St. Lucia showed strong growth performance owing to its strong investment in tourism infrastructure. Executive Directors commended the prudent public debt management and sound banking system. They underscored the need for fiscal consolidation and steps to promote domestic investment and labor...

Economic growth finally turned positive, but further recovery will be delayed, as fiscal austerity measures and recent floods will weigh on domestic demand. The macroeconomic outlook has weakened and continues to be subject to exceptional uncertainties. With the enactment of the ambitious...

The current cyclical upswing underscores the potential of the Polish economy with regard to EU accession and in the face of favorable global growth prospects. The current juncture offers good opportunities to lock in improved economic performance. Uncertainties remain regarding reducing the...

The staff report for Ireland’s fifth review under the Extended Arrangement states that financial sector reforms continued to advance, with the two structural benchmarks for end-2011 observed. In particular, targets for bank deleveraging in 2011 were met, with almost €15 billion of...

Barbados’s 2008 Article IV Consultation is focused on policies to balance the conflicting risks to inflation, growth, and medium-term sustainability. Although the government has maintained some policy space by postponing the liberalization of the capital account, its options are...

This paper discusses the request from the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities for a Stand-By Arrangement. The global financial and economic crisis hit Bosnia and Herzegovina when the overheating was already raising doubts about the sustainability of the economic expansion. The authorities’...

Portugal's economy faced severe crisis during the global economic and financial crisis. In this context, Portugal's authorities have put forward an economically well-balanced program that will focus on structural reforms to boost growth and employment, ensure balanced fiscal sustainability,...

This 2011 Article IV Consultation highlights that economic growth in Hungary is slowing and market perception of recent policy measures has been negative. The eurozone crisis is weighing on Hungary’s external demand. Fiscal and monetary policies are facing constraints, given financial...

The report provides the third Review of the Republic of Croatia Under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA). Policies under the SBA have sought to reduce Croatia’s savings-investment imbalance and stabilize the external debt-to-GDP ratio. Executive Directors agreed that the main success of the...

This staff report for the Request for Stand-By Arrangement of Hungary examines financing conditions and economic challenges. Hungary was among the first emerging market countries to suffer from the fallout of the current global financial crisis. Compared with other emerging markets,...