation needs and the provisions of the new fiscal rule, budgetary planning in Germany has become more demanding. Fiscal projections are already difficult since the link between total tax revenue and economic activity is observed to be unstable. This Country Focus identifies...

This study focuses on the most important drivers of the swift current account rebalancing which is taking place in Estonia and considers the possible way forward. After very large deficits in the boom years (2005-2007), Estonia's current account balance turned positive in the downturn, as...

Romania's domestic demand boom over the past few years has led to rapidly widening current account deficits, reaching an estimated 13½% of GDP in 2008. High private sector dissaving has been exacerbated by a procycylical fiscal policy, with the public deficit likely to exceed 3% of GDP in 2008....

Measuring public sector efficiency is not generally straightforward and presents a difficult empirical issue, specifically in terms of adequate measurement of costs and outcomes. This Country Focus attempts to measure the efficiency of public spending in Malta by applying two alternative...