Central Europe's economies face risks from slowing trade, tariffs, IMF warns

In recent decades, the CEE (Central and Eastern Europe) region has benefited substantially from rising participation in global value chains,

the IMF's Senior Regional Representative for Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Geoff Gottlieb told Reuters

However, this model is facing headwinds because global trade growth has started to slow, falling from 6% in 2000-19 to 3% in 2022-24,

he said in an emailed response to Reuters questions

Continued efforts towards a deeper single market would support firm growth by lifting constraints related to market size,

it said

China and the EU jointly make up over one-third of the world economy, and the cooperation between the two has a greater strategic value and global influence, ... China remain

Wang said Friday,

Protectionism has no future—openness and cooperation are the right way forward,

he told Newsweek