Although COVID-19-related bankruptcies have been rising, the latest figure for the total number of bankruptcies for September is still more than 30 percent lower than that for  2  December 2012 (Chart 5). Moreover, although unemployment rose from 2.4 percent in February 2020 to 3.0 percent in August, it remains fairly low compared to 4.3 percent registered in December 2012.
BIS Review 100/1998  –5–  Concluding remarks I have spoken on the monetary relations between the euro zone and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Let me conclude by presenting some ideas about the relations between the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and the central banks of the candidate member states.