EU Rebuffs Calls to Increase Fiscal Stimulus, Aid

在布鲁塞尔举行峰会的欧盟领导人拒绝了要其扩大财政刺激规模的呼吁，不同意对正在困境中挣扎的东欧国家增加援助。欧盟领导人表示，他们愿意向国际货币基金组织(IMF)提供750亿美元资金，以增强该机构的资金实力，但前提是美国和中国也同意向IMF提供资金。IMF正寻求将它用于救助各成员国的资金储备增加一倍，从2,500亿美元增加到5,000亿美元。Agence France-Presse/Getty Images欧盟领导人周四齐聚布鲁塞尔但包括德国和英国在内的欧盟主要国家反对增加欧盟对经济上陷入困境的中东欧成员国的资助。欧盟总规模达250亿欧元(合327亿美元)的救助基金已大多花在了对匈牙利和拉脱维亚的援助上。当前的经济危机正在向欧盟各国的实体经济蔓延。据报导，法国大小城市周四有一百多万人走上街头，要求政府采取更多行动解决经济危机的影响。美国正在向德国等欧洲主要国家施加压力，要其在减税和增加政府开支等方面采取更多措施来提振萎靡不振的世界经济。到目前为止，以德国牵头的欧盟一直拒绝采取更多经济刺激措施，并警告美国在4月2日于伦敦召开的20国集团峰会上不要力促各方讨论这一问题。德国总理默克尔(Angela Merkel)周四对德国议会发表讲话时说，与大多数国家相比，德国政府在通过增加政府开支和减税以提振世界经济方面正在做更多工作。经济学家们说，随着欧盟那些财力较弱的成员国陷入更深的经济困境，德国继续坚持这一立场可能会遇到来自这些国家的压力。虽然欧洲最大经济体德国目前已处于60年来最严重的经济衰退，但它的公共财政状况仍相对强劲，德国仍受到资本市场的信任。批评人士说，这意味着德国可以通过增加政府负债来进一步提升国内需求。Barclays Capital的欧洲经济学家卡罗(Julian Callow)说，由于德国不愿意这么做，其邻国将不必要地遭受更严重的经济衰退。默克尔等德国领导人出于几点理由不愿意增加政府的财政赤字。由于德国人口日益老龄化，该国的退休金和医疗保健支出正不断增加，令政府财政面临越来越大的压力。德国近几届政府一直在人口老化问题日益加重之际下大力气削减公共债务。对于欧盟禁止成员国过分增加预算赤字的规定德国一直予以支持，德国政府担心，如果它放弃这一立场，其他欧盟成员国将无节制地增加政府开支，最终背负上无力偿还的公共债务。如果那样，在德国政府看来，德国纳税人将不得不救助那些大肆挥霍的意大利等国人。Marcus Walker / Adam Cohen（更新完成）相关阅读欧盟担忧失业率逼近10% 2009-03-18欧盟呼吁各国向IMF追加财力支持 2009-03-10欧盟领导人反对设立基金救助东欧 2009-03-02


European Union leaders, meeting at a Brussels summit, rejected calls to expand their fiscal-stimulus policies, or to boost aid for struggling Eastern European countries.The EU leaders said they are willing to provide $75 billion to increase the International Monetary Fund's war chest, provided the U.S. and China also pledge money. The IMF is seeking to double its resources for helping countries to $500 billion from $250 billion.But key EU countries including Germany and the U.K., are opposed to expanding the bloc's own fund for helping ailing economies in Central and Eastern Europe. Much of that 25 billon euros fund ($32.7 billion) has been spent on aid to Hungary and Latvia.Throughout Europe, the strain is reaching the real economy. According to news reports, in cities and towns across France Thursday, more than one million people marched to demand more government action to address the effects of the crisis.Germany and other major European countries are under pressure from the U.S. to do more to support the sagging world economy through tax cuts or higher government spending. So far the EU, led by Germany, has rejected calls for additional stimulus measures and warned the U.S. not to press the issue at the coming summit of 20 leading economies in London on April 2.German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a speech to Germany's parliament on Thursday that her government was doing more than most to support the world economy through higher spending and lower taxes. Germany's stance could come under pressure from financially weaker countries within Europe as their economies sink deeper into trouble, economists say.Although Germany is in its worst recession in 60 years, Europe's biggest economy has relatively strong public finances and  enjoys the trust of capital markets.That means Germany could be doing more to raise its domestic demand through higher government borrowing, say critics. Germany's reluctance to do so means its neighbors' recessions will be worse than necessary, says Julian Callow, European economist at Barclays Capital.Ms. Merkel and other German policy makers are reluctant to add to their deficit spending for several reasons. Germany faces growing fiscal strains because its aging population spells rising pension and health-care spending. Recent governments have tried hard to cut public debt as the population ages.Germany is a backer of EU fiscal rules that forbid excessive budget deficits, and Berlin fears that if it sheds that role, other countries will splurge and end up with more debts than they can repay. Then, the thinking in Berlin goes, German taxpayers will have to bail out spendthrift Italians and others.Marcus Walker / Adam Cohen