经过长时间的谈判，欧盟领导人就2.1万亿美元的协议达成一致

After four days and nights of negotiations¹, European Union (EU) leaders have agreed on a 1.8 trillion-euro budget and coronavirus aid package.

The 27 leaders agreed on Tuesday to a massive aid program to help areas hit hardest by COVID-19. The disease has already killed 135,000 people within EU member countries.

"Extraordinary events, and this is the pandemic that has reached us all, also require extraordinary new methods," German Chancellor² Angela Merkel said.

The EU faces the biggest recession in the group's history. To fight back, EU members will establish a 750 billion-euro coronavirus fund. The aid will be sent as loans and grants to the hardest-hit countries. That is in addition to the agreement on the seven-year, 1 trillion-euro EU budget that leaders had been arguing over for months.

"The consequences will be historic," noted³ French President Emmanuel Macron. "We have created a possibility of taking up loans together."

Sharing debt would have been unthinkable just a few months ago because some EU member countries refused to help to those with economic problems. Merkel and Macron argue the economic nationalism had to end.

"We have laid the financial foundations for the EU for the next seven years and came up with a response to this arguably biggest crisis of the European Union," Merkel said.

She and Macron worked together to get the arguing countries to find an answer. Over the weekend, the two walked out of a meeting to protest the lack of agreement. Then, they waited.

"When Germany and France stand together, they can't do everything. But if they don't stand together, nothing is possible," Macron said.

"There are 27 of us...and we managed to come up with a joint⁴ budget. What other political area in the world is capable of that? None other," he added.

Merkel and Macron wanted the grants to total 500 billion euros. However, five wealthy northern nations, led by the Netherlands, demanded spending cuts and economic reforms in return from the hardest hit southern nations, like Greece. The amount was lowered to 390 billion euros, while the five northern nations received promises of reforms.

"There is no such thing as perfection, but we have managed to make progress," Macron said.

The meeting shows how often nations' self-interests seemed more important than the common good for all. The arguing was unpleasant.

"There were extremely tense moments," Macron said.

Since every EU leader had the right of veto on the whole package, the joint agreement to spend so much money was praised as an extraordinary success.

Adriaan Schout is an expert on the EU and Senior Research Fellow at the Clingendael research group in the Netherlands. He said that the unusually long negotiations produced a deal that is good for the European Union.

"The EU hasn't changed. This is always what it's about — finding compromises — and the EU always finds compromises," he said. "And the compromise has been hard fought. There are checks and balances in it. We don't know how they will work," he added.

"We all can take a hit," said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. "After all, there are presidents among us."

Following difficult negotiations with Merkel, Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Rutte said that "we have very good, warm relations."

Conte also did not want to waste time on arguing. More than 35,000 Italians have died from COVID-19. The EU estimates Italy's economy will shrink 11.2 percent this year.

To open schools in September, his country needs up to 3 million new desks so students can keep a safe distance from other students.

''We will have a great responsibility. With 209 billion euros, we have the possibility to relaunch Italy with strength, to change the face of the country. Now we must hurry." Conte said.

The European Parliament must still approve the deal.

I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.

Words in This Story

extraordinary - adj. something very unusual

pandemic - n. a contagious⁵ disease that crosses country borders

fund - n. an amount of money set aside for a special purpose

grant - n. an amount of money that is given away to assist someone or something

consequence - n. the results of an action

foundation - n. that base upon which something is built

manage - v. to direct or control

moment - n. a single instance

fellow - n. someone who is named as a scholar at an institution

desk - n. the item students sit on

1 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

2 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。