IMF Blog post |  Policymakers need fuller view of consequences of illicit flows, including tallies of the fiscal, monetary, financial, and structural costs. The fight against financial crime isn’t lost, but the world needs to do more to limit the economic impact of crime. Money laundering is a necessary component of the organized crime that too frequently spans borders, skirts taxes, funds terrorism and corrupts officials—and it comes with hefty macroeconomic costs. Bad actors are also embracing new technologies on top...

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High energy prices triggered by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine prompted governments to reduce excise taxes during 2022, leading to lower tax levels in many countries, according to new OECD analysis. Revenue Statistics 2023 shows that the average tax-to-GDP ratio in the OECD fell by 0.15 percentage points (p.p.) in 2022, to 34.0%. This was only the third such decline since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008-09: the level fell by 0.6 p.p. in 2017 and by 0.1 p.p....

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IMF Blog post |  Ensuring a lower-carbon future is not only necessary but also good for the economy, according to the latest climate scenarios from the Network for Greening the Financial System, a group of 127 central banks and financial supervisors working to manage climate risks and boost green investment. The NGFS data come as world leaders gather in Dubai for the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP28, to forge agreement on how to keep the planet from overheating. As the Chart of the...

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At the World Climate Action Summit in Dubai today, President Ursula von der Leyen launched the Global Pledge on Renewables and Energy Efficiency together with the COP28 Presidency and 118 countries. This initiative, first proposed by the Commission President at the Major Economies Forum in April, sets global targets to triple the installed capacity of renewable energy to at least 11 terawatts (TW) and to double the rate of global energy efficiency improvements from roughly 2% to an annual figure of...

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Climate super-pollutants - including methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, and tropospheric ozone - are responsible for over half of today's warming.  Under the Global Methane Pledge, launched by the EU and the US, more than 150 countries are now  implementing a collective goal of reducing global anthropogenic methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030, from 2020 levels. This global initiative will help to keep the Paris Agreement objective of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. President of the...

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Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today hosted a high-level event at COP28 to promote the development of carbon pricing and carbon markets, as powerful instruments to reach the Paris Agreement objectives. It builds on the Call to Action for Paris-aligned Carbon Markets that the European Commission, Spain and France launched in June 2023. President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said today: “Carbon pricing is thecentrepiece of the European Green Deal. In the European Union, if you...

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The EU has been a global pioneer in the transition to decarbonize its economy and its immediate neighbors (EUN), namely, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo,  Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Türkiye, which are heavily integrated with and reliant on the bloc through economic, financial and FDI and technology channels are likely to be significantly affected by such a transition. More immediately, the question whether the EU’s carbon border adjustment (CBAM)—an import tax on carbon intensive imports—will affect its...

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November 28, the Commission is taking another step to make the EU's energy system fit for the future by adopting the first list of Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMIs) that is fully in line with the European Green Deal. These key cross-border infrastructure projects will help the EU reach its ambitious energy and climate goals. The projects will benefit from streamlined permitting and regulatory procedures, and become eligible for EU financial support from...

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The Commission welcomes the provisional agreement reached last night between the European Parliament and the Council strengthening the current provisions for emissions from industry and large intensive rearing farms. The updated law will help guide industrial investments necessary for Europe's transformation towards a cleaner, carbon neutral, more circular and competitive economy by 2050. It will spur innovation, reward frontrunners, and help level the playing field on the EU market and increase long-term investment certainty for industry.  New measures for a less...

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