VOA常速英语2007年-Deadline for African, EU Trade Deals Looms

By Kari Barber
Dakar
08 November 2007

The deadline is approaching for new trade deals between the European Union and nearly 80 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. African leaders and economists² worry the new deals, which are designed to get rid of preferential trade arrangements, could destroy some of the continent's young or emerging businesses. Kari Barber reports from Dakar.

The World Trade Organization ruled that Economic Partnership³ Agreements established decades ago with some of Europe's former colonies, violate the WTO's rules by establishing preferential tariffs⁴ for the mostly impoverished⁵ countries. The WTO set a December 31 deadline for the EU to reach new trade deals with the African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries.

The new deals would wipe out the preferences and in effect raise tariffs on goods sent to Europe.

Some African governments and regional and international organizations, including West Africa's economic body, ECOWAS, are calling for an extension.

They are concerned the new trade deals would open up African markets to an influx⁶ of cheap goods from Europe, making it more difficult for their own industries to grow.

Speaking from an EU meeting in Brussels, Emily Jones, a policy analyst⁷ with the non-governmental organization OXFAM, says African exports to Europe from the 78 countries would suffer while their own markets would be opened to European products.

"While opening up to trade is definitely a good thing, you only need to open up once you have something to sell and once you can compete," said Jones. "By opening up before you have a strong industrial base, you are likely to destroy jobs and destroy industries rather than create them."

Jones says the deadline for reaching new Economic Partnership Agreements should be extended to allow the African countries in the group more time to negotiate a deal that would benefit them and also protect their industries.

A spokesman for the European Union development commission, John Clancy, says the deadline is set by the World Trade Organization and the EU cannot change it.

He says doing away with tariffs in Europe that have given preference to some countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific is necessary to grow trade relations between them and Europe.

"In a sense it is a fight against red tape," said Clancy. "This kind of red tape that strangles trade and prosperity for these countries."

He says, in the long run, free trade will benefit both sides. He says the EU plans to provide more development money to counteract⁸ the short-term financial impact that new economic partnership agreements, or EPAs might have.

"It is not as if from one day to the next there are suddenly EPAs without any financial support coming from the European Union," said Clancy. "There is financial support, and that has always been a key part of the EPAs from the outset."

He says the EU will include about $3 billion additional in aid from now until 2010, and regular development funding is also expected to increase.

Senegalese economist¹ Moubarak Lo says Europe is in a difficult position as it tries to reconcile a desire to help Africa with a need to retain its competitiveness in world markets as China's economic influence grows.

"What is the position of Europe in the negotiation⁹? It is difficult for them, because they have to support African countries while also protecting their interests," said Lo.

While the EU says it is powerless to change the December 31 deadline, it has talked about negotiating partial trade agreements to allow trade to continue while full agreements can be hammered out later in 2008.

1 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

2 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

4 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

5 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 counteract   

vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消

参考例句：

• The doctor gave him some medicine to counteract the effect of the poison.医生给他些药解毒。
• Our work calls for mutual support.We shouldn't counteract each other's efforts.工作要互相支持，不要互相拆台。

9 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。