Ireland had the second lowest debt to GDP ratio of the 15 EU member states last year, according to the National Treasury Management Agency’s annual report.
The report said Ireland’s national debt for 2001 was €36.2bn, an improvement of €300m on the year 2000.
The National Treasury Management Agency also established the National Pension Reserve Fund in 2001 and, by the end of December, the fund had accumulated a cash reserve of €7.7bn.