EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The short-term outlook has improved and program implementation remains on track, notwithstanding another adverse Constitutional Court ruling. Stronger domestic demand is supporting a pick-up in activity and lower unemployment. A broad-based recovery in sentiment has led to a...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Spain’s ESM-supported program of financial sector reform aimed to assist economic recovery by promoting financial stability. The program was adopted in mid-2012. At the time, Spain’s real-estate bust and the euro-area debt crisis had combined to fuel a vicious cycle of...

KEY ISSUES Context. Growth continues to strengthen, although the recovery is not yet broad-based. External and fiscal vulnerabilities have risen: private non-debt creating capital flows have slowed, and could leave the reserve path increasingly driven by an accumulation of external public debt;...

This 2013 Article IV Consultation for Albania focuses on economic developments and policies that have led to weakening and imbalance of the economy. It highlights that high nonperforming loans (NPLs) are constraining credit growth, and weak external drivers are preventing a sustained reduction...

This paper discusses the Financial System Stability Assessment report on Albania. The IMF report states that the Albanian economy is weak, macroeconomic imbalances are large, and the financial sector faces several risks. Capital-to-asset ratios are sizable, but banks hold large amounts of...

KEY ISSUES Context: The global crisis and tense relations with Italy triggered a 30 percent GDP contraction since 2008 and a sea change in San Marino’s off-shore banking model. The banking system has undergone deep restructuring, with several banks intervened and the largest bank requiring...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Stand-By Arrangement. In the attached letter, the Ukrainian authorities describe their economic and financial policies for which they request a 24-month SDR 10.976 billion (800 percent of quota, about US$17.1 billion) Stand-By Arrangement involving exceptional access. An...

KEY ISSUES Context and Outlook. The economy has entered a broadly favorable trajectory of healthy and balanced growth, thanks to a multi-year reform effort. Output should surpass its pre-crisis peak of 2008 for the first time this year, but now in a sustainable manner. Downside risks dominate...

This Selected Issues paper focuses on sustainability of public finances and low inflation in Lithuania. Lithuania aims to adopt the euro in 2015. Over the medium term, inflation in Lithuania will likely run somewhat higher than in the euro area on average, but this will be driven by continuing...

KEY ISSUES Context: Latvia’s economy continues to recover strongly as it joins the euro area. The output gap is now largely closed, and labor market conditions are tightening despite still high unemployment. The current account is close to balance, while inflation has fallen to near zero due...