Prudent macroeconomic policy, based on a balanced budget strategy and structural reforms, has successfully transformed Estonia into an open and flexible market economy and as a star performer among European Union accession countries. Executive Directors welcomed these developments and commended...

The staff report for the Request for a Stand-by Arrangement with officials of Ukraine discusses economic developments and policies. Assuming a global recovery in the second half of 2009, the Ukrainian economy could be back at its estimated potential growth rate by 2011. The large financing gaps...

Even though the global financial crisis hit Ukraine hard, the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) program managed to restore macroeconomic and financial stability. Executive Directors welcomed the new SBA aimed to consolidate public finances, restore banking system soundness, and develop a more robust...

The first analysis focuses on external stability, an important issue in view of Croatia’s external imbalances and the requirements of the IMF’s 2007 Decision on Bilateral Surveillance. The paper shows that the real exchange rate is broadly in line with economic fundamentals and...

Burkina Faso’s request for a Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility is discussed. The proposed new Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program would help anchor macroeconomic stability and support Burkina Faso’s poverty reduction and growth...

This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that six years after the 1998 financial crisis, Ukraine continues to recover strongly. In 2003, real GDP grew by 9.4 percent, despite a poor harvest, and reached 13.5 percent through July 2004. Growth in 2003–04 has been prompted by favorable...

This paper examines Sierra Leone’s 2004 Article IV Consultation, the Fifth Review Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF), and Requests for Waiver of Performance Criteria. Growth prospects in the medium term are encouraging, largely based on some mining projects coming to...

Economic growth is strengthening, stimulated by the high terms of trade. Monetary policy has been tightened appropriately. A flexible monetary policy response to potential external shocks, including commodity price swings, will help to cushion growth while preserving low inflation. To promote...

This 2005 Article IV Consultation highlights that the annual growth in Poland in 2004 reached 5½ percent, with a surge in growth in the run-up to European Union accession dissipating in the second half of 2004. Both domestic and net external demand contributed to the slowdown. Consumption and...

The 2007 Article IV Consultation discusses the Republic of Lithuania's economic developments and policy challenges. Lithuania has done well in the past years to improve its investment climate and ranks high on most measures of doing business. Enhancing flexibility is important because a quick...