Ireland is the only country that has lowered its prices and wages, and its current-account deficit is about to swing into surplus. By contrast, Spain’s external deficit is still above 4% of GDP, while Portugal and Greece recently recorded astronomical figures of around 10%.
唯一的例外是爱尔兰，爱尔兰的问题不在于缺乏竞争力，而在于资本外逃。爱尔兰是唯一一个调低了物价和工资的国家，其经常项目即将从赤字转为盈余。与之相反，西班牙的外部债务仍然在GDP的4%以上，而葡萄牙和希腊的这一数字目前更是高达惊人的10%。