Prime Minister denies promise to resign

Toomas Hõbemägi

Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip says that he has never promised to resign if Estonia ends up with a budget deficit.

“But I don’t see such threats at present,” said Ansip yesterday, denying claims that he is ready to resign if the budget balance is not maintained.

The PM said that, in order to cut costs, the government plans to downsize civil service and not to increase government spending for at least two years.

He also admitted that the government that plans to cut its spending by EEK 10 billion is now looking at ways to reduce the subsidy paid to local governments for free school lunch.