Also in the news...
France: providing services and travelling for business
Guidance for UK businesses on rules for selling services to France.
Living in the USA
Information about moving to, living or retiring in the USA – including visas, working, healthcare and driving.
Trade with Liechtenstein
How you import from and export to Liechtenstein
UK trade with the United States: Impact of tariffs on imports and exports of goods
A closer look at the goods the UK trades with the United States in the context of trade tariffs.
Simplified rates for bringing personal goods into the UK
Find out about the simplified rates of customs and excise duty used when you declare your personal goods online.
Fitch Affirms Slovakia at 'A+'; Outlook Stable
LONDON, February 28 (Fitch) Fitch Ratings has affirmed Slovakia's Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) at 'A+' with Stable Outlooks. The issue ratings on Slovakia's senior unsecured foreign and local currency bonds have also been affirmed at 'A+'. The Country Ceiling has been affirmed at 'AAA' and the Short-term foreign currency IDR at 'F1'.
KEY RATING DRIVERS The affirmation and Stable Outlook reflect the following factors: Slovakia's economic growth is expected to continue outperforming the eurozone average. Against Fitch's latest projection for the eurozone to grow 0.9% in 2014, Slovakia's economy is estimated to grow 2.4%, also broadly in line with the CEE3 (Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary). However, despite a resilient growth profile, Slovakia suffers from structurally high unemployment. At 14%, the unemployment rate is significantly above the 'A' median of 6.4%. Fitch judges the macro-prudential framework to be sound. A solid banking sector and low level of private sector indebtedness remain key strengths for Slovakia's ratings. The banking sector has a high average capital adequacy ratio (17.2%) and a strong domestic funding base, which supports a manageable loan-to-deposit ratio of 82%.
Reuters.com