Spain showed strong growth performance marked by robust job creation and a solid fiscal position. Executive Directors supported the National Reform Program (NRP), which focuses on improving productivity, market flexibility, and competitiveness. They commended the appreciable fiscal surplus,...

This 2009 Article IV Consultation highlights that the economy of the Marshall Islands is on a path to recovery. A gradual expansion with growth reaching 0.5 percent in 2010 is supported by further growth in the fish processing industry and additional foreign grant assistance. Rising prices could...

Aruba is one of the most developed islands in the Caribbean. Still, it is vulnerable to external shocks owing to its heavy dependence on tourism and a steady increase in public debt. Policies to support further fiscal consolidation and boost Aruba’s growth potential are needed....

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), scattered across an area of nearly 1 million square miles in the Central Pacific, is heavily dependent on external grants. As in past consultations, the current discussions have focused on policies to put public finances on a secure footing and improve...

This 2006 Article IV Consultation highlights that despite the closure of the sugar industry, economic growth in St. Kitts and Nevis has accelerated. In 2006, the economy is estimated to have recorded its third consecutive year of strong growth, projected at 4½ percent in 2006, with good...

The Colombian economy proved resilient to the global financial crisis, and a solid recovery is under way. The pace of monetary tightening envisaged strikes the right balance between restraining credit growth and mitigating incentives for further capital inflows. A sudden acceleration of domestic...

This Selected Issues paper highlights the Philippine growth performance led by the services sector. Average GDP growth is higher in the post-Asian crisis period in the Philippines, while the majority of the Philippines’s regional peers have experienced substantially lower growth in the...

Since 1999, economic policies have sought to place the country on a path of sustainable growth, which would help reduce unemployment and poverty. The authorities have begun to address the risk of overheating, although demand policies may need to be tightened further. Monetary policy will be...

The 2006 Article IV Consultation with Peru and request for a Stand-By Arrangement highlights that the Peruvian economy has been reaping benefits of sound policies in a favorable external environment. The new government remains committed to sustaining fiscal consolidation to entrench...

This paper discusses key findings of the First Review for Seychelles under the Stand-By Arrangement. Developments under the program at end-December 2008 were broadly satisfactory. Although growth was lower and inflation higher than targeted in 2008, the liberalization of the exchange regime and...