This paper reviews financial stability challenges in countries preparing for EU membership, i.e. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Iceland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. The paper has been prepared by an expert group of staff from the European...

What Drives the Interest Rate Margin Decline in EU Banking – The Case of Small Local Banks Bank interest rate margins have been declining in most EU countries over the last decade. This paper investigates the determinants of bank interest rate margins drawing on a unique sample of small local...