Estonia to raise up to 1 bln euros to tackle coronavirus outbreak

Estonia is preparing to raise up to 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to cope with the coronavirus outbreak, including via short-dated bonds, the Finance Ministry said on Saturday. As a first step, the maximum allowed issuance of short-term bonds would be raised to 1 billion euros from 400 million euros, the ministry said.

"I think it makes sense to create a strong cash buffer immediately as the situation on the financial market is unpredictable and later the price and availability of the needed assets could weaken," Finance Minister Martin Helme said. ($1 = 0.9005 euros)