Portugal judged to be on track
Portugal’s international lenders approved the country’s performance under a bailout in their latest review yesterday, but rejected government requests to ease fiscal goals. The European Union and International Monetary Fund said Lisbon was moving to meet the lending programme’s goals and that there were early signs of recovery after the worst economic downturn since the 1970s. “The programme remains broadly on track, with the authorities determined to achieve its objectives,” the lenders said in a statement.