This article is published in association with United Nations. US and allies are ‘biggest threat’ to global peace: DPRK UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe Ambassador Song Kim of the DPRK strongly denounced “the US and its followers” for holding the meeting “to distort the essence of the situation, out of their hostile policies and sordid political motives” against […]War in Ukraine: Live updates from the Security Council and the field
October 31, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. US and allies are ‘biggest threat’ to global peace: DPRK UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe Ambassador Song Kim of the DPRK strongly denounced “the US and its followers” for holding the meeting “to distort the essence of the situation, out of their hostile policies and sordid political motives” against […]Can the EU’s take on Taiwan from the UN 2758 resolution for One China policy be myopic?
October 30, 2024 by 1 Comment
How many people can discuss about a historic United Nations resolution without reading it? When it comes to the 2758 UN Resolution from 1971 the answer is too many. This time the European Parliament came to issue a press release on that last week. Quite understandably the topic is of significant global importance as it […]Israeli army ‘deliberately demolished’ watchtower, fence at UN peacekeeping site in southern Lebanon
October 21, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has said that an Israeli army bulldozer demolished an observation tower and the perimeter fence of a UN position earlier on Sunday in Marwahin, in the southern part of the country. A press statement issued by the Mission, formally known […]Support for Economic Reforms Hinges on Communication, Engagement, and Trust
October 21, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Effective communication, civic engagement, and earning the public’s trust are the keys to advance pro-growth reforms Silvia Albrizio, Bertrand Gruss, Yu Shi The global economy is stuck in a low-growth gear, largely because of aging populations, weak business investment, and structural frictions that prevent capital and labor from […]A letter from a mother in Gaza: Hardships, heartbreak and hope
October 7, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. ‘‘This story doesn’t start from day one. It starts from nine months ago – the day I learned I was going to be a mother.” That day was in November 2023, around a month into the war in Gaza. Ala’a is among an estimated 155,000 pregnant women and […]Victims of deadly Lebanon escalation describe fleeing ‘total destruction’
October 4, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. People in Lebanon uprooted by Israeli airstrikes including in central Beirut have described being forced to flee “total destruction”, amid fresh reports of Hezbollah projectile attacks into Israel and close-quarter clashes along the UN-patrolled line of separation between the two countries. In the Lebanese capital, UN humanitarians […]Great Divide: Transparency or Efficiency?
September 24, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. A recent article in The Economist[1] argued that there were several ways in which central bankers took decisions about monetary policy, for example whether and when to increase or reduce interest rates. Most central banks now appoint committees of senior officials to take such decisions. The article points […]How to Awaken Europe’s Private Sector and Boost Economic Growth
September 23, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Diego Cerdeiro, Gee Hee Hong, Alfred Kammer In the European Union, income per person, one of the main gauges of living standards, is on average one-third less than in the United States, mostly because of lower productivity—as emphasized by Mario Draghi’s Sept. 9 competitiveness report for the European […]Is Europe ready to overcome its own limitations?
September 18, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by one of our passionate readers, Mr. Antonio Cristóbal Luque Ambrosiani. The opinions expressed within reflect only the writer’s views and not necessarily The European Sting’s position on the issue. We might just need a researcher mindset to thrive in this increasingly competitive world Although it is difficult […]Fed Rate Cuts May Help Revive Bond Flows to Emerging, Developing Economies
September 9, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Paula Arias, Robin Koepke Some higher risk countries still face high costs for selling foreign-currency denominated debt to investors after major central banks raised interest rates Capital flows to emerging market and developing economies went through several boom-bust cycles in recent decades, often partly driven by external developments […]Removing the ‘Fiction’, and Other Flaws, from the UK Fiscal Framework
August 20, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Fiscal rules have come under a range of criticism in recent years in the UK and elsewhere. In general, the argument of critics has been that they encourage sub-optimal economic policy-making. For example, they have been blamed for forcing countries into counterproductive austerity to not enforcing fiscal sustainability […]Ukraine: Deteriorating safety at Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant following drone blast nearby
August 19, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Safety at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine is deteriorating following a drone strike that hit the road near the site’s perimeter, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Saturday. Situated in southern Ukraine, Zaporizhzhya is Europe’s largest nuclear plant and has […]Humanitarians report rise in children killed and injured in the West Bank
August 15, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The killing, injury and displacement of Palestinians continues in the West Back against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, now in its 10th month, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in an update issued on Wednesday. The number of Palestinian […]IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva’s Statement to the Financial Community on Ukraine
August 14, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Washington, DC: Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement about Ukraine to members of the financial community today: “The Ukrainian authorities have done a remarkable job in implementing an ambitious economic reform program supported by the IMF, aiming to sustain […]Public Investment Management: Identifying Bottlenecks, Trends, and What to Do About Them
August 6, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Ian Hawkesworth, Eivind Tanberg, Kubai Khasiani, Amitabh Tripathi, Jeffrey Lam 43 officials from 19 countries participated in a regional workshop in Nairobi, Kenya in February 2024. It was organized by the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department and supported by the IMF’s regional technical assistance centers in Africa. The workshop […]IMF Executive Board Concludes 2024 Consultation with Euro Area
August 5, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Washington, DC: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the 2024 discussions on common euro area policies with member countries[1] 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 […]Now Is the Time to Help Countries Faced with Liquidity Challenges
August 2, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, Pablo Saavedra With elevated debt service squeezing the space available to finance much needed investment in many countries, urgent action is needed to boost fiscal space, maintain adequate international support, and reduce debt servicing costs. Many countries are being squeezed by increasing interest payments and high […]Improving Project Implementation – A Key Strategy to Include in PFM Reform Roadmaps?
July 26, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Budget credibility is recognized as one of the key pillars of a sound PFM system. In the PEFA framework, it is measured by comparing the actual execution of the budget with the original estimate. The 2022 PEFA Global Report (2022 PEFA Report on Global Financial Management), found that […]Financial Stability Implications of Emerging Market Currency Developments
July 23, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Currencies have depreciated to varying degrees in emerging market economies as interest rate differentials with the United States narrowed Tobias Adrian, Fabio Natalucci, Jason Wu In our blog at the beginning of this year, we flagged that emerging markets were navigating high global interest rate volatility. We also […]UN chief expresses deep concern over Israel strikes on Yemen, and risk of regional escalation
July 22, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has responded to Israel’s airstrikes on the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah, which reportedly killed at least six people and injured more than 80, by calling for all parties involved in the conflict to “exercise utmost restraint”. In statement, Mr. Guterres noted that […]New support needed amid preparations for Ukraine’s third wartime winter
July 19, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. A new $100 million financial contribution will be given to support displaced and war-affected people in Ukraine as they prepare for the third winter since the start of Russia’s invasion, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi announced on Thursday during his third wartime visit to Kharkiv. […]Stop Squeezing the Baseline!
July 16, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Holger van Eden Too much. Ok, dear ministry of finance official, a little squeeze is fine, but decreasing existing expenditure commitments to bare bones levels has serious drawbacks. One of the unintended consequences of squeezing too much is that the baseline, the path of expenditure under unchanged policies, […]Emerging Markets Show Resilience Despite Global Monetary Tightening
July 15, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Unlike past episodes, emerging market capital flows have remained largely resilient in the face of global monetary tightening, even as global capital flows have fallen Cian Allen, Rudolfs Bems July 12, 2024 Interest rates in the United States are at 20-year highs and the dollar has appreciated sharply against […]Fostering Africa’s Economic Transformation through Innovative Financing
July 12, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Keynote Address by Abebe Aemro SelassieDirector of the African Department, IMFAfrica Economic Symposium (AES)Rabat, Morrocco July 11, 2024 Thank you for the invitation and opportunity to address you this afternoon for the second edition of the Africa Economic Summit. It is a great pleasure to be back to […]EU further extends the scope of sanctions on Belarus to fight circumvention
July 1, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission welcomes the Council’s adoption of a new set of sanctions against Belarus, in view of its involvement in Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. The close integration of the Russian and Belarusian economies has substantially facilitated the circumvention of existing […]Undermining the one-China principle will lead to serious tensions in East Asia
May 17, 2024 by Leave a Comment
The US interference more than often leads to geopolitical tensions and that’s a historical fact. It seems now the world’s greatest power wants to interfere strongly with Taiwan. Taiwan, a whole different story Although the US likes to interfere in anything with a pulse, Taiwan is no Ukraine and will never be. To begin with, […]Ukraine: Better care for children with complex long-term health needs
March 14, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Nataliia Pidmurniak, a dedicated final-year medical student at Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect […]Sweden to join NATO: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization explained
February 28, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Kate Whiting, Senior Writer, Forum Agenda This article was first published in July, 2022 and most recently updated on 27 February, 2024. Two days after the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the final hurdle in Sweden’s […]How exactly can EU sanctions against a few Chinese companies bring peace in Ukraine?
February 27, 2024 by 1 Comment
That the US and the EU are close allies is not news. Nor that they more than frequently align their agenda when it comes to China. Last week was another occasion of parroting, this time with the EU shooting first. Last Wednesday the EU issued its 13th package of sanctions against Russia after two years […]The forgotten economics of EU enlargement
January 18, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Mirek Dušek, Managing Director, World Economic Forum, Andrew Caruana Galizia, Deputy Head of Europe and Eurasia, World Economic Forum Two decades since the European Union’s “big bang” enlargement in 2004, the bloc’s long-stalled ambition to accept new members has experienced […]How a paradigm shift in interest rates and expectations is reshaping the Eurozone’s financial landscape
January 16, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Tamaz Georgadze, Chief Executive Officer, Raisin, Max von Bismarck, Chief Business Officer and Managing Director, Raisin The global and European financial landscapes alike have recently witnessed notable shifts in response to central banks’ monetary policy changes. The allure of traditional […]What does 2024 have in store for the economy? Leading chief economists give their views
January 15, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Kateryna Karunska, Insight Specialist, Economic Growth and Transformation, World Economic Forum, Spencer Feingold, Digital Editor, World Economic Forum Uncertainty continues to be the name of the game for the economy in 2024. For some economists, the global economy still looks […]These charts show which businesses are driving the EU economy
January 11, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. As the Eurozone nears recession territory, a key priority for the European Union (EU) is to find ways to grow the economy, a central talking point at the upcoming World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024. New data from Eurostat shows how different sized businesses contribute to the […]
