This 2005 Article IV Consultation highlights that economic activity in Germany is slowly picking up, and there is scope for some further firming of growth in the course of 2006. The recovery, however, remains unbalanced, and strong exports have yet to feed through into higher household spending....

Domestic demand is expected to remain the engine of growth in France, with net exports playing a minor role in the near term. Risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside. Boosting potential growth requires a comprehensive strategy. The consolidation targets set out in France’s...

This 2011 Article IV Consultation reports that despite an uncertain international economic environment, the Algerian economy has been doing relatively well. Real nonhydrocarbon GDP growth in 2010 reached 6 percent and total GDP growth was 3 percent. Executive Directors have welcomed...

Namibia’s government has launched a major three-year fiscal initiative in 2011 aimed at increasing growth and employment. Public debt is rising rapidly, from a low base. The authorities intend to unwind the fiscal expansion in 2014. Fiscal consolidation would help keep public debt to a...

The staff report for the Fifth Review Under the Extended Arrangement and Request for Waivers of Applicability and Nonobservance of End-September Performance Criteria, prepared by a staff team of the IMF, following discussions that ended on September 11, 2012, with the officials of Portugal on...

Since its independence in 2006, Montenegro has experienced an economic and financial roller coaster ride. The baseline is predicated on continued improvements in cost competitiveness and productivity-raising foreign direct investment (FDI). Avoiding a relapse into recession will thus require...

Strong macroeconomic foundations have so far largely shielded the Netherlands from recent financial turbulence. Despite a tightening labor market, inflation remains subdued. Employment has grown 1¼–1½ percent in 2007, on par with the rest of the Euro area. The external current...