BELGRADE (Serbia), March 20 (SeeNews) – The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW) said it expects the economies of Southeastern Europe (SEE) to attain average annual GDP growth rates of up to 3% for the 2017-2019 period, as private consumption and increasing investment will continue to be the main growth drivers over the forecast horizon.
In some SEE countries, such as Romania, Albania and Kosovo, the annual economic growth levels in the period between 2017 and 2019 may be even higher than 3%, WIIW said in its Spring 2017 Forecast Report for the region of Central, East and Southeast Europe (CESEE), posted on its website.
Longer-term foreign direct investment (FDI) trends hold particular promise for the Western Balkans, while in Romania the prospects in the field are also good, especially in the automotive sector, the WIIW said.
Nevertheless, in the Western Balkans, any confrontational interventions by Russia and uncertainties as to developments in Turkey could prove quite disruptive, and the influence of the EU and USA in the region could decline, WIIW adds.
Details on the economic growth forecasts of WIIW for SEE countries follow:
|
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
Bulgaria |
2.9 |
3.1 |
3.3 |
Croatia |
2.8 |
2.9 |
3.0 |
Romania |
4.0 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
Slovenia |
2.9 |
2.9 |
3.0 |
Albania |
3.5 |
3.9 |
4.0 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
2.8 |
3.0 |
3.1 |
Kosovo |
3.9 |
3.8 |
3.7 |
Macedonia |
3.1 |
3.3 |
3.0 |
Montenegro |
3.1 |
2.9 |
3.3 |
Serbia |
2.8 |
3.0 |
3.3 |