EIU Country Analysis

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Energy and water shortages are becoming critical and have led to water rationing in Venezuela#;s capital, Caracas, and recently two weeks of blackouts in the eastern city of Barcelona. They have also prompted protests

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Hong Kong#;s increasingly unpopular chief executive, Donald Tsang, has unveiled a long-awaited blueprint for political reform. However, the plan is similar to a #### proposal that was quashed by the territory#;s pro

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Sovereign risk Stable. Although debt service will continue to be a drain on the public finances, the government will remain committed to meeting its obligations. Sovereign risk, after increasing owing to factors linked to the

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Official name Republica de Mocambique Form of state Unitary republic Legal system Based on Portuguese-Roman law and the #### constitution, updated in #### National legislature ###-member Assembleia da Republica (parliament) elected by direct

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Outlook for ####-## Monthly review

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Sovereign risk Stable: The depth of the economic recession means that the budget will post large deficits in ####-##. Latvia is borrowing heavily from official sources under an IMF programme, and, although government debt

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FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Background: Singapore is an island state located at the tip of the Malay peninsula. It was formerly a British colony and became internally self-governing in ####. In #### Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Sovereign risk Stable: Singapore has a large stock of foreign-exchange reserves, and the government enjoys a positive net assets position. However, the government plans to tap its fiscal reserves to finance the expansionary measures

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Background: Ceylon was a British colony from #### to ####, when the island gained independence. It was renamed Sri Lanka on becoming a republic in ####. The current president, Mahinda Rajapakse of the Sri Lanka

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FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Please see graphic below Please see graphic below

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Background: The Canadian economy is the ##th largest in the world (in ####, measured in US dollars at market exchange rates). It is highly integrated with the US economy, which absorbed ##.#% of its

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Sovereign risk Stable: Sri Lanka successfully issued a US$###m sovereign bond in October. The five-year maturity highlighted the level of investor confidence in the island. Currency risk Stable: Large foreign portfolio investment inflows

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Land area: ##,### sq km Population: ##m (#### mid-year government estimate) Main towns: Population in #;### (####) Colombo (capital): #,### Kandy: #,### Gampaha: #,### Kalutara: #,### Kurunegala: #,###

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY In an international context, the Dutch tax system ranks somewhere in the middle, being neither significantly better nor worse than the EU average. At present, the corporate tax rate is lower than in most

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY Infrastructure is generally good, but there are significant problems of congestion related to the country#;s small size and high level of population density. There are ongoing projects aimed at improving the road and

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY Since the overthrow of the communist regime in ####, Romania has done much to establish institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law and protection of minorities. However, throughout the post-communist period, minority administrations

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY Romania has a tradition of labour unrest. The trade union confederations have traditionally had close links with the Social Democratic Party, but the NLP/DP government managed to reach annual agreements with the unions

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT The European Commission has approved the restructuring plans of ING, Lloyds Banking Group and KBC. Some of the region#;s banks appear to be getting off lighter than others. "I am not some kind of

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Sovereign risk Positive. The debt stock is forecast to rise sharply as multilateral lenders increase their loans, although Mozambique should have little difficulty in meet-ing its payments, as most of the new debt is

COUNTRY VIEW FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Official name Republic of Singapore Form of state Parliamentary democracy The executive The prime minister and the cabinet are appointed by the president and are responsible to parliament Head of state The president, S R

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Please see graphic below Please see graphic below

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Background: At the end of the Chinese civil war in #### the nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) fled to Taiwan, which it ruled until #### under martial law. Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek of the KMT handed power

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FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Policy towards private enterprise and competition ####-##: Administered prices for a range of staple foods largely remain in place. Efforts to put the Ceylon Electricity Board and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation on a stable

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT The sources for global and domestic data refer to historical data. The source for all forecast data, unless otherwise stated, is the Economist Intelligence Unit Global data US, Japanese, EU and OECD growth and inflation

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Policy towards private enterprise and competition ####-##: The federal government responds to the panel report of June ####, which recommended cuts in regulations and freer competition. Changes to conspiracy law, the first in almost

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FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Land area: ##,### sq km Population: ##m (end-####) Main towns: Population in #;### (end-####; not including surrounding counties) Taipei (capital): #,### Kaohsiung: #,### Taichung: #,### Tainan: ### Climate: Subtropical

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY The Dutch financial system has been hard-hit by the global financial crisis, and its banks have been among the most affected in Europe. The government has intervened to stabilise the banking system, which

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY The severe economic recession in #### and expected patchy recovery is likely to reverse earlier labour market gains on participation rates and employment levels, and the government#;s plans to boost these elements have

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY The exchange rate has a history of volatility. Strong upward pressure on the leu accompanied capital account liberalisation in ####-####, but the real appreciation of these years has been entirely reversed since July

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY The main risks associated with tax policy are the frequency of changes and the uneven enforcement of tax laws. The tax regime for business and individuals has improved greatly with the introduction as of

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Outlook for ####-## Monthly review

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Please see graphic below Please see graphic below

COUNTRY VIEW FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT

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FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Policy towards private enterprise and competition ####-##: There is greater transparency in the allocation of government contracts. The central government assiduously courts investment in infrastructure through tax and non-tax incentives. ####-##: Deregulation

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT The sources for global and domestic data refer to historical data. The source for all forecast data, unless otherwise stated, is the Economist Intelligence Unit Global data US and OECD GDP growth: OECD World trade

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Official name Republic of China Form of state Representative democracy The executive The president nominates a premier to preside over the Executive Yuan (the cabinet), which has three arms: ministries and commissions, subordinate administrative organs

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Land area: ###,### sq km Population: ##.#m (####, UN Population Fund estimate) Main towns: Population, #### (World Gazetteer) Maputo (capital): #,###,###(a) Nampula: ###,### Beira: ###,### Chimoio: ###,###

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Land area: #,### sq km (including smaller islands) Population: #.#m (mid-#### government estimate; #.#m including non-residents) Climate: Tropical Weather (altitude ## metres): Hottest month, May, ##-##°C (average daily

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY The Netherlands has a tradition of coalition governments and consensus-seeking. However, this tradition has not prevented decisive and clear policies from being agreed when necessary. Although social solidarity is a feature of the

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY The Netherlands has a fair legal system that is closed to political interference. The quality of the judicial system is high, and the country#;s legal code is well developed. Contracts can be enforced

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY The Netherlands faces a severe recession in ####-##, which gives rise to a number of macroeconomic risks. GDP growth was strong in ####-##, but started faltering from mid-####, with the economy

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY Tariff barriers for trade in goods are imposed by the EU, not by its member states. Barriers remain considerable for many agricultural and food products, but are low for most other goods. The Doha

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY Despite its violent break with communism, Romania presents few security risks for business. The risk of armed conflicts is negligible. Romania#;s relations with its neighbours (Hungary, Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria and Serbia) have been

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY The law provides adequate protection of property and contractual rights, including guarantees against expropriation, but institutions for enforcement are weak. This is especially apparent in commercial law, with judges demonstrating little grasp of new

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY Despite progress over the past few years, Romania is still struggling to achieve macroeconomic stability, as reflected in the above-average inflation rate compared with other transition economies and persistent, large current-account deficits

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY Romania has a fairly liberal trade regime. There is little risk of a trade embargo being imposed against Romania. The risk of discriminatory or excessive tariffs being levied is minimal given Romania#;s membership

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY Romania#;s transport networks fall short of business needs. Improving the condition of the country#;s road and rail network is imperative if Romania is to become a strategic location at the crossroads of

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT OVERALL ASSESSMENT Operational risk remains higher than the central European average. Governments#; weak capacity for implementing economic reforms is compounded by the poor quality of the bureaucracy, the influence of vested interests and systemic corruption

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT South Africa#;s Medicine Control Council has finally started to cut its backlog of drug approvals, but the system is still waiting for an overhaul A medicines technical task scheme, which was set up to

FROM EUROPEAN VOICE Agreement reached on #;nearly zero#; emissions as deal meets Sweden#;s energy efficiency aims All new buildings in the European Union will have to be powered largely from renewable sources and meet tougher energy-efficiency standards by

FROM EUROPEAN VOICE Ministers hope to reach agreement on regulation, but law will have a major impact on fishing crews By Jennifer Rankin MEPs could get the power to tell fishing crews how to catch fish, if national governments miss

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Russia#;s long-held plan to join the WTO is gathering pace, but a customs union with Kazakhstan and Belarus could complicate matters. Russiahas reiterated to EU states its desire to join the WTO swiftly

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Brazil holds the key to a recovery in Latin America#;s new car market. Not only did Latin America#;s new vehicle market take longer to succumb to the global financial downturn than other global

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Official name Republic of Mauritius Form of state Republic within the Commonwealth Legal system Based on English common law, the Napoleonic Code and the #### constitution National legislature National Assembly; ## members elected by universal

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Outlook for ####-## Monthly review

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Please see graphic below Please see graphic below

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT The sources for global and domestic data refer to historical data. The source for all forecast data, unless otherwise stated, is the Economist Intelligence Unit Global data US & OECD GDP growth: OECD World trade growth

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Policy towards private enterprise and competition ####-##: The government takes positive steps to level the playing field between private-sector firms and government-linked companies (GLCs), but progress is slow. ####-##: The government

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT The sources for global and domestic data refer to historical data. The source for all forecast data, unless otherwise stated, is the Economist Intelligence Unit Global data US and OECD GDP growth: OECD World trade

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Sovereign risk Stable: Falling revenue and fiscal stimulus measures aimed at shoring up the economy are expected to lead to a widening of the budget deficit in ####. Public debt ratios will worsen, but payment

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Official name Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Form of state Executive presidency based on the French model The executive The president is the head of state, with executive powers. Elected for a period of

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Outlook for ####-## Monthly review

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Outlook for ####-## Monthly review

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Please see graphic below Please see graphic below

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Land area: #,### sq km (#,### sq km excl the islands of Rodrigues, Agalega and St Brandon) Population: #.##m (official estimate; mid-####; #.##m island of Mauritius only) Main towns: Population

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY The Netherlands has good relations with its neighbours, and the security threat is generally low. As an ally of the US, it is, like other Western countries, under threat from Islamic terrorism. The Netherlands

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY The Netherlands has long been a bastion of political stability. The tradition that political differences are settled by democratic and non-violent means is unlikely to be broken, and the transfer of power is

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT OVERALL ASSESSMENT The risk of doing business in the Netherlands is generally low. However, the expected severe economic recession in #### and its aftermath will affect most risk categories. Government policies in most areas are

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY In recent years the efficiency of the legislature has improved, as has the functioning of the government, although progress has slowed lately. The frequent use of ordinances has also reduced the importance of parliament

FROM EUROPEAN VOICE EU institution on a makeover on energy labelling for electrical appliances The European Union#;s colour-coded energy labels for fridges, washing machines and other white goods will get a modest makeover, after an agreement between the

FROM DIALOG NEWSEDGE [New York Times] IN less than three weeks, world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to begin hammering out an agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions and combat global warming. But many clean-energy companies, which make and

FROM EUROPEAN VOICE Industry ministers will discuss General Motors#;s restructuring plans By Jim Brunsden The European Commission has called a meeting of industry ministers on ## November to discuss General Motors#;s restructuring plans for the carmaker Opel. The

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Most Latin American and Caribbean countries continue to rank in the upper ##% of countries in the world in terms of quality of life, as measured by a global quality of life index prepared by

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT US industrial output edged up by just #.#% month on month in October, after increasing by #.#% in September, as the expiry of the government#;s "cash-for-clunkers" scheme hit automotive output

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT The Liberal-National opposition coalition has criticised continued stimulus spending as economic conditions have improved, claiming that it will lead to unnecessarily high government debt and elevated interest rates. The Labor government#;s stimulus spending

COUNTRY BRIEFING The impact of the recession on the labour market has been mitigated by the supplementary wage scheme-Cassa Integrazione Guadagni (CIG)-which allows firms to reduce working hours without making workers redundant. According to the state pension institute

COUNTRY BRIEFING On October ##th the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD), which is the main opposition party in parliament, held primary elections to choose a new leader. The election was called following the resignation as leader of Walter Veltroni in

COUNTRY BRIEFING Enda Kenny, the leader of Fine Gael, the largest opposition party, last month announced his intention to abolish the upper house of parliament if his party comes to power at the next general election. The move had a

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY This country is published by Risk Briefing on a #;ratings-only#; basis. Risk Briefing covers ### countries. For ### major and mid-size markets our reports include extensive textual analysis and background. For an

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY This country is published by Risk Briefing on a #;ratings-only#; basis. Risk Briefing covers ### countries. For ### major and mid-size markets our reports include extensive textual analysis and background. For an

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SUMMARY This country is published by Risk Briefing on a #;ratings-only#; basis. Risk Briefing covers ### countries. For ### major and mid-size markets our reports include extensive textual analysis and background. For an

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT Russia#;s industrial production edged up by just #.#% month on month in October after jumping by #.#% in September--this pushed the annual rate of decline to -##.#% from -#.#

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT The rate of US inflation climbed to #.#% month on month in October from #.#% in September, mainly reflecting higher prices for energy and cars (as the "cash for clunkers" scheme has now

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT India has a total labour force of well over ###m, but only around ##% of workers are employed with regular contracts. Rapid economic growth is spurring faster employment growth in unorganised (and less productive) sectors

FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT SOURCE: Country Report SOURCE: Country Report

COUNTRY BRIEFING According to a preliminary estimate published by the national statistics office, Istat, the economy expanded by #.#% in the third quarter of #### compared with the previous three-month period. The rise followed five consecutive quarter-on