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....

Macedonia showed an economic recovery owing to its macroeconomic policies. Executive Directors appreciated the sound fiscal policies and efforts in bringing inflation under control and increasing international reserves. They stressed the need to reduce unemployment and keep the account deficit...

This 2009 Article IV Consultation highlights that following a period of rapid growth, economic activity in the Slovak Republic tumbled in the first half of 2009 as a result of the global crisis. Slovakia’s banks have so far withstood the global crisis relatively well. Executive Directors...

The global financial crisis has forced government intervention in major financial institutions in Belgium. This 2008 Article IV Consultation discusses that the boom in energy and food prices in early 2008 caused inflation to spike to well above the euro area average. Executive Directors have...

Korea has enjoyed strong growth owing to rapidly increasing exports and consumption. Potential growth is slowing as the population ages, whereas social polarization is growing. Korea should implement plans to build an advanced financial system and improve service productivity by opening the...

This 2008 Article IV Consultation highlights that Montenegro has made significant progress in overhauling its economy. The authorities have taken several welcomed steps to help strengthen financial sector stability. Executive Directors have welcomed the structural reforms implemented over the...

This 2010 Article IV Consultation highlights that the German economy is regaining the ground lost in the crisis. Policy support, restocking, and an uptick in global demand have lifted the economy from the recession. The authorities used the available fiscal space to implement countercyclical...

This 2013 Article IV Consultation IMF staff report focuses on measures that are being undertaken to rebalance macroeconomic growth in Lithuania. The IMF report discusses the requirement of fiscal consolidation to fully rebuild fiscal space. It highlights the important role played by the...

In this study, the stability of the economy of the Netherlands is overviewed. Bank profitability has recovered. The housing and mortgage markets are relatively stable, although vulnerabilities to household balance sheets are rising. The results of stress tests in the context of the Financial...

This 2007 Article IV Consultation highlights that economic performance of Ireland remains strong, supported by sound policies. The growth rate of real GNP per capita continues to be one of the highest among advanced economies and the unemployment rate one of the lowest. However, in recent years,...