Economic reforms are urgent, especially improving the governance in state-owned enterprises, as large contingent liabilities are of great concern.

Private sector debt developments in the US and China probably won’t trigger an economic crisis but could deepen a downturn, possibly triggered by the bilateral trade war.

The French plastics packaging segment is negatively impacted by oil price volatility, increased environmental awareness and stricter regulations.

The election of Brazil's new president ends a long period of political uncertainty, but the window for much-needed reform is very narrow.

After a minor increase from 2016 to 2017, the proportion of past due B2B receivables in Western Europe increased again this year and stands at 41.8%.

All survey respondents in Austria (100%) reported domestic payment delays. This is the highest percentage in the region, significantly higher than in 2017.

The average proportion of overdue B2B invoices reported by respondents in Belgium increased for the third consecutive year in a row and stands at 45.6%.

The survey’s biggest negative change in the proportion of uncollectable receivables was recorded in Denmark; up from 1.3% in 2017 to 1.8% in 2018.

After an increase from 43.5% in 2017 to 47.5% this year, France has the second highest percentage of overdue B2B invoices in the Western European region.

Of the Western European countries surveyed, Germany had the second highest percentage of respondents (24.7%) who reported revenue loss due to overdues.