2024.01.22 外刊双语精读 欧元预算：去哪找钱呢？.docx

【1.22】1.22每日一篇双语精读Euro-budgets：How to fund it Europe is struggling to find the money 【1】The EUs 27 members have spent freely since early 2020 to support their economies and citizens through a global pandemic, a war on their doorstep and an energy-price surge. Back in 2020 richer northern EU members reluctantly signed up to a debt-funded recovery fund worth 806bn ($880bn, some 5% of EU GDP in 2022) that mostly benefits the south and east of the union. But high interest rates have bent these plans out of shape. 【2】At a summit on December 14th and 15th all countries bar one reached an agreement on how to top up the EU budget to pay for more financial support for Ukraine (a pot of 50bn over the next four years), as well as higher interest rates on EU debt and extra support for countries facing a surge in the arrival of refugees. The compromise was less generous than the European commission, the blocs executive arm, had hoped for, but it was enough to win almost everyones agreement. 【3】The lone opposition came from Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary. He had just given his tacit agreement to opening membership talks with Ukraine, after the EU released 10bn of funds earmarked for Hungary that had until then been frozen as a punishment for his rule-of-law abuses. His price for approving the larger fiscal package is probably for the EU to unblock Hungarys remaining and still-frozen 20bn. But his leverage is limited. Ideas being floated to get around his veto include using the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the euro zones bail-out fund which has plenty of spare capacity. If Mr Orbans bluff is called early next year, he may well fold. 【4】Finance ministers, meanwhile, are still trying to sort out a different fiscal mess. The euro zones byzantine deficit rules were barely workable before the covid-19 pandemic. They were too complex, put overly onerous demands on highly indebted countries and led to procyclical budget cuts without making much if any allowance for green investment. When the pandemic struck, the rules were suspended to allow countries to spend freely, and have not been enforced since. With their return due at the start of 2024, they were in desperate need of an upgrade. 【5】The commission had proposed rules that would give it more power and that would stick less slavishly to numerical targets. Countries would agree to adjustment plans to bring down debt and commit to investments and reforms that would boost growth. But Germany wanted to require countries to lower their deficits and debt by set minimum amounts each year. As The Economist went to press, France was expected on December 20th to give in, after much back and forth, under the rather self-serving condition that these new measures would not fully apply before President Emmanuel Macrons term is over. 【6】Over-prescriptive rules can indeed be a problem, as Germany itself illustrates. In November its constitutional court ruled various accounting gimmicks to be illegal under the countrys strict deficit rules. The governing coalition has since then put together budget cuts and tax increases to plug the gapsat a time when Germanys economy is stagnant and the country should be investing heavily. Sometimes, muddling through is not enough.1、短语1）原文： At a summit on December 14th and 15th all countries bar one reached an agreement on how to top up the EU budget to pay for more financial support for Ukraine (a pot of 50bn over the next four years), as well as higher interest rates on EU debt and extra support for countries facing a surge in the arrival of refugees. 词典：top up 增加；重新填满例句：Part of the solution is to top up the wages of low-paid workers.部分解决办法是增加低薪工人的工资。2）原文：He had just given his tacit agreement to opening membership talks with Ukraine, after the EU released 10bn of funds earmarked for Hungary that had until then been frozen as a punishment for his rule-of-law abuses. 词典：be earmarked for 指定（款项等）用作特定用途例句：Some of the money has been earmarked to pay for the resettlement of people from contaminated areas. 部分经费被指定用于受污染区域群众的重新安置。3）原文：Ideas being floated to get around his veto include using the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the euro zones bail-out fund which has plenty of spare capacity. 词典：get around 规避例句：Although tobacco ads are prohibited, companies get around the ban by sponsoring music shows. 虽然严禁为烟草做广告，但一些烟草公司却通过赞助音乐会来打擦边球。4）原文：Finance ministers, meanwhile, are still trying to sort out a different fiscal mess. 词典：sort out 解决问题例句：India and Nepal have sorted out their trade and security dispute. VERB PREP. noun印度和尼泊尔已经解决了贸易与安全方面的争端。2、长难句1）原文：Ideas being floated to get around his veto include using the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the euro zones bail-out fund which has plenty of spare capacity. 2）分析：l 红色部分是主句，是主谓宾结构。橙色部分是现在分词短语做后置定语，修饰ideas；绿色部分是ESM的同位语结构。l 蓝色部分是which引导的定语从句，修饰先行词fund。3）译文：为了绕过他的否决权，大家又提出了一些想法，包括利用欧洲稳定机制（ESM），也就是欧元区的救助基金，这里的空闲资金还是够用的。1）原文：As The Economist went to press, France was expected on December 20th to give in, after much back and forth, under the rather self-serving condition that these new measures would not fully apply before President Emmanuel Macrons term is over.2）分析：l 红色部分是主句。蓝色部分是as引导的状语从句，橙色部分是时间状语从句，紫色部分是状语从句，表示前提条件。l 绿色部分是condition的同位语从句，解释condition的内容。3）译文：正如经济学人所报道的那样，多次反复之后，法国预计将在12月20日做出让步，条件是这些新措施在埃曼纽尔·马克龙（Emmanuel Macron）总统任期结束前不会完全生效，这显然是出于一种自私的考虑。3、写作技巧1）原文：The EUs 27 members have spent freely since early 2020 to support their economies and citizens through a global pandemic, a war on their doorstep and an energy-price surge. 自2020 年初以来，欧盟27个成员国花钱如流水，以支持其经济和公民度过全球疫情、一场家门口的战争和飙升的能源价格。Back in 2020 richer northern EU members reluctantly signed up to a debt-funded recovery fund worth 806bn ($880bn, some 5% of EU GDP in 2022) that mostly benefits the south and east of the union. 早在2020年，较为富裕的北部欧盟成员国不情愿地同意了一项总值8060亿欧元（约合8800亿美元，约占2022年欧盟GDP的5%）的债务复苏基金，该基金主要惠及南部和东部欧盟国家。2）技巧分析： 文中使用了大量的后置定语，后置定语由不同成分构成。同位语可分为限制性同位语和非限制性同位语。后置定语可以是：形容词，动词过去分词，动词现在分词，不定式，介词短语，副词和定语从句。1. 形容词短语a street full of cars 满是车的道路; the garden larger than anyone 最大的花园。2. 动词过去分词 the criminal killed by the police officer，被警官所击杀的罪犯；the pen dropped on the ground，被扔在地上的钢笔3. 动词现在分词 a group of kids returning from school4. 不定式 tools to stimulate new ideas in city-making在城市建设方面促进新想法的工具5. 介词短语 介词短语做后置定语时，表示其修饰对象的状态，地点等。 the questions about the text，有关文章的问题; the girl with long hair 长头发女孩。6. 副词 不是所有副词都能做后置定语，一般表示时间的（now/ then/ yesterday/ today），表示地点的（here/ there/ upstairs/ downstairs/ above/ below/ abroad/ home），表示方向的（back/ ahead/ up/ down/ upstairs/ downstairs）可以做后置定语。如：the girl downstairs，楼下的女孩；on our way home，我们回家的路上4、背景分析“欧盟财政规则迎来新起点。”英国金融时报不久前发表文章称，欧盟在2024新年来临前就改革财政规则稳定与增长公约达成一致。新规则规定，欧盟成员国的财政赤字如果超过国内生产总值（GDP）的3%，需在期限内削减财政赤字。据欧盟统计局数据，当前，欧元区平均政府赤字率（财政赤字占国内生产总值的比重）为3.6%，欧盟平均政府赤字率为3.3%，超过财政规则规定的上限。另据欧盟委员会发布的经济数据，2023年全年，约有12个欧盟国家赤字率超过规定的3%。其中，法国、比利时、西班牙等国赤字率超过4%，罗马尼亚、匈牙利、波兰、斯洛伐克、意大利、马耳他的赤字率超过5%。欧盟委员会曾发布警告称，由于赤字高企，多国需要调整财政预算计划。如果忽视警告，可能会启动稳定与增长公约规定的“超额赤字”调查程序及相应罚款机制。欧盟官方网站的信息显示，稳定与增长公约1997年推出，旨在促进欧盟成员国加强财政和经济政策的协调。2023年12月下旬，欧盟成员国经济和财政部长就改革稳定与增长公约达成协议。路透社报道称，改革后的新规则提出更循序渐进、有针对性的减支要求，注重在削减赤字和债务的同时支持公共投资。段落大意：【1】2020年初以来，欧盟成员国支出高起，且之前的计划已经不起作用。【2】峰会上，几乎所有国家就增加欧盟预算、提高欧盟债务利率及为面临难民激增的国家提供支持达成了一致。【3】但匈牙利总理提出了自己的条件，否则不会同意。【4】各国财政部长们仍在努力解决另一财政混乱局面。【5】各国同意调整计划开削减债务，并承诺进行投资和改革，但德国法国有着自己的想法。【6】过于规范严格的规则可能也是一个问题。