OREANDA-NEWS. December 20, 2010. The Economist magazine's blog, Eastern Approaches, has chosen Estonia for its 2010 country-of-the-year award."For a country that emerged battered and blinking from Soviet occupation not quite 20 years ago, being the only country to meet the main rules of the continent’s main clubs is a triumph. Haid joule ja head uut aastat!" congratulates a blog post.

The writers explain their criteria in recognizing Estonia. "From January 1st, when it joins the euro, it will be one of only two countries in the single currency area that actually meet its debt and deficit rules.

The other is Luxembourg. But if you add another filter, the willingness to meet NATO’s target for defence spending of 2 percent of GDP, Estonia (at 1.9 percent next year) beats Luxembourg (0.7 percent) easily.