The government has continued to pursue an unconventional strategy for economic recovery. Despite improved market sentiment which has eased financing constraints, the economic outlook remains difficult and large external and public financing needs leave Hungary exposed to risks. Maintaining...

Non-performing loans (NPLs) were found to respond to macroeconomic conditions, such as GDP growth, unemployment, and inflation; there are also strong feedback effects from the banking system to the real economy. This suggests that the high NPLs that many CESEE countries currently face adversely...

Lithuania has achieved significant macroeconomic rebalancing since the 2008–09 crisis, and vulnerabilities have diminished. The current account and fiscal deficits were substantially reduced, debt has fallen in most sectors of the economy, and wage compression quickly restored competitiveness....

Lithuania has undertaken significant fiscal adjustment to date. It implemented fiscal measures amounting to some 17 percent of GDP during 2009–12, about half of which were frontloaded in 2009. This has brought the fiscal deficit down from a peak of 9.4 percent of GDP in 2009 to an estimated 3...

A five-year burst in public investment, largely financed by buoyant oil revenue, has transformed the country’s infrastructure. Roads, ports, and power supply have been upgraded, and a number of prestige projects have been completed. Reducing poverty and stimulating productive private sector...

The paper is an elaborated report on Nicaragua’s potential economic growth. The challenges and idiosyncratic shocks were immense but the policies of better education, labor contracts, and accomplishments in public investments paved the way for movement of the economy. The external...

This 2012 Article IV Consultation—Selected Issues Paper on Euro Area Policies argues that the creation of a common eurozone financial stability architecture is an immediate priority to restore the viability of the Economic and Monetary Union. The paper presents a narrative of the various...

Nepal is a post-conflict state seeking to formalize democracy in a challenging environment. Significant headway toward a new state has been made since the 2006 peace accord. Progress on a range of technical issues (including public financial management, monetary policy, and financial sector...

This 2012 Article IV Consultation reports that the United Kingdom's economic recovery has been sluggish, as the needed hand-off from public to private demand-led growth has not fully materialized. Economic activity is projected to gain modest momentum in future, but the pace of expansion is...

The Spanish economy suffered an unprecedented double-dip recession with the rising unemployment and public debt situation. Spain also suffered a reversal of private external financing flows in 2011 and 2012. To counter this situation, major policy actions have been taken in the banking sector....