It can sometimes be hard to tell who’s who at Ecofin meetings – the vast majority of the 27 European Union finance ministers are middle-aged men in sensible suits with sensible haircuts. Thank goodness, then, for Sweden’s Anders Borg, whose ponytail and earring are more reminiscent of an axe-wielder (of either the heavy-metal guitar or the Norse weapon variety) than a bean-counting pen-pusher, and his latest chapter in the epic saga of Swedish-EU relations, the Real Time Brussels blog reported.
The flowing locks aren’t the only touch of the Nordic warrior about Mr. Borg. Just as Viking rule of Northern Europe in the 8th and 9th centuries laid the foundation of land division, the legal concept of reparations, and gave the English language a host of words including ‘window’, ‘sky’ and ‘law’, Mr. Borg wants more Swedish influence on the continent. This time, however, it’s less about raiding, trading and marrying the prettiest local girls, and more about fiscal responsibility and sound management of public finances.
In a letter to his fellow finance ministers, Jarl Anders sets out his recipe for success: "My own country, Sweden, has weathered the past economic and financial crisis fairly well. To a large degree this reflects our commitment to a robust fiscal and budgetary policy framework, which has helped steer fiscal policy through these difficult times."
Features include a surplus target for the general government sector, a government expenditure ceiling, a requirement that local governments (or wapentakes, as they were known in the Viking era) balance their budget.
“I hope that you might find some small part of it useful in your future domestic policy development,” Mr. Borg concludes – hardly a blood-curdling Viking war cry, but a sign the non-eurozone country wants to contribute to the EU’s recovery and avoid future crises. Read more. (Subscription required.)
