Regional Office for the Western Balkans

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Mission

The Regional Office for the Western Balkans, located in Vienna, Austria, was created to strengthen its relationship with Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, and the Republic of North Macedonia. The office will help maintain a close engagement with the four countries as well as with donors, international institutions, including the World Bank, and the Austrian government, an important trade and development partner of the Western Balkan region.

Its main tasks include:

• Engaging with policymakers and other interlocutors on economic policies; as well as fostering a dialogue on global economic issues; 
• Supporting IMF operations in the Western Balkans, including policy advice, lending arrangements, technical assistance, and recruitment efforts;
• Helping to coordinate communication and outreach activities across the region.

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News

Albania: Staff Concluding Statement of the 2019 Article IV Mission

November 26, 2019

While Albania has maintained economic stability, growth this year has fallen mainly due to lower electricity production and, looking ahead, the slowdown in key partner countries and heightened political uncertainty present important downside risks.

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The Road to Greater Prosperity

November 19, 2019

Keynote address by IMF Deputy Managing Director Tao Zhang at Central Bank of Kosovo 20th Anniversary Conference Pristina, Kosovo. Read speech

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Republic of North Macedonia: Staff Concluding Statement of the 2019 Article IV Mission

November 18, 2019

With strong determination, the authorities have revived the reform momentum in recent years. Crucial institutional and governance reforms have demonstrated their commitment to tackle long-standing challenges. 

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Lifting Growth in the Western Balkans 

November 12, 2019

This paper focuses on how the countries in the Western Balkans region could lift exports through stronger integration with global value chains and broadening of services exports. 

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Montenegro: IMF Executive-board Concludes-2019 Article IV Consultation

September 10, 2019

Montenegro has enjoyed strong economic growth in recent years, boosted by the implementation of large investment projects, including the construction of the Bar-Boljare highway.

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Research and Papers

Lifting Growth in the Western Balkans : The Role of Global Value Chains and Services Exports

November 18, 2019

This paper focuses on how the countries in the Western Balkans could lift exports through stronger integration with global value chains (GVCs) and broadening of services exports. The experience of countries that joined the European Union in or after 2004 shows that participation in GVCs can help small economies accelerate export and income growth. Read more

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Demographic Headwinds in Central and Eastern Europe

July 15, 2019

populations of Central and Eastern European (CESEE) countries—with the exception of Turkey—are expected to decrease significantly over the next 30 years, driven by low or negative net birth rates and outward migration. These changes will have significant implications for growth, living standards and fiscal sustainability. Read more

Reassessing the Role of State-Owned Enterprises in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe

June 18, 2019 

The Central, Eastern, and South Eastern European (CESEE) region is ripe for a reassessment of the role of the state in economic activity. The rapid income convergence with Western Europe of the early 2000s was not always equally shared across society, and it has now slowed dramatically in many countries of the region. Read more

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Public Infrastructure in the Western Balkans : Opportunities and Challenges

April 17, 2018                                    

An assessment of public infrastructure development in the Western Balkans. The paper quantifies the large gaps across various sectors/dimensions, evaluates current infrastructure plans, and discusses funding options available to countries in the region. Read more

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Western Balkans: Increasing Women's Role in the Economy

September 1, 2017

The Western Balkan countries have some of the lowest female labor force participation and employment rates across Europe. Almost two-thirds of working age women in the region are either inactive or unemployed: a huge bite into human capital for a region that endures high emigration and faces declining working age population. Read more

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Emigration and Its Economic Impact on Eastern Europe

July 2016

This paper examines the effects of emigration on private sector activity, competitiveness, public finances, and ultimately, growth in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) economies as well as the pace of their income convergence to Western Europe. Read more

Cross-Country Report on Minimum Wages : Selected Issues

June 15, 2016

This paper provides a cross-country report on minimum wages. In the past few years, many countries in Central Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) have increasingly turned to minimum wage policies. Read more

 

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IMF and the Western Balkans

 

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Conferences and Events

Navigating the Future in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe

The IMF and the Croatian National Bank (CNB) joined efforts again to organize a new edition of the joint conference that took place in Dubrovnik two years ago. This year's conference focused on labor market and demographic challenges, the future of labor, and policies needed to sustain growth and promote convergence. The conference, held in Dubrovnik from July 14-15, was an opportunity to engage with key regional participants on these important topics. Learn more

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Regional Economic Outlook

Europe

November 2019

Global trade and manufacturing have weakened and so have these sectors in Europe. The evolution of European growth depends on two forces. On the one hand, European exports are softening and prospects for a recovery in global trade are not as strong as they were six months ago. On the other hand, easier financial conditions, expansionary fiscal policy in many countries, and still-strong labor markets are supporting domestic demand. This support is stronger in the newer EU Member States. On balance, near-term growth in Europe is projected to slow from 2.3 percent in 2018 to 1.4 percent in 2019—the lowest growth rate since 2013—and rebound to 1.8 percent in 2020. Amid high uncertainty, risks to the outlook remain to the downside, with a no-deal Brexit the key risk in the near term. Monetary policy should remain accommodative where inflationary pressures are still subdued, which is the case in most European economies. The potential side effects from such policy on financial stability should be carefully monitored. Fiscal policy should continue to be guided by medium-term objectives. But plans for stimulus in case of a sharper downturn should be at the ready, not least because the scope for effective monetary action has diminished. Countries with ample fiscal space should implement fiscal measures that boost potential growth. Reinvigorating structural reforms remains vital to raise subdued potential output growth and address long-term challenges, such as demographics.

Wages have been rising faster than productivity in many European countries, yet signs of underlying consumer price pressures remain limited. To shed light on this puzzle, Chapter 2 examines the link between wage growth and inflation in Europe and the factors that influence the strength of the passthrough from labor costs to consumer prices. The chapter finds that, historically, wage growth leads to higher inflation, but the impact has weakened since 2009. The passthrough is significantly lower in periods of subdued inflation expectations, greater competitive pressures, and robust corporate profitability. These findings suggest that the recent pickup in wage growth is likely to have a more muted impact on inflation than in the past.

Read the report