As to the Lisbon Workshop, its principal goal could be summarised in the following statement: Drawing from the past to prepare for the future! This is, in my opinion, a very fitting and commendable proposition.
GIR stood at $ B at end November 2008, an increase of about $ B over the end 2007 level. The build-up in GIR has allowed us to keep the BOP in surplus in 2008. At almost $ B, GIR is 5.8 months’ of imports and 2.5 times short-term debt based on residual maturity.