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Economic Crisis: The Way Out? An Eastern European Perspective Sándor Meisel – Krisztina Vida Institute for World Economics Research C entre for Economic and Regional Studies of the HAS. Post-Crisis Economic Development of the EU and Bulgaria Sofia, 18-19 October 2012.
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Economic Crisis: The Way Out?An Eastern European PerspectiveSándor Meisel – Krisztina VidaInstitute for World EconomicsResearch Centre for Economic and Regional Studies of the HAS Post-Crisis Economic Development of the EU and Bulgaria Sofia, 18-19 October 2012
Objectives and challenges • Fiscal stabilisation: government deficits government depts • Reform of the systems of redistribution: sustainability • Growth and convergence • Competitiveness
Political conditions • Relative stability • exception: RO • elections: LT and RO • Living standards (GDP/cap) • Employment rates • Unemployment
Economic conditions • Growth • Investments • FDI • Foreign trade • Current account balance • Inflation • Public finances and reforms
Improving growth expectations?(GDP growth, annual change, %)
Public finances: common features of the reforms • Income: • increasing taxes • new taxes • improvements in tax collection • privatisation • Expenditure: • streamlining the public administration • freezing (cutting) the wages in the public sector • reform of the pension and health care system • Reshaping of the social payments • Changes in the level of redistribution between 2008-12: • decreasing level: BG, RO, LT • same level: LV, HU, PL • increasing level: CZ, EE, SK, SI
Competiveness • Labour productivity per person employed • Real unit labour cost • Innovation ranking
Real unit labour cost: favourable trends from the point of view of competition, but slow catching up of wages
Conclusions • Crisis slowed down catching up • In 2011 recovery, in 2012 more modest trends better outlook in 2013 • The pre-crisis dynamism is not likely to return • Probably more balanced and sustainable growth path, depending on the external conditions • Public finances on the way of slow consolidation