独大連立政権 欧州経済の再生に責任は重い

The Yomiuri Shimbun January 2, 2014
Germany should bolster efforts to lift eurozone out of crisis
独大連立政権　欧州経済の再生に責任は重い（12月31日付・読売社説）

We expect German Chancellor Angela Merkel to exercise leadership to overcome the European fiscal and financial crisis now that she has secured a stable political foundation.
　安定的な政権基盤を得たメルケル・ドイツ首相が欧州財政・金融危機の克服に指導力を発揮することを期待したい。

The third Merkel Cabinet was launched in Europe’s biggest economic power through the formation of a grand coalition between Germany’s two major political parties—her center-right Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD)—for the first time in four years.
　欧州一の経済大国、ドイツで、中道左右の２大政党が４年ぶりに大連立を組み、第３次メルケル政権が発足した。

As the German Bundestag, or lower house, has members elected basically by proportional representation, it is difficult for even a major party to secure a majority on its own. Negotiations to form a coalition government are thus inevitable.
　ドイツ連邦議会（下院）の選挙制度は基本的に比例代表制であるため、大政党でも単独過半数を占めることは難しく、政権作りには連立交渉が避けられない。

The CDU/CSU secured a stunning victory in the September general election, after which it negotiated with the SPD, the largest opposition party, to form the grand coalition.
　９月の総選挙で大勝したのは、首相率いる中道右派、キリスト教民主・社会同盟（ＣＤＵ・ＣＳＵ）で、最大野党の中道左派、社会民主党（ＳＰＤ）と交渉した。

However, it took more than 80 days to launch the new coalition because the SPD adamantly demanded that the coalition government realize SPD’s campaign pledges, including the introduction of a nationwide minimum wage system, when formulating an accord to form the coalition. It cannot be denied that this created a political vacuum in Germany and stalled debates in the European Union to address the financial crisis.
　だが、社民党が連立合意作りで、全国一律の最低賃金制度導入などの公約実現を強く主張し、政権発足に８０日以上も要した。国内の政治空白が生じ、欧州連合（ＥＵ）における危機対策をめぐる論議の停滞を招いたのは否めない。

The coalition agreement signed by the two parties called for fiscal rehabilitation and structural reform by eurozone countries. Their accord opposed initiatives that could increase the burden on Germany, saying that the measures, including a proposal to issue common euro-area bonds to procure funds based on the credibility of the eurozone, could foster laxity among indebted nations.
　両党がまとめた連立合意書は、ユーロ加盟国に対して財政健全化と構造改革を求めた。ユーロ圏の信用で資金調達する「ユーロ共通債」など、ドイツの負担増につながる構想には、債務国の甘えを助長するとして、反対している。

That is what the Merkel administration has been asserting, but it nonetheless demonstrated again its basic stance in overcoming the European crisis.
　メルケル政権の従来路線の踏襲だ。危機克服に取り組む基本姿勢を改めて示したと言えよう。

Danger of deflation

Greece and other south European nations are plagued with aggravated unemployment, prompting some observers to point out the risk of the eurozone plunging into deflation.
　ギリシャなど南欧諸国は失業増に苦しみ、ユーロ圏がデフレに陥る危険も指摘される。

Germany, which achieved the world’s largest current account surplus in 2012, is essentially the only economically sound nation in Europe. Germany should consider policies to facilitate economic recovery in Europe, including increasing imports from other eurozone nations by boosting its domestic consumption.
　経済が堅調で、昨年経常黒字が世界最大だったドイツは、「独り勝ち」の状況だ。欧州の景気回復に向け、内需拡大で域内諸国から輸入増を図るなど、成長に資する政策を検討する必要がある。

The coalition agreement reconfirmed the existing “nuclear phaseout” stance to reduce the number of nuclear power plants to zero by the end of 2022.
　連立合意書は、エネルギー分野では、２０２２年までに原子力発電所を全廃するというこれまでの「脱原発」政策も再確認した。

But it said the coalition government will overhaul the nation’s feed-in tariff system, which requires utility companies to buy renewable energy—expected by many to be an alternative energy source for nuclear energy—at a high rate for certain number of years.
　ただ、代替電力として期待される再生可能エネルギーについては、電力会社が電力を一定年数、高値で買い取る「固定価格買い取り制度」を抜本的に見直す。

The grand coalition plans to make it a fundamental principle to trade renewable energy generated at newly established facilities in the market and introduce other measures to ensure a competitive environment in this field.
　新設の再生エネ施設で発電された電力は市場での取引を原則とするなど、競争原理が働きやすい仕組みを取り入れるという。

The feed-in tariff system was introduced in 2000 as a pillar of a program to promote the proliferation of renewable energy use. Since then, the electricity rate for households has continuously increased to its present figure, which is double the 2000 level. We believe the move to overhaul the system is appropriate, considering the widespread public criticism of it.
　再生エネ普及促進策の核として、この制度が２０００年に導入されて以来、家庭の電力料金は右肩上がりで上昇し、現在約２倍にまでなっている。国民の反発は強く、見直しは当然と言える。

Japan’s feed-in tariff system was modeled after the German system. Japan should also review this system by closely paying attention to Germany’s moves in this regard.
　日本の固定価格買い取り制度は、ドイツを参考にして作られた。日本は、ドイツの現状を注視し、制度見直しを進めるべきだ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 31, 2013)
（2013年12月31日02時07分 読売新聞）