Expectations are rising for the publication of the Interim Forecast that the EU Commission will publish in Brussels tomorrow. Data will concentrate on the growth of the Gross Domestic Product and inflation in the main EU countries: Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands. The survey, which adds to the spring and autumn forecasts for all member states and all economic sectors, "helps us closely follow" the development of the markets and public accounts, "serving the economic operators, the financial sector, the governments". Just before the Interim Forecast, the Commissioner for Monetary Affairs, Joaquin Almunia, confirmed that the economy of the euro-zone risks slowing down and said that, "given the current market turbulence", we cannot be sure yet about the "impact" of the US "subprime" mortgage crisis "on the real economy". The CEO of the World Monetary Fund, Rodrigo de Rato, took position on the matter today. He did not rule out the possibility that the WMF may reduce its forecasts: "Even if growth in the United States will be hit hardest, we cannot rule out repercussions on Europe and Japan as well, although probably more limited".
