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Italy: Staff Concluding Statement of the 2016 Article IV Mission
May 23, 2016
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IMF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT |
| Media Relations |
|---|
| E-mail: media@imf.org |
| Phone: 202-623-7100 |
May 23, 2016
IMF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT |
| Media Relations |
|---|
| E-mail: media@imf.org |
| Phone: 202-623-7100 |
A Concluding Statement describes the preliminary findings of IMF staff at the end of an official staff visit (or ‘mission’), in most cases to a member country. Missions are undertaken as part of regular (usually annual) consultations under Article IV of the IMF's Articles of Agreement, in the context of a request to use IMF resources (borrow from the IMF), as part of discussions of staff monitored programs, or as part of other staff monitoring of economic developments.
The authorities have consented to the publication of this statement. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF Executive Board for discussion and decision.
1. The economy continues to recover from a deep and protracted recession. Buoyed by exceptionally accommodative monetary policy, favorable commodity prices, supportive fiscal policy, and improved confidence on the back of the authorities’ wide-ranging reform efforts, the economy grew by 0.8 percent in 2015 and continued to expand in the first quarter of 2016. At the same time, labor market conditions have been gradually improving, and nonperforming loans (NPLs) appear to be stabilizing. Still, the challenges ahead are significant. Productivity and investment growth are low; the unemployment rate remains above 11 percent, with considerably higher levels in some regions and among the youth; bank balance sheets are strained by very high NPLs and lengthy judicial processes; and public debt inched up to just under 133 percent of GDP, a level that limits the fiscal space to respond to shocks.
2. The recovery is likely to strengthen but remain modest in the coming years. Against the backdrop of structural rigidities and subdued demand, growth is projected to reach 1.1 percent this year and about 1¼ percent in 2017–18 (on planned policies). Risks are tilted to the downside, including from financial market volatility, Brexit, the refugee surge, and headwinds from the slowdown in global trade. This growth path would imply a return to pre-crisis (2007) output levels only by the mid-2020s and a widening of Italy’s income gap with the faster growing euro area average. Moreover, nominal growth may be too weak to firmly unwind financial fragilities and balance sheets could remain a source of vulnerability, as their repair would occur over a protracted period. Within an incomplete economic and monetary union, Italy would remain exposed to risks.
3. Cognizant of Italy’s complex challenges, the government has been pursuing a range of important reforms. The list of reform initiatives has been impressive. Institutional, public administration, fiscal, labor market, and banking sector reforms have been aimed at addressing long-standing structural rigidities that pre-date the crisis. In particular, the government’s signature labor market legislation, the Jobs Act, is being implemented; legislation has been passed on the reform of cooperative and mutual banks; the insolvency system is being revised; a framework law on public administration has been approved and some implementing decrees have been issued; a reform of the state budget is underway; and legislation has been passed and a constitutional referendum is planned for October on institutional reforms aiming to facilitate decision making, and the transfer of competencies from regions to the center.
4. It is imperative that these efforts are expanded and completed. Taking advantage of the start of economic recovery and the current favorable low interest rate environment, the timely implementation of complementary and mutually reinforcing efforts in the financial and fiscal sectors and structural measures would help boost growth, start the rebuilding of buffers, and lower the upfront cost of reforms. It is therefore important that broad political support for comprehensive reforms is maintained in the period ahead.
Structural reforms
5. Building on the recent reform progress, further steps in three priority areas could help lift growth. As recent IMF research has shown (World Economic Outlook, April 2016), ambitious product and service market reforms have the potential to yield near- as well as long-term growth dividends. Public administration reform can lower the cost of doing business and improve the investment climate. A new wage bargaining system that helps align wages with productivity would contribute to improving competitiveness and complement the Jobs Act.
Strengthening banks’ ability to support the recovery
6. Several important steps have been taken recently toward fostering the stability and viability of the banking system. Weak asset quality and low profitability are weighing on banks and are a result, inter alia, of long recovery times on collateral. To address these issues, the authorities launched much needed insolvency reforms to reduce the time to collect claims, where Italy has lagged other countries in Europe, and introduced out-of-court enforcement in commercial lending relationships to reduce significantly the time to recover secured loans. These are positive changes that will require proper implementation, including supporting infrastructure and adequate resources. Moreover, reforms of the cooperative and mutual bank frameworks have finally created the opportunity for a welcome consolidation in the coming years.
7. Further actions can support these measures. While current measures could gradually improve the legal environment for credit, their full impact is likely to be realized only over time. Additional actions should aim at materially reducing the current stock of NPLs over the medium term, lowering the cost of risk, and improving operating efficiency.
Bolstering fiscal sustainability
8. Fiscal policy faces a difficult balancing act of reducing the high public debt and supporting growth. Following a sizable fiscal adjustment in 2012–13, when Italy reached one of the highest structural primary surpluses in the euro zone, the fiscal stance has turned more supportive of growth, including in the current year. While this supported domestic demand at a time when growth was low, it also used up the windfall gains from the falling interest bill, and the debt-to-GDP ratio has continued to edge up in recent years. The debt dynamics are expected to improve in the coming years, if nominal growth materializes as projected and the medium-term fiscal targets are achieved as planned. However, the improvement will be gradual and vulnerable to shocks, such as a rise in interest rates. Ambitious privatization would help lower debt faster.
9. Taking advantage of the low interest rate environment, fiscal policy should remain anchored to an ambitious medium-term consolidation path, supported by pro-growth policies, to secure public debt on a firmer downward path.
The mission would like to thank the authorities and other interlocutors for helpful discussions.
