Finance & Economics

Logistics Performance Index (LPI) Report: The Gap Persists

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Trade Committee backs plan to remove EU tariffs on imports from Ukraine

About 98% of the customs duties that Ukrainian goods exporters pay at EU borders would be removed by a proposal backed by the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee on Thursday. This unilateral measure would boost Ukraine’s struggling economy by saving its manufacturers and exporters €487 million a year.

Martin Schulz: We must be careful not to sleepwalk into an ever escalating conflict

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EP President Martin Schulz arrives at the European Council

World Bank Group Supports DRC with Technical Assistance for Preparation of Inga 3 BC Hydropower Development

Project marks a stepping stone for transformational hydropower development

The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors approved a US$73.1 million grant to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the Inga 3 Basse Chute (BC) and Mid-size Hydropower Development Technical Assistance Project.

IMF Completes Third Review under the Extended Fund Facility Arrangement for Jamaica and Approves US$71.4 Million Disbursement

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the third review of Jamaica’s economic performance under a program supported by an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement. The completion of this review enables the disbursement of an amount equivalent to SDR 45.9 million (about US$71.4 million), which would bring total disbursements under the arrangement to the equivalent of SDR 222.6 million (about US$345.8 million).

Statement by the European Commission, the ECB and the IMF on Greece

Staff teams from the European Commission (EC), European Central Bank (ECB), and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have concluded their review mission to Greece. The teams have reached staff-level agreement with the authorities on policies that could serve as the basis for completion of the review.

Progress made but Chile should better detect and thoroughly investigate foreign bribery, says OECD

Chile has made positive efforts to implement the Convention, but there has not been a single foreign bribery conviction. Chile did not sufficiently investigate several of the six foreign bribery allegations that have surfaced since 2001. Chilean embassies failed to alert prosecutors to these cases which were widely reported in the foreign media. Only one of the cases has been detected through domestic sources. Chile should improve its investigative and detection efforts.

Czech Republic is recovering, but more must be done to jump-start income convergence with euro area countries, OECD says

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Urgent action needed to tackle rising inequality and social divisions, says OECD

Income inequality and social divisions could worsen and become entrenched unless governments act quickly to boost support for the most vulnerable in society, according to a new OECD report.

Lack of enforcement jeopardises South Africa’s fight against foreign bribery; OECD concerned that political and economic considerations may be an influence

South Africa must take urgent steps to proactively investigate and prosecute foreign bribery. No foreign bribery cases have been prosecuted since South Africa joined the Convention in 2007. The 4 on-going investigations – out of only 10 allegations that have surfaced to date – are also far from reaching the prosecution stage, according to a new report by the OECD Working Group on Bribery.