評論
打印
=====精彩回顧===
歐盟最終是否會解體?
Greece is in major financial trouble, which is seriously affecting all of Europe. Their threat to leave the Eurozone, which could create another major recession, has made some
question whether the interconnectedness of the European Union is ultimately beneficial to it’s members. So, is it worth it to be in the EU?
希臘是一個主要的財政包袱，嚴重影響著整個歐洲。他們威脅離開歐元區，可能會導致再一次嚴重的衰退，這也再次提出了一個問題，歐盟內部的通聯性是否真的對其成員國有益？也就是說，留在歐盟值得嗎？
Well, the EU is an international group composed of 28 European member states. It originated as an economic cooperative in the 1950s, between 6 nations: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg,the Netherlands, and Germany. Back then, in the post-world-war-2 era, Europe saw a need for a federation to promote peace and unity.They also wanted to present a collective front against the threat of communism during the Cold War. In 1993, the European Union as we now know it, emerged, and offered all EU citizens a common visa, a common legislative and judicial body, and common voting rights. Later in the 90s, a common currency, the Euro, was also established between many of the European Union Members.
歐盟是由28個歐洲國家組成的國際組織。該組織的前身是上世紀50年代六個國家之間的經濟合作體：比利時，法國，意大利，盧森堡，荷蘭和德國。當時正是第二次世界大戰結束后的時代，歐洲亟需聯盟來促進和平與統一。他們還希望在冷戰時期面對共產主義的威脅形成統一戰線。1993年，歐盟崛起，為歐盟所有公民提供統一的護照，統一的司法共同體，統一的投票權。隨后到了90年代，歐盟許多成員國之間采納了統一的貨幣，歐元。
Between 1989 and 2014, the European Union flourished. So much so that their combined population ranks them 3rd in the world after China and India. The EU is currently one of the top world economies, with almost $16 Trillion Dollars in GDP. And in 2012, the EU won the Nobel Peace Prize for its transformation of Europe “from a continent of war to a continent of peace.”
1989年至2014年間，歐盟繁榮發展。他們的總人口僅次于中國和印度，排在世界第三位。歐盟目前也是世界主要經濟體之一，GDP近16兆美元。2012年，歐盟因把歐洲從一個充滿戰爭的大陸轉變為和平的大陸而獲得諾貝爾和平獎。
But the 2008 recession put a huge damper on the EU’s success. For the last decade or so, Greece, Italy, Spain, Ireland and Portugal have faced unprecedented levels of unemployment and public debt. Many of these nations are also in the midst of a “migrant crisis” as record numbers of people cross the Mediterranean to enter Europe. The EU has been criticized for not issuing enough aid to these periphery countries.
但是2008年，經濟衰退給歐盟的成功造成了巨大的阻礙。過去十年左右，希臘，意大利，西班牙，愛爾蘭和葡萄牙面臨前所未有的失業率和公共債務水平。許多這些國家也面臨移民危機，因為創紀錄的人口穿越地中海進入歐洲。由于未給這些外圍國家提供足夠的援助，歐盟飽受批判。
Also, many feel that EU leaders concentrate policy-making efforts only on thriving economies,like those of Germany and France. Indiscriminate austerity measures tend to harm those countries with weaker economies. Plus, after most members adopted the Euro to replace their own currency,nations are no longer able to temporarily inflate their worth through currency-manipulation.
此外，許多人認為歐盟領導人的政策制定只側重于發展經濟，比如德國和法國。無差別的緊縮政策危害了經濟實力較弱的國家。另外，大部分成員國采納歐元取代本國貨幣之后，這些國家不能再通過貨幣調控來暫時升值。
On the other hand, stronger economies are expected to subsidize the welfare of weaker countries, leading to resentments between member states. Several analysts have already published articles lamenting the failure of the, quote, “European Union Experiment”.
另一方面，較強大的經濟體被預期資助較弱小的國家，造成成員國之間的仇恨。一些分析家發表了一些文章，譴責“歐盟實驗的失敗”。
So is the EU worth it? Pew polls in Europe have revealed mixed feelings from the public towards the EU. On the one hand, many people feel that the EU is inefficient and intrusive. But on the other hand, most want to keep using the Euro, and believe that the EU does, in general, promote peace. Despite setbacks from the 2008 recession, the European Union remains an influential presence in the world. And experts note that, with the trend of globalization, international unions of this nature are both necessary and inevitable for the world’s future.
那么，歐盟的存在到底有沒有價值？皮尤調研中心在歐洲進行的民意測驗披露了歐盟公眾不同的感受。一方面，許多人認為歐盟是無效的，冒犯性的。但是另一方面，大部分人希望繼續使用歐元，相信歐盟總體來說促進了和平。盡管從2008年的經濟衰退中遭遇了挫敗，歐盟仍然是全世界有影響力的存在。專家指出，隨著全球化的趨勢，這種性質的國際聯盟是必要的，也是不可避免的。
