But it will require diligence, enterprise, increased investment and a healthier population. It took 20 years to go from being one of the richest countries to being a comparatively poor industrialised nation. Productivity will have to improve a few tenths of one per cent more than in other countries year in and year out for a couple of decades. So it will take an equivalent period of persistent effort to regain a leading position. Thank you. BIS Review 56/2003  9
We foresee a transition period that will last until the end of 2018. Are you still worried about the capacity of certain countries, such as Ireland and Greece, to reduce their public debt levels? What is certain is that it is very important for all countries, and not just Ireland and Greece, to take measures to ensure medium-term fiscal stability. This is necessary in advanced economies, in the European Union in general and, of course, in the euro area in particular. A feature that is shared by the industrialised countries after the very significant recession triggered by the financial crisis is that they find themselves in a vulnerable fiscal position. The European Central Bank has always defended the Stability and Growth Pact, even when large countries such as France and Germany wanted to relax its rules. BIS Review 154/2010  1  The Federal Reserve System decided last week to inject massive amounts of dollar liquidity into the economic system, a decision which has the effect of reducing the value of the US currency. Has the currency war started? That is, of course, a totally inappropriate expression to use. There are two main topics that need to be tackled seriously. On the one hand, there is the relationship between the major floating convertible currencies of the industrialised countries, such as the dollar, the euro, the yen and the pound sterling.