(BNS) - The Banker, a magazine of the Financial Times group, has awarded the title of Finance Minister of the Year, Europe to Estonian Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi.

The bankers and economists surveyed by the magazine for the awarding of this year's titles highlighted Ligi's ability to keep fiscal deficit under control under the conditions of economic decline, the Estonian Ministry of Finance said.

The respondents said this was a rare achievement and especially important for Estonia, helping the country to meet the criteria for euro zone entry and paving the way for restoration of economic growth. In the words of the magazine the title demonstrates markets' trust in the Estonian minister.

Ligi in his remarks described as remarkable that Estonian finance won such high international recognition for the second time in a short period of time and that among the reasons not the switch to the new currency as the outer side of the matter, but the contents of the economy and finance were brought out.
In October last year Emerging Markets, a magazine of the Euromoney group, awarded Ligi the title of Finance Minister of the Year for Emerging Europe 2010.

(ER)

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