This paper examines Colombia’s 2002 Article IV Consultation and Request for Stand-By Arrangement. The economic situation worsened in the first half of 2002. Economic activity has remained sluggish, and the fiscal consolidation has gone off-track. Exacerbated by increased contagion from...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country.

This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that a cyclical recovery is under way for Italy, with real GDP having risen by 1.2 percent in the first three quarters of 2004 relative to the same period of the previous year, thanks to the favorable external environment and a recovery of investment....

This paper examines the Insurance Regulation and Supervision for Cyprus’s Financial Sector Assessment Program. The domestic nonlife market is dominated by motor insurance which accounted for 58 percent of net premiums. All Cypriot business is reinsured with nondomiciled reinsurers. Health...

Greek real GDP has declined by 2 percent in 2009, and indicators suggest that activity will weaken further in 2010. With the deteriorating fiscal results came downgrades of government bonds by rating agencies, and investors started backing out of Greek bonds, driving up their yields. Impaired...

Increasing integration to the East has benefited the Austrian economy, but also created vulnerabilities that came to a head with the global financial crisis. The crisis has highlighted old challenges and created new ones that need to be addressed. The banking sector’s return to more...

Domestic demand is expected to remain the engine of growth in France, with net exports playing a minor role in the near term. Risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside. Boosting potential growth requires a comprehensive strategy. The consolidation targets set out in France’s...

This paper discusses key findings of the Detailed Assessment of the Observance of the Insurance Core Principles for Denmark. Key recommendations arising from the assessment cover two main issues. First is the fact that the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority Finanstilsynet bases its system to...

This Detailed Assessment of the Observance of International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) Insurance Core Principles for Portugal highlights the market analysis of the insurance market. Investment in domestic government bonds has decreased and is outweighed by nondomestic government...