D&B Raises Forecast for Slovenia's 2008 GDP Growth to 4.8% from 4.5%

“The strength of growth registered in the first half of 2008 exceeded the expectations of most analysts [...] For 2008 as a whole, we now expect real GDP to grow by 4.8%,” the agency said in its October report made available to SeeNews on Thursday by Slovenian consultancy Idoo, D&B's representative in the Alpine country.

The country's GDP grew by a real 5.5% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2008, slightly quicker than the 5.4% annual growth reported in the previous quarter. Slovenia’s economy grew by 6.8% last year.

D&B maintained its 2009 GDP growth forecast for Slovenia at 4.0%.

The Alpine country of two million people joined the EU in 2004 and entered the eurozone in 2007.