July 2009

Baltics: Latvia laments boom-bust cycle

by Guy Norton

Dramatic fall in growth; Bankruptcy looms without bailout funds


"We will continue to work closely with the Latvian authorities"

John Lipsky, IMF

Latvia faces a summer of discontent following the admission by prime minister Valdis Dombrovskis that without further financial assistance the Baltic republic faces the real possibility of collapsing into bankruptcy.

Dombrovskis says that Latvia will probably be unable to pay pensions and wages by August unless it receives further help from international donors. In an attempt to secure much-needed funds from a range of lenders such...


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