The Czech Republic’s strong fundamentals helped to sustain economic growth with low unemployment and underpin strides toward convergence with EU-15. Executive Directors welcomed the euro accession strategy and the sustained implementation of the Maastricht criteria, which would provide a...

This paper discusses a Request from Albania for a Three-Year Arrangement under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). This arrangement aims to prepare Albania for graduation from IMF-supported programs. If properly implemented, the policies it embodies will reduce vulnerabilities,...

This paper discusses key findings of the Third Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement for Seychelles. The program is on track, and macroeconomic stabilization has advanced rapidly. The authorities continue to implement the program with a high degree of ownership and success. All quantitative...

This 2007 Article IV Consultation highlights that real GDP growth of Solomon Islands rose to an estimated 6 percent in 2006, driven by fish, palm oil production, and services. However, it is expected to ease to 5½ percent in 2007, as a further escalation in logging will be likely offset by...

Despite abundant natural resources and arable land, Guinea-Bissau is ranked at the lowest end of the UN human development index, mainly because of the civil war of 1998–99 and the ensuing prolonged political instability and serious governance deficiencies thereafter. Since mid-2004,...

This 2007 Article IV Consultation highlights that macroeconomic outcomes for Antigua and Barbuda have strengthened significantly in recent years. Real GDP growth averaged 5 percent during 2003–05, and is estimated to have reached 12 percent in 2006. There has been progress in implementing...