Marju Lauristin spoke about Siim Kallas. She said that Siim had been her friend since university days. Siim was a young and passionate student in late 1960s Tartu. At the time, there was the so-called 'Komsomol rebellion'. Siim was one of the leaders when students took to the streets. Marju said that Siim was a man of freedom.
Siim studied finance and economic freedom was important to him. He was one of the four authors of IME (Self-Financing Estonia). He wanted Estonia to be economically independent. Siim led the reintroduction of the Estonian kroon. Marju recalled that Siim was brave and wanted the Estonian kroon to be internationally convertible.
Siim was also successful in the European Union. He became an opinion leader in the European Commission. Siim's idea was to make European policy open and transparent. He carried out a reform to make lobbying public. Siim was a man of ideas and an excellent economic thinker.
Marju said that Siim was willing to cooperate with various politicians. For example, he reached agreements on unemployment insurance and tax exemptions for reinvested profits. Siim was a maker of major strategic decisions.
Siim was courageous and overcame risks. He did not let fear stop him. Marju believed that Siim would be remembered as a pioneer of Estonia's economic independence and the author of the Estonian kroon. He was a positive and future-oriented politician.