Former Estonian Prime Minister joins the Montreal Economic Institute

Montreal, January 20, 2005 – Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) president Michel Kelly-Gagnon is pleased to announce the nomination of the Honourable Mart Laar as a Senior Fellow of the MEI.

Mart Laar was Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia from 1992 to 1994 and again from 1999 to 2002. During these two mandates, his economic and political reforms helped Estonia undergo one of the most productive transitions among former Communist countries and led to it becoming a full member of the European Union and NATO.

Under Mr. Laar’s leadership, Estonia also became the first country in Europe to adopt a flat-rate income tax, a fiscal policy that served as a model for similar reforms in several other countries. Mr. Laar also created the world’s first working on-line government, making Estonia the most advanced country in this regard.

As a result of these reforms, Mr. Laar has received several prizes and honours, including the European Bull Prize in 2001, the Adam Smith Award in 2002 and the Polak Award in 2003. In 2001, the Davos Economic Forum named him Prime Minister of its “World’s Dream Cabinet.”

The Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan economic research and educational institute. It analyzes Canadian and Quebec public policy, focusing in particular on wealth creation.

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For information, please contact: Patrick Leblanc, Director of Communications, MEI / Telephone: (514) 273-0969 / Email: pleblanc@iedm.org