英字新聞

2010/10/14
--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 13
EDITORIAL: Unified Germany at 20
ドイツの２０年―欧州統合への歩みに学ぶ

When the Berlin Wall came down, East Germans spilled into the streets and chanted, "We are one people." The outpouring of their longing for the freedom and prosperity of the West turned the wheels of history.
　ベルリンの壁が崩壊し、街に繰り出した旧東独の人々が叫んだ。「我々は一つの国民だ」。西側の自由と豊かさへのあこがれ。噴き出した人々の情念が歴史の歯車を動かした。

Germany's reunification, on Oct. 3, 1990, heralded a new era in contemporary history.
　１９９０年１０月の東西ドイツ統一は、現代史の新しい幕開けだった。

Celebrating the 20th anniversary, German President Christian Wulff noted: "In 1989 the East Germans chanted 'We are the people, we are one people.' This evoked a sense of national identity that had long been buried ... . Now, 20 years on, a new self-confidence has taken hold throughout Germany, a relaxed brand of patriotism, a frank assertion of belief in our country--a country that is aware of its great responsibility for the past and that is shaping the future accordingly."
　あれから２０年。統一記念式典で演説したウルフ大統領の言葉は印象的だ。
　「旧東独の人々の叫びが、眠っていた国民のアイデンティティーを呼び覚ました。２０年後のいま、この国には新しい自信、緩やかな愛国心、そして過去への大きな責任とともに、未来を担おうとの意識が生まれている」

We would say Germany has scored historic successes over the past 20 years.
　ドイツにとって、歴史的な成功を収めた２０年だったといえよう。

Back in 1990, Germany's neighbors were apprehensive about reunification. Although Germany engaged in deep soul-searching after its defeat in World War II, former victim nations had yet to fully get over their collective memories of the destruction caused by Germany in the two world wars and the unspeakable horrors of the Nazi death camps.
　当時、近隣国にはドイツ統一への警戒心が強かった。２度の大戦とユダヤ人虐殺。戦後ドイツが示した反省にもかかわらず、被害の記憶はなかなか消え去らなかった。

Aware of these sentiments, German leaders chose to incorporate their country into the multilateral cooperative framework of European nations which were striving to realize regional integration, even if that meant making some sacrifices.
　ドイツの指導者たちが取り組んだのは、地域統合をめざす欧州の多国間協力の枠組みに、代償を払ってでも自らを組み込むことだった。

Germany abandoned the Deutsche mark, which was Europe's strongest currency at the time, and agreed to adopt the euro. Germany also encouraged Poland, Czechoslovakia and other central and eastern European nations to join the EU as well as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. These policies won the support of the rest of Europe and the United States and the acceptance of Russia.
　欧州最強の通貨だった独マルクを捨て、単一通貨ユーロの導入を認めた。ポーランドやチェコなど中東欧諸国を後押しして、欧州連合（ＥＵ）や北大西洋条約機構（ＮＡＴＯ）に次々迎え入れた。欧州諸国や米国はこれを支援し、ロシアも受け入れた。

Rather than allow itself to be swallowed up in the current of history, Germany opted to go with the times and lead the nation in a direction that would best serve the interests of its people.
　歴史の奔流に身をまかせるのではなく、国民の利益のため、流れに棹（さお）さして望ましい方向へ導いていく。

There is no question that Bonn's foreign policy, based on this position, has worked very favorably for the country.
そんなドイツの自覚的な外交戦略が大きな果実をもたらしたのは明らかだ。

As a result of the integration of European markets, more than 60 percent of German exports today are bound for Europe. Germany's highly competitive automobile and chemical industries are helping to prop up the European economy as a whole.
　欧州市場の一体化により、ドイツの貿易のうち対欧は６割を超えた。自動車や化学品など強い産業競争力が欧州経済を下支えしている。

In foreign policy, Germany maintains independent relations with the United States and Russia, and is also party to negotiations over the Iranian nuclear issue. Also, many German troops are on missions in Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia to restore law and order.
　外交では、米国やロシアと自立した関係を築く一方、イランの核問題の交渉に加わっている。アフガニスタンや旧ユーゴスラビアの治安回復に多くの兵士が活動している。

Naturally, Germany is not without problems. The per-capita income of former East Germans is still only 70 percent of that of their West German compatriots, and the jobless rate is high.
　もちろん陰の面もある。旧東独の１人あたり所得は旧西独の７割で、その失業率は高い。

During the ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of reunification, Wulff appealed to his countrymen to be more accepting of Turkish and other immigrants from the Islamic world.
ウルフ大統領は式典で、トルコなどイスラム系移民を社会に取り込む大切さを国民に訴えた。

What should the European Union do to reinforce its functions to overcome the problem of a single currency and fiscal concerns? How should the EU deal with conflict in the Middle East and the Iranian nuclear problem? The EU has an extremely important role to play in the international community.
　単一通貨ユーロや財政の不安を乗り越えるために、ＥＵの機能をどう強めるか。中東紛争やイラン核問題をどう解決していくか。ＥＵが国際社会で果たす役割は極めて大きい。

As a core EU member, Germany bears the responsibility of further advancing the integration of Europe and leading the way in resolving various global issues.
　ＥＵの中核メンバーとして、ドイツは欧州統合を深化させ、世界の課題解決の先頭に立つ責務がある。

This autumn, commemorative events to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Japan and Germany kicked off in Japan. In Asia, a divided nation exists on the Korean Peninsula, and disputes over sovereignty and territory continue to flare elsewhere.
　この秋、日本で「日独交流１５０周年」の行事が始まった。アジアでは、朝鮮半島に分断国家が残り、領土や主権をめぐる摩擦が起きている。

Japan's circumstances are obviously different from Germany's, but there are many things we can learn from Germany.
　置かれた環境は異なるが、ドイツの経験に学べることは少なくない。