Finance & Economics | WPN World People News

Economic growth in Kosovo remained above that of neighboring countries and contributed to considerable job creation in 2016, according to the latest Western Balkans Regular Economic Report (WBRER) of the World Bank, on April 6th, launched in Skopje. Productivity and competiveness gains are essential to make growth more sustainable and address the still high level of unemployment, particularly among youth.

New Zealand should extend access to income support and introduce a longer minimum notice period for all workers to help disadvantaged laid-off workers find a new job and maintain their job quality and living standards, according to a new OECD report.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by Mr. Dan Ghura visited Abidjan from March 22 to April 6, 2017 to begin discussions on the first review of the three-year economic and financial program supported by the IMF through arrangements under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

Countries in the Western Balkans are growing at a faster pace than in 2015, with regional growth projected to be 2.8 percent in 2016 and 3.2 percent in 2017, according to the latest World Bank Western Balkans Regular Economic Report (WB RER). Accelerating growth in Albania and Serbia compensated for weaker expansion in Montenegro and the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia; while growth in Kosovo slowed in 2016, it remained the fastest growing economy.

Plans to make it easier to move money around within the EU’s long-run budget, to help tackle urgent challenges such as the migration crisis, strengthening security, boosting growth and creating jobs, were backed by Parliament on Wednesday. MEPs have long fought for greater flexibility within the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF), which would apply for the remainder of the 2014-2020 MFF.

On March 31, 2017, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with WAEMU.

On April 3, 2017, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with Ukraine and completed the third review of Ukraine’s economic program under the Extended Fund Facility.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on April 3th, completed the third review of Ukraine’s economic program under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The completion of this review enables the disbursement of SDR 734.05 million (about US$1.00 billion), which would bring total disbursements under the arrangement to SDR 6,178.26 million (about US$8.38 billion).

Costa Rica should increase agricultural productivity and take new steps to promote competitiveness to ensure that the farm sector continues to contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth, according to a new OECD report.

Ukraine’s economy grew modestly by 2.3 percent in 2016 after 16 percent cumulative contraction in the previous two years, according to the World Bank’s latest Ukraine Economic Update. Fixed investment rebounded by 20 percent in 2016, pointing towards strengthening investor confidence, while a bumper agriculture harvest led to stronger growth of 4.8 percent in the fourth quarter.