The French economy weathered global crisis better than most of its peers. The authorities have taken important policy actions to stabilize the financial system and have implemented suitable fiscal stimulus to cushion the downturn. Executive Directors welcomed the policy, which aims to strengthen...

Austria has relatively strong macroeconomic fundamentals, but also deep ties with the rest of the euro area. The legacy of an overly ambitious eastward financial sector expansion has created substantial challenges to its policymakers. Policies have been designed to preserve market confidence,...

Program implementation has been satisfactory, and all assessment criteria were met. The fiscal deficit was reduced to 5.9 percent of GDP despite a significant revenue shortfall. Delays were incurred in the implementation of reforms in the energy sector. The authorities intend to accelerate...

The staff report gives details of some selected issues of France, namely its credit developments, systematic linkages of French banks, the need for a significant fiscal consolidation for macroeconomic stability, an update on the developments of France's external competitiveness, and also the...

After the 2009 crisis, policies have improved markedly, backed by substantial foreign assistance. Notably, fiscal adjustment has reduced the large budget imbalance, monetary policy has tamed inflation, and structural reforms have spurred strong export expansion. These reforms led to impressive...

This 2014 Article IV Consultation highlights that recent economic developments in Azerbaijan have been favorable. In 2013, a stabilization of oil output and strong non-oil growth at nearly 10 percent helped lift overall GDP growth to 5.8 percent. Inflation remained low, averaging 2.4 percent,...

This 2005 Article IV Consultation highlights that despite a difficult political environment, economic growth in Ecuador is estimated to have exceeded 3 percent in 2005, with the non-oil sector expanding by 3½ percent. The strong growth in the oil sector that followed the completion of the new...

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (Bah) economy started to lose steam in early 2012 as growth slowed in Europe. Intensification of the euro area crisis further affected Bin's growth outlook. However, measures such as limiting the expenditure at the central government level and targeting overall...

This 2009 Article IV Consultation highlights that the global financial crisis, which began to affect the economy of San Marino in the second half of 2008, is likely to continue to do so in 2009–10. Short-term vulnerabilities in the financial sector have risen owing to exposure of the...

Despite external and domestic shocks, the Guyanese economy demonstrated resilience and registered a fifth consecutive year of robust growth in 2010. The authorities started making payouts to Colonial Life Insurance Company (CLICO) policyholders, in line with their plans to minimize fiscal costs....