VOA标准英语2008年-Marseille, France Aiming to be Headquarters of

Some 40 heads of state from the Middle East, North Africa and Europe gather in Paris next Sunday to launch a new agreement aimed at reinforcing cooperation between the European Union and non-European nations bordering the Mediterranean¹. Building up trade and investment ties is a key part of the proposal. For VOA, Lisa Bryant takes a look at the economic stakes from the French Mediterranean port city of Marseille.
　
Aerial view of Marseille, France (20 Jun 2008)

The southern seaside city of Marseille has long been known as the gateway² to North Africa, which lies just across the sparkling Mediterranean. Now, the colorful, multi-ethnic hub is jostling for a new title as the showcase for a new partnership³ agreement between the European Union, North African and Middle Eastern countries.

The city is in the midst of a massive urban renewal⁴ project that includes building new housing and office space, revamping blighted⁵ neighborhoods and giving its oceanfront a facelift. The overhaul⁶ aims to draw new business from across the Mediterranean region - and, politicians like Guy Teissier, hope to make Marseille the obvious choice as headquarters for the new Mediterranean partnership.

Teissier is a French deputy and local mayor, who is also president of Marseille's urban renewal project.

Teissier says Marseille has all it takes to be a leader in the Mediterranean region. It has universities and superb technology and research centers - and its population reflects the diversity of the Mediterranean region.

The new Euro-Mediterranean pact⁷ has been championed by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, which took over the rotating European Union presidency⁸ this month. It follows another 1995 agreement called the Barcelona Process, which critics say has not produced much by way of concrete results.

The new Mediterranean union is also generating criticism. Some consider it vague and already watered down by Germany's opposition⁹ to some of Mr. Sarkozy's objectives.

Countries like Algeria and Libya have expressed reservations about the partnership, and Israel's membership makes the pact politically volatile¹⁰. Overall, says analyst¹¹ Clara O'Donnell, of the Center for European Reform in London, the expectations of many Middle Eastern and North African countries have been dashed.

"They're upset because the way it was sold to them was as a very ambitious proposal," she said. "And they saw it being undermined from within the EU, so they didn't even have a say.

Nor does O'Donnell believe the partnership will generate much by way of new trade and investment within the Mediterranean region.

"The one positive thing about it is that it has put the Mediterranean back at the top of the agenda," she added. "It's true that Barcelona [process] was lingering, there was lack of impetus¹². Now, the Mediterranean is number one again. There is a return of political will."

But during a recent visit to Marseille, EU external affairs commissioner¹³ Benita Ferrero-Waldner argued the partnership offered new chances for cooperating in areas like environmental protection, renewable energy and infrastructure¹⁴ programs.

"We have been working on a process call Barcelona," she said. "And now we reinvent, we re-dynamize, we put a new political pulse into this Barcelona process by having the summit every two years. And in between by having meetings by ministers of foreign affairs. And having a co-president - that means a shared responsibility - which wasn't there [before]. And particularly, by regional projects."

A number of business leaders are also excited about investment and trade potential in the Mediterranean, although they worry about legal and other barriers to investing in southern Mediterranean countries. At a conference in Marseille, they called on members of the new partnership to increase exchanges between European and Mediterranean countries by 10 percent a year and to triple foreign investment by 2020.

For Liat Shaham of Invest in Israel, an Israeli government agency, it means creating business ties in countries where diplomatic relations are rocky.

"Right now [there] is not so much investment from Arab countries," Shaham said. "This is part of the project. This project is supposed to bring us together - via the economy, I guess. To build bridges in countries via economic relations."

Hanan Jaabiri, 29, of Marseille, who also attended the conference, has big expectations for her new company, Jaabiri Exports.

"I met several people from Europe, from the U.S. and from the Gulf¹⁵ who are interested in exporting their goods throughout the region. The main problem is the language. For instance, Spanish exporters are not so able to develop in the Maghreb countries so I help them find customers and partners there and help them increase their presence on the market and get marketers."

Jaabiri, whose father is Tunisian and whose mother is Spanish - speaks five languages and is a mirror of multi-ethnic Marseille.

Marseille's bid to host the new Mediterranean pact headquarters faces competition. Several countries, including Morocco, Tunisia and Malta, have reportedly expressed interest. Whether Marseille will be the new face of the Mediterranean union - and whether that union will live up to the very high expectations of its supporters - is anybody's guess.

 

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

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 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

5 blighted   

adj.枯萎的，摧毁的

参考例句：

• Blighted stems often canker.有病的茎往往溃烂。
• She threw away a blighted rose.她把枯萎的玫瑰花扔掉了。

6 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

7 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

11 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。

12 impetus   

n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力

参考例句：

• This is the primary impetus behind the economic recovery.这是促使经济复苏的主要动力。
• Her speech gave an impetus to my ideas.她的讲话激发了我的思绪。

13 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

14 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

15 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。