Underpinning the proposed reforms is the so-called “principle of unity of liability and control,” which demands that both the power to make decisions and liability for their consequences are kept at the same political level, be it national or supranational. In other words, if countries want to make their own fiscal decisions independent of their eurozone partners, they cannot expect those partners to step in and save them later.
这套改革方案的基础是所谓的“责任和控制的统一原则”，该原则要求做决定的权力和为后果负责的责任必须具备同等的政治地位，要么是国家级，要么是超国家级。换句话说，如果各国想独立于欧元区伙伴国独立进行财政决策，那么就不能指望日后伙伴国站出来救它们。