On May 23, 2018, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with the Netherlands.  The Netherland’s economic recovery has taken hold. Real growth is forecast to reach 3.1 percent in 2018 owing to robust domestic demand. Private consumption has been supported by rising disposable income and positive wealth effects from increasing house prices. Net exports have proven resilient to global uncertainties, pushing up the already large current account surplus. Unemployment has continued to decline rapidly,...

On July 25, 2018, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation  with France. Near-term growth prospects remain favorable, although less buoyant than in 2017. Real GDP growth is projected to reach 1.8 percent this year and 1.7 percent in 2019, supported by robust investment and solid consumption. While the contribution of net exports turned slightly positive in 2017 and the current account deficit shrunk, France’s external position is assessed to be moderately weaker than...

The value of global exports have increased exponentially in the post-War period, facilitated by the creation of the GATT, WTO, and bilateral free trade agreements.

Brief Description of Country: Portugal is one of the oldest countries in the world and was firstly recognized as an independent kingdom in 1143. It is has a prime geostrategic location between Europe, Americas and Africa, on the southern west coast of Europe, inside the Iberian Peninsula. It borders with Spain on the north and east, and with the Atlantic Ocean in the west and south. Besides the continental part in Europe, the Portuguese territory also incorporates the archipelagos of Madeira...

by Maurice Marchand-Tonel, Honorary Chairman, EACC Paris “Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength” (Donald Trump) “No nation was ever ruined by trade” (Benjamin Franklin) In the current debate on President Trump’s view of his “America First” mantra, “international trade” and “globalization” seem to be treated as one and the same thing. True, the two are obviously interconnected: the Tea Party and the ensuing War of Independence were indeed all about free trade within a global system (the tea and sugar...

by Pierre-Marc Johnson, 24th Premier of Quebec and Lead Negotiator for the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) for the Government of Quebec   Trade among nations has come under attack recently by various opinion currents in populist settings, and the partaking in this movement by governments in the USA, Italy, and other countries. Measures have been initiated by the USA that could lead to long-standing impacts of a “trade war”. Criticism of Trade is concentrated, depending on their origins, from...