Public Lecture on Financial Recovery Delivered by Icelandic Finance Minister

Posted on: 09 June 2011

Mr Steingrímur J Sigfússon, Iceland’s Minister of Finance, recently delivered a public lecture entitled Iceland’s Road to Recovery: What Lessons to be Learned at Trinity College Dublin.  Organised by the Policy Institute at TCD, the lecture formed part of the Policy Institute’s Henry Grattan Lecture Series which aims to promote informed and non-partisan debate thereby offering new ideas to decision makers and opinion formers on long-term social, political and economic challenges. 

Chaired by Pat Leahy, Political Editor for the Sunday Business Post, the talk highlighted the significant economic reforms undertaken by Iceland following the collapse of its three main banks in 2008.  Since then, Iceland has completed four reviews of its International Monetary Fund program.   The main components of this $4.6 billion loan programme are to stabilise the currency, establish trust in Iceland’s monetary policy, revise fiscal policy to meet the increased debt burden, and restructure the banking system.

Steingrímur J Sigfússon became Iceland’s Minister of Finance in February 2009.  He is the chairman of the Left-Green Movement, a leftist, environmentally focused political party in coalition with the centre-left Social Democratic Alliance.  All public lectures in the Henry Grattan Lecture Series are free and open to the public.  Further information can be found on the Policy Institute website.

Pat Leahy, Political Editor of the Sunday Business Post, Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, Iceland’s Minister of Finance, and James Wickham Chair of the Policy Institute.