As part of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) ongoing effort to group the assessment of countries with common economic issues and policies, IMF staff met today in Stockholm with officials from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, joined by observers from Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, and Lithuania. The meeting followed team visits to Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, and Stockholm in the week of April 22-26

The four continental Nordic countries have close trade and financial links and face many similar economic challenges, while also experiencing certain differences. Discussions with government and central bank officials focused on the economic similarities among these countries, such as house prices and household debt, the closely integrated banking systems of the four countries, and how they are affected by economic shocks from within and outside the region.

The results of the discussions and analysis will be presented in a Nordic Regional Report to the IMF Executive Board, tentatively scheduled for discussion at the end of August, in conjunction with the annual assessments (so-called Article IV reports) for Norway and Sweden. The report is expected to be published after the Board discussion.

The Nordic Regional Report is part of an IMF pilot project on clustering Article IV consultations that had been discussed in the Progress Report One Year After the Triennial Surveillance Review.