Economies in central and eastern Europe have been hit hard by the worldwide credit crisis and less demand for exports in western Europe.

VOA: special.2009.03.06

Credit has improved in some cases since the financial crisis worsened in September.

VOA: special.2009.01.16

But then the financial crisis struck, freezing capital inflows as international credit dried up.

VOA: standard.2009.10.16

Some countries are blaming the United States for sparking the economic crisis through the deregulation of its financial scene - a move that led to a credit crunch and sparked an economic recession.

VOA: standard.2009.04.01