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★ jp-Swiss-journal ━ Vol. 61 - December 08, 2004
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目次 / INDEX / INHALTSVERZEICHNIS 】
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【J】
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国民投票2004年11月
「国の役割と地方の役割」
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明子 ヒューリマン
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【E】
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National
Vote of November 2004
<
Role to be played by the National and Local Governments >
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by Akiko Hürlimann
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□━━━━━━━━━━━━━━【 日本語 】━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━□
国民投票2004年11月
「国の役割と地方の役割」
明子 ヒューリマン
スイスの今年最後の国民投票は11月27日に投票が締め切られ、開票結果はその日の夕刻には報道された。今回政府と議会が提出した議案は3つ。一つ目はNFAと呼ばれている中央政府と州政府の財政と役割分担の再編案。今回の議案の中では最も大きな議論となった。中央政府と地方政府共に財政削減圧力が強まる昨今、狙いは豊かな財政の地方の負担を増やし、赤字財政の州への補助を増やそうというもの。然しながらスイス諸州の中で黒字を計上しているカントンはほんの数えるほど。そのひとつツークは最も小さい州の一つながら、隣のよしみでツューリッヒに財政支援もしている。当然の事ながらツークはこの議案の反対キャンペーンでは率先して主導的な役割を果たしたものの、多勢に無勢でそもそも喧嘩にならない。 二つ目は新財政秩序と呼ばれる、連邦政府の財源である連邦税と消費税を2020年まで従来通り徴税を保証するという議案。 三つ目の議案はES細胞（胚性幹細胞又は万能細胞とも言う）研究の是非を問うものだった。
27日の遅い午後には結果が判明、スイス国民は3つの議案全てを承認した。投票率は3議案の平均が35.7%と大方の予想通り低調だった。議案の１と２は中央政府と地方政府の役割分担をどう割振るかと言う事なのだが、1については税率の低い事で知られるツーク、シュヴィーツ、ニドゥヴァルデンの3州のみが反対多数で、議案は64.4%の賛成多数で承認されてしまった。財政健全化の努力をしてきたカントンにより負担が多くなる制度になったことは、民主主義の運用の難しさを象徴する結果と言えそうだ。２つ目の議案は73.8%の賛成で承認され、州ではツークだけが反対多数であった。3つ目のES細胞研究を国として認めるかどうかは、倫理的問題意識から宗教団体と左派政党が反対した他は66.4%の賛成票を得、全てのカントンで文句無く承認された。製薬業も国の重要な産業の一角を占めている事から、医薬品分野で国際競争力を保つには不可欠な研究分野との判断があったと言えよう。だがこのような極めて先進的で専門的な分野の課題を国民投票の議案にする事には批判も少なからずあって、棄権も意思表示の一つと捉える人々もあったようだ。
http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/pore/va/20041128/index.html
翻って日本に目を向けてみると、折りしも2004年11月26日に三位一体の改革の最終案が決定されたところだった。日本でも中央政府も又製造業が盛んな一部の地方を除く地方財政は危機的な状況に直面している打開策として、肥大化・硬直化した中央政府を小さくして、地方の創意工夫を尊重する地方分権の動きが出て来ていた。中央政府が地方に分配してきた補助金と地方交付税を削減し、そのかわりに権限と税源を地方に委譲して効率的な行政を模索するというのがこの改革の目的だったのだ。が、大揉めに揉めた結果、例の如く細部は玉虫色の決着となって、実際の改革は先送りされた。対立の構図は、政府対官僚と族議員。中央省庁の官僚にとって税源の委譲は権限の縮小を意味し、存亡の危機を意味する事から、族議員と共に必死の抵抗を試みている。とは言え、日本の未来は中央集権を維持し続けることでは無く、地方分権が定着してゆく事にあると認める世の大勢に疑問の余地はないようだ。
このように共通の重い課題を背負っている日瑞の政治の構図を比較してみると、スイスは地方分権が伝統のお国柄であることは知られている通りだが、一方の日本は戦後中央集権国家として国力を養ってきてこれから地方自治へ向かおうとしている。経済が成熟した段階で中央集権を維持し続ける事は制度疲労を助長し、更なる発展を阻害するとの認識が行き渡り構造改革が叫ばれて来た事によるのだが、一方のスイスは長年小さな政府で地方自治を堅持してきたものの、EU統合の拡大とグローバル化の流れの中で、地域格差が広がって来てしまった。もう少し細かく見ると、国民の貧富の差も徐々に顕在化して来ていると報じられているが、これは世界的な傾向と言えよう。持続的な発展をもたらすのは地方分権であろうというのが日本で定着して来た見方と言ようが、これとても運用の仕方次第で異なる結果に至るのはスイスの現状を見ても明らかだ。制度は運用次第という事を強く認識して改革を行わなければバラ色の未来は来ないという事だ。
例のツーク州はスイスの中では長年先進的な施政を行ってきた州との定評がある。公務員の給与も他の諸州に比べて控え目で、たゆまず改革を行ってきた伝統がある。州立銀行は唯一半官半民の経営で、常に先進的な経営をして来た為に破綻を経験していない数少ない州立銀行の一つ。長年税の優遇措置をして外国企業を誘致してきた結果、地の利もあって大企業の欧州本部が数多く設立されてきており今も進出の勢いは止まってはいない。潤沢な税収が保障される所以だ。更にインフラの整備が整い、有能な人材の供給が可能な事に加えて、都市部と豊かな田園風景が共存する快適な住環境を保っている事等、外部の人間に魅力的に映る要因が知られている。ツーク州のホームページには今日に至る歴史的背景の詳細は紹介されていないが、ネスレ・グループの前身がこの地で設立された事実はこの地の気風を示唆していると言えよう。http://www.zug.ch/00_60.htm
スイスの財政赤字諸州では教育費や社会保障費の削減が議論の遡上に上ってきている。これが日本では国が責任を持つか地方が税源と共に責任を持つかという議論になっている。だがそもそも一体政府とは何なのか、国とは何なのかを考えれば、国民の生活をよりよいものにする為の組織に他ならない筈だ。日本で国か地方かの綱引きの時には、国が優位に立って地方が従うという本末転倒の状況がおうおうにして付きまとうが、今まさにこの均衡がより適切なものになるか否かの岐路にあると言えよう。国民はしっかりと注目していなくてはならない点であろう。スイスでは、いつもの事ながら国民投票の前は庶民も頭を悩ます。が、直接民主主義を手放そうとは毛頭思っていないようだ。重要なテーマでは国中議論沸騰し、投票率も上る事からも伺える。
□━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━【English
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National Vote of November 2004
< Role to be
played by the National and Local Governments >
Akiko
Huerlimann
The last national vote of this year in Switzerland was conducted on
November 27, 2004, and the results were reported in the evening of the same
day. The vote was about three bills passed by the national Government and
the Parliament. The first one was the so called NFA (New Budget-Balancing
Bill) which is to reorganize the financing and role of the central and
local governments. That bill brought the biggest arguments among the
cantons. Nowadays the pressure for fiscal tightening has become strong; the
aim of this bill is to increase the financial burden to rich canton, and to
provide more state aid to cantons in red. However, only few cantons turn up
a profit among them. The Canton of Zug is one of them; even though it is
one of the smallest cantons, Zug provides financial support to the canton
of Zurich in order to maintain a friendly relationship as a neighbor. As a
matter of course, the canton of Zug played a major in the voting campaign
against the bill, and to begin with, it was outnumbered at the vote and it
didn't turn into a fight. The second one was the so called new financial
order that assures the national income by the federal tax and VAT (Value
Added Tax) as the federal coffer up to the year 2020 as before. The third
bill was the vote on embryonic stem cellresearch.
http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/pore/va/20041128/index.html
The results came out in late afternoon on November 27th; the Swiss people approved
all three bills. The average voters turn out for the three bills was rather
law with 35.7% as expected. Regarding to the first and the second bill, it
stipulates how to share the roles between federal government and local
governments. However, the first bill was approved with 64.4% of Yes, only a
minority of the Cantons of Zug, Schwyz, and Nidwalden those who are well
known for their lower tax rates voted against the bill. This result symbolizes
how difficult it is to manage democracy because cantons that have made an
effort for a sound fiscal administration will have to owe a heavier financial
burden. The second bill was approved with 73.8% of Yes, with only the
canton of Zug voting against it. The third bill was whether the nation allows
the research of ES-cells (embryonic stem cells) or not. Apart from certain
religious organizations and left wing parties that were against it due to
ethic points of view; 66.4% of the people voted Yes, and all cantons approved
it unanimously. The pharmaceutical business field plays an important and
vital role among the nation's major industries; therefore people judged
that the medical and pharmaceutical field is indispensable for the
promotion of international competitiveness. However, there were also critical
voices to seek the judgment of the people regarding to such a difficult,
innovative and technical theme, that's why some people might have considered
abstaining from voting; that is also one way to express one's opinion.
One reflection, to turn an eye on Japan; the final plan of the administrative
reform the so called Trinity Reform was just decided on November 26, 2004.
The same as in Switzerland, in Japan, the central government as well as
local governments face to a fiscal crisis with the exception of those areas
that are active in the manufacturing industries. Leading to a breakthrough
in that situation, the movements of decentralization of power from central
government to local governments have been visible by respecting local
independency and creativity, in order to make the central government
slimmer; the central bureaucracy has become bloated and rigid governmental
organizations. The aim of that reformation was to cut down the subsidy and
local allocation of tax by seeking an efficient and effective
administration through transferring power and tax revenue sources to local
governments. But after a tangle the results, as usual, muddled by
settlements in details were made and put off a real reform. The conflict of
structure is between bureaucrats and diet backer against the Government.
For the central government ministries, transferring tax revenue sources
means a diminution of power and a fateful crisis; therefore attempts of
deadly resistance together with diet backer were made. However, it seems no
doubt that public opinion acknowledges that local government power will be
settle down instead of maintaining the centralization of power for the
future of Japan.
As mentioned if we compare Swiss and Japanese political structures both owe
mutual major issues, it's well known that Switzerland has a tradition of power
in local municipalities, on the other hand, Japan has build up national
strength as a centralized government, and as from now on, Japan is heading
for local self-governments. At the level of a matured economy, if the
country still maintains a centralized government that makes the system fatigue
and disturbs further developments. This recognition has spread widely and
amid growing calls for administrative reforms in Japan. On the contrary in
Switzerland, they have maintained local self-governing and a small central
government for a long time. However, due to the enlargement of the
integration of the EU and international moves towards globalization, regional
differences have widened. If we take a look into one detail, it's reported
that the apparent wealth gap has gradually become actual among people in
the country: anyhow we can say this is the world tendency. The idea of
local self-governing that brings sustainable development has well established
in Japan, nevertheless it depends on the management and it can lead to
different conclusions that is obvious with regard to the present situation
in Switzerland. The future dream does not come true unless we recognize
that a system absolutely depends on the management and the effort to try to
realize the reform.
The canton of Zug has the reputation of a canton with an innovative administration
for a long time in Switzerland. Salaries of civil servants are rather modest
compared to other cantons, and they have a tradition of doing continuous
reforms. Among other state banks, their state bank is only a semi
governmental corporation, and one of the rare state banks that have never
experienced bankruptcy thanks to their innovative management. The efforts
regarding to the settling down of foreign enterprises creating their European
headquarters in the canton still goes on. The canton has invited foreign
institutions and companies thanks to lower taxation for decades, in addition
to the geographical advantages of the canton's location in Europe. That's
the way to assure sufficient tax revenue. Further attractive points for
foreigners are said to be the well-developed infrastructure, the supply of
efficient human resources, and a comfortable residential environment surrounded
by the coexistence of urban parts and pastoral landscape. The historical
background of the canton is not introduced at the website, but as a fact,
the predecessor of Nestle Group was founded in that canton showing the
ethos of this region. http://www.zug.ch/00_60.htm
http://www.zug.ch
Among cantons with red-inked finance in Switzerland, the discussion on cutting
down the budget of education and social security has started now. The same
discussion is on in Japan whether the central government or the local
governments owe the responsibility regarding to the tax revenue resources.
However, if we think what a government is and what a nation is, there must
be an organization for improving people's living. In Japan, when the tag of
war is played between the central government and local governments, the
central government tends to be superior and local municipalities have to
obey. This situation is preposterous. At present, Japan is standing on the
crossroad whether this balance will be more reasonable or not. In
Switzerland, people used to bother before national vote, but they seem not
to give up direct democracy at all. As a matter of fact, regarding to
important issues, the whole nation is involved in the dispute and the
voting rate is higher.
□━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━□
[ Writer / 著者紹介 ]
Akiko Hurlimann: jp-Swiss-journal
http://mypage.bluewin.ch/japinch/jp-swiss-journal/ah.htm
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We are intending to offer you current topics, based on Switzerland and
Japan with global view as a multi lingual magazine. Irregular release: Issuing
schedule will be informed by Weekly Swiss News Headlines. Please subscribe
both mail magazines. Some amendment can be made later.
スイスと日本を基点にグローバルな視点で、ニュース性に重点を置きながら、適宜日英独仏語の多言語でお届けします。不定期発行: 発行案内はWeekly Swiss
News Headlines からも随時お知らせしますので、両誌共にご愛読お願い致します。
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