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Europe > Ukraine

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Cover IMF Working Papers
Migration into the EU: Stocktaking of Recent Developments and Macroeconomic Implications
Francesca Caselli
,
Huidan Huidan Lin
,
Frederik G Toscani
, and
Jiaxiong Yao
Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, immigration into the European Union (EU) reached a historical high in 2022 and stayed significantly above pre-pandemic levels in 2023. The recent migration has helped accommodate strong labor demand, with around two-thirds of jobs created between 2019 and 2023 filled by non-EU citizens, while unemployment of EU citizens remained at historical lows. Ukrainian refugees also appear to have been absorbed into the labor market faster than previous waves of refugees in many countries. The stronger-than-expected net migration over 2020-23 into the euro area (of around 2 million workers) is estimated to push up potential output by around 0.5 percent by 2030—slightly less than half the euro area’s annual potential GDP growth at that time—even if immigrants are assumed to be 20 percent less productive than natives. This highlights the important role immigration can play in attenuating the effects of the Europe’s challenging demographic outlook. On the flipside, the large inflow had initial fiscal costs and likely led to some congestion of local public services such as schooling. Policy efforts should thus seek to continue to integrate migrants into the labor force while making sure that the supply of public services and amenities (including at the local level) keeps up with the population increase.
Keywords:
Migration; Labor Markets; European Union; migration perception; net migration; integration policy; EU citizen; migration development; Labor shortages; Aging; Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Republic of Latvia: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
The 2024 Article IV Consultation highlights that the Latvian economy contracted with significant disinflation. Amid high uncertainty, growth is projected to rebound, but risks are tilted to the downside. Considering the improving outlook, the IMF Staff recommends a less expansionary, neutral fiscal stance for 2024 and a tighter fiscal stance in 2025. Although Latvia has some fiscal space, structural fiscal measures are needed to provide buffers for medium to long term spending pressures. Although the financial sector has so far been resilient, continued monitoring of macrofinancial vulnerabilities and spillovers is warranted. While the current macroprudential policy stance is broadly appropriate, the recent adjustment to the borrower-based measures for energy-efficient housing loans should be reconsidered. The overall policy stance strikes the right balance between maintaining financial stability and the need to extend credit to the economy. However, borrower-based macroprudential measures should be relaxed only when their presence is overly stringent from the financial stability perspective.
Keywords:
World Bank-International Monetary Fund mission; IMF-World Bank mission; audit committee charter; executive board assessment; anti-corruption plan; Labor markets; Productivity; Fiscal stance; Inflation; Baltics
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Euro Area Policies: 2024 Annual Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Member Countries
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
The 2024 Article IV Consultation explains that the euro area is recovering gradually, with a modest acceleration of growth projected for 2024, gathering further speed in 2025. Increasing real wages together with some drawdown of household savings are contributing to consumption, while the projected easing of financing conditions is supporting a recovery in investment. A modest pickup in growth is projected for 2024, strengthening further in 2025. This primarily reflects expected stronger consumption on the back of rising real wages and higher investment supported by easing financing conditions. Inflation is projected to return to target in the second half of 2025. The economy is confronting important new challenges, layered on existing ones. Beyond returning inflation to target and ensuring credible fiscal consolidation in high-debt countries, the euro area must urgently focus on enhancing innovation and productivity. Higher growth is essential for creating policy space to tackle the fiscal challenges of aging, the green transition, energy security, and defense.
Keywords:
EU institution; EU industrial; headline inflation; EU climate; two-sided inflation risk; Inflation; Labor markets; Fiscal consolidation; Europe; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Germany: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Germany
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
The 2024 Article IV Consultation highlights that the German economy has begun to recover from the energy-price shock. Gradual economic recovery is expected to continue this year. With wage growth now exceeding inflation, private consumption is expected to drive recovery during 2024. High interest rates have boosted bank profitability, but part of this increase is likely temporary. High interest rates have exposed vulnerabilities in banks’ financing of commercial real estate activity. Risks to growth are broadly balanced, with both positive and negative surprises to consumer and investor sentiment possible. Inflation is expected to slowly fall to around 2 percent as lower wholesale energy prices continue to pass through supply chains and to end-users. Fiscal policy is tight, putting the debt-to-gross domestic product ratio on a downward path, although public investment is also relatively low. In order to stabilize labor supply, the authorities should make it easier for women to work full time. This means expanding access to reliable child- and eldercare services and exploring ways to reduce the effective marginal tax rate on second earners in married couples.
Keywords:
article IV consultation discussion; supervisory authority; currency of Germany; energy-price shock; state's ability; Inflation; Labor markets; Public investment spending; Commercial banks; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Georgia: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This Selected Issues paper explores drivers of inflation and monetary policy in Georgia. Inflation spiked in Georgia following the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. A positive output gap indicates that high demand is generating inflationary pressure in the economy. Estimates suggest tighter monetary policy in 2021 helped significantly lower peak inflation in 2022. One response to uncertainty is for monetary policy makers to act more cautiously – responding less vigorously with monetary policy to shocks. Given the challenges in managing inflation in a highly dollarized, small open-economy prone to large external shocks, it is important to look at the drivers of inflation in Georgia, the monetary policy stance including the natural rate, the transmission mechanism including the impact of dollarization, and the appropriate monetary policy path going forward. Using a range of approaches, IMF establish that monetary policy in Georgia is effective, that it is close to neutral, and that heightened uncertainty supports a gradual policy normalization.
Keywords:
commodity import price index; Georgia population projection; trend inflation; IMF staff calculation; inflation projection; Inflation; Labor markets; Unemployment; Employment; Central Asia; Middle East
Cover Regional Economic Outlook, Europe, April 2024
Regional Economic Outlook, Europe, April 2024
Soft Landing in Crosswinds for a Lasting Recovery
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.

Abstract

A soft landing for Europe’s economies is within reach. Securing the baseline of growth with price stability will require careful monetary policy calibration. Faster fiscal consolidation would ensure buffers are adequate to tackle future shocks, while structural fiscal reforms would help address mounting long-term expenditure pressures. Beyond the near-term recovery, raising potential growth prospects calls for efforts at both the domestic and European levels. Measures should aim to raise labor force participation, prepare the workforce for looming structural shifts, set an enabling environment for private investment, and promote innovation on a level European playing field—especially when it comes to the green transition, including through a strong commitment to carbon pricing. Greater European integration would amplify the effect of these reforms. Formulating an ambitious set of growth-enhancing reforms should be a key priority of a new EU commission.

Keywords:
Inflation; Growth; Monetary Policy; Fiscal Policy; Productivity; single market; soft landing; CESEE economy; inflation rate; IMF staff calculation; EU accession path; EU country; per capita income; Labor markets; Artificial intelligence; Europe; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Finland: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
The 2024 Article IV Consultation highlights that Finland’s economy recovered swiftly from the pandemic, but growth slowed after Russia’s war in Ukraine. Weak household income growth, falling house prices, higher interest rates, and low growth in Europe has caused activity to stall in Finland, with a contraction of 0.5 percent estimated in 2023. However, inflation has fallen to levels that are more normal and financial conditions appear to be easing. Structurally, adverse demographics and weak productivity have resulted in low trend growth, weighing on public finances. Enhancing employment and productivity are essential for economic growth. The mission supports the government's efforts to boost employment through social benefit reforms, greater flexibility in the labor market, and lowering the labor tax wedge. The financial system remains resilient, but rising systemic risks warrant vigilant monitoring. Banks have sufficient capital to withstand adverse macroeconomic shocks, including geo-economics fragmentation and weakening of profits and capital ratios. Additionally, debt-to-income and debt-service-to-income limits should be added to the macroprudential policy toolkit in order to prevent excessive household indebtedness and improve borrower’s repayment capacity. These measures could be activated when concerns regarding adverse effects on demand and house prices subside.
Keywords:
liability positions vis-à-vis nonresident; money market rate; inflation pressure; potential GDP; exchange arrangement; Labor markets; Inflation; Employment; Global; Europe
Cover IMF Working Papers
Monetary Policy with Uncertain Inflation Persistence
Luis Brandão-Marques
,
Roland Meeks
, and
Vina Nguyen
When uncertain about inflation persistence, central banks are well-advised to adopt a robust strategy when setting interest rates. This robust approach, characterized by a "better safe than sorry" philosophy, entails incurring a modest cost to safeguard against a protracted period of deviating inflation. Applied to the post-pandemic period of exceptional uncertainty and elevated inflation, this strategy would have called for a tightening bias. Specifically, a high level of uncertainty surrounding wage, profit, and price dynamics requires a more front-loaded increase in interest rates compared to a baseline scenario which the policymaker fully understands how shocks to those variables are transmitted to inflation and output. This paper provides empirical evidence of such uncertainty and estimates a New Keynesian Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model for the euro area to derive a robust interest rate path for the ECB which serves to illustrate the case for insuring against inflation turning out to have greater persistence.
Keywords:
Robust policy; monetary policy; uncertainty; inflation persistence; wage and price dynamics.; Monetary Policy stance; policy rule parameter; price Persistence; IMF working paper 2024/47; inflation expectation; Inflation; Central bank policy rate; Output gap; Wages; Europe; Central and Eastern Europe; Eastern Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Romania: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report; IMF Country Report No. 23/395
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This 2023 Article IV Consultation discusses that Romania has weathered the economic shocks from the pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the resulting surges in energy and food prices relatively well. Growth is expected to recover modestly in 2024, and to return to its potential rate in the medium term, but there are substantial risks. A weak fiscal position renders Romania vulnerable. The scope to respond to adverse developments is circumscribed by a structural budget deficit well in excess of sustainable levels. The recently adopted fiscal package offers welcome improvements in tax policy and should help reduce the fiscal deficit somewhat in 2024; but more will be needed. Announcing further tax reforms well in advance will help companies and households adjust to these changes. In addition, monetary policy should not be relaxed until core inflation is on a firm downward path as needed for returning headline inflation within the tolerance band by early 2025. There is significant room to underpin real income growth and further convergence with Western Europe. This requires investment in physical infrastructure as well as people, and strengthening the efficiency of the state.
Keywords:
electricity production; cash budget; growth potential; growth trajectory; budgetary funds; monetary policy effectiveness; fund office; potential GDP; office in Bucharest; liability positions vis-à-vis nonresident; Inflation; Fiscal consolidation; Government debt management; Wages; Europe; Western Europe; Global; Eastern Europe
Cover Regional Economic Outlook, Europe, November 2023
Regional Economic Outlook, Europe, November 2023
Restoring Price Stability and Securing Strong and Green Growth
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.

Abstract

Europe is at a turning point. After last year’s crippling energy price shock caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe faces the difficult task of restoring price stability now while securing strong and green growth in the medium term. Economic activity has started to cool and inflation to fall as a result of monetary policy action, phasing-out supply shocks, and falling energy prices. Sustained wage growth could, however, delay achieving price stability by 2025. Failing to tackle inflation now will risk additional growth damage in a world exposed to structural shocks from fragmentation and climate change. These global headwinds add to Europe’s long-standing productivity and convergence problems. To lift Europe’s potential for strong and green growth, countries need to remove obstacles to economic dynamism and upgrade infrastructure. This will strengthen business-friendly conditions and investment. Cooperation at the European level and with international partners will position Europe as a leader in the climate transition and support economic stability across the continent.

Keywords:
inflation; growth; monetary policy; labor; headline inflation; core inflation; coverage ratio; IMF staff calculation; inflation expectation; capitalization rate; Emerging and frontier financial markets; Central bank policy rate; Energy prices; Labor markets; Europe; Global