Prime Minister Andrus Ansip attended the NB8 summit in Stockholm
26.10.2009

Stockholm, 26 October 2009 – At the meeting of the Nordic and Baltic Prime Ministers held today, the heads of government of eight countries discussed the UN Climate Change Conference to be held in December and the economic situation currently prevailing in the region and in the world. Issues related to energy security were also discussed.
When speaking about the preparations for the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Prime Minister Ansip stressed that Estonia regards the achievement of the efficient and large-scale post-Kyoto climate agreement to be important. “In addition to environmental protection, the new international climate agreement is important from the viewpoint of economic recovery as well,” he said. Ansip pointed out that this could be seen as an opportunity to give a new boost to the sustainable growth of the economy via eco-efficient technologies.

The heads of government discussed the economic situation of the region and generally declared that the situation is improving. The Prime Ministers also exchanged information about the efficiency of the measures implemented for economic recovery in their countries and discussed further steps for the strategies for coming out of the crisis.

Prime Minister Ansip noted that during the course of the global crisis that started last autumn, Estonia has quickly adapted to the new circumstances. This year, the Estonian government has improved the budget position of the government sector by BEEK 19.1 or 9% of GDP. Also, the loan burden of the Estonian government sector is one of the smallest in the region as well as in the European Union.

Ansip also pointed out that if Estonia can meet all Maastricht criteria, mainly the budget deficit criterion, it will be possible to adopt the Euro in Estonia already in 2011. “Joining the Eurozone gives Estonia the best prerequisites for the new growth cycle of the economy,” he said.

When discussing the energy topic, Ansip noted that the establishment of energy communities in the region and the establishment of a single Nordic-Baltic energy market continue to be important steps for ensuring the energy safety of the region.

The NB8 cooperation format includes Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The meeting will take place simultaneously with the session of the Nordic Council.
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