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JÃ¼rgen Ligi selected best finance minister in Europe - PHOTO

JÃ¼rgen Ligi selected best finance minister in Europe - <font color=red>PHOTO</font>

11 January 2011 07:50 (UTC +04:00)

Baku - APA-Economics. The Banker, a magazine owned by Financial Times Group, has credited Estonian JÃ¼rgen Ligi as the year’s best finance minister in Europe, ERR News reported.

The magazine polled bankers and economists, who commended Ligi for containing the national budget deficit during the recession to meet the conditions of entrance into the Eurozone.

"When JÃ¼rgen Ligi takes his place for the first time at meetings of eurozone finance ministers in 2011, some of his peers may well be seeking his advice [...] Mr Ligi managed to drive through measures that helped shave 9% off the deficit in 2009, and a further 3% in 2010," wrote the magazine. "It is a painful irony that these measures helped Estonia qualify to enter the Eurozone, just as the latter is battered by the failure of some existing members to pursue such rigorous fiscal policy.â€œ

Elsewhere around the globe, those picked for the Banker’ award included Chilean Felipe Larrain for the Americas, Jordanian Mohammad Abu Hammour for the Middle East and Ghana’s Kwabena Duffour for Africa.