Upon entry into the European Union, countries become members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), with a derogation from adopting the euro as their currency (that is, each country joining the EU commits to replace its national currency with the euro, but can choose when to request...

With a modest recovery in the global economy underway, and amid rising concerns about the sharp increase in government debt in several countries, debate has increasingly focused on the need to identify and implement fiscal exit strategies. This paper reviews the medium-term plans of 25 countries...

The current crisis calls for two main sets of policy measures. First, measures to repair the financial system. Second, measures to increase demand and restore confidence. While some of these measures overlap, the focus of this note is on the second set of policies, and more specifically, given...

This report examines the Observance of Standards and Codes on Fiscal Transparency for Spain. The assessment reveals that over the last several years, Spain has made major progress not only in macroeconomic and fiscal adjustment, but also in modernizing and strengthening its fiscal institutions...

This paper reviews Indonesia’s 2004 Article IV Consultation and Post-Program Monitoring Discussions. The Article IV consultation provided a timely opportunity to assess achievements under recent IMF arrangements and to take stock of remaining challenges. The discussions focused on...

This paper presents Indonesia’s 2005 Article IV Consultation and Third Post-Program Monitoring discussions. The economic strategy has produced positive results over time. Economic growth has gained momentum year by year, inflation has been substantially reduced, and the external position...

This report provides a reassessment of fiscal transparency practices in Mozambique. The reassessment is conducted against the results of Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC) on fiscal transparency, which identified serious transparency shortcomings and updates of the ROSC,...

Austria’s federal system comprises the federal government and nine provinces (Länder). The federal system is rather centralized by international standards, with the federal government (including social security funds) accounting for about 70 percent of general government spending, the...

The 2009 Article IV Consultation highlights that the near-term outlook for Belgium is challenging, with real GDP expected to drop by about 3 percent in 2009 and a gradual recovery projected for 2010. The unemployment rate will continue to rise in 2010, and inflation pressures are expected to...

This paper analyzes the origins, implications, and solutions for the Asian financial crisis. From the perspective of a member of the Executive Board of the IMF, as Asian problems were building, the IMF overlooked weaknesses in bank and corporate balance sheets in much of Asia: the IMF was...