VOA标准英语2008年-EU Ministers Working Out Immigration Standards

European Union interior ministers have agreed to common immigration and asylum¹ standards at a meeting in Brussels, but they still remain at odds² over the details of a so-called "blue card" for skilled foreign workers. Lisa Bryant has more from Paris.

Adopting common immigration and asylum policies for the European Union is an idea spearheaded by France, the current president of the 27-member bloc³. The region has faced a surge in mostly illegal immigration in recent years, with a large chunk⁴ coming from African and North African countries.

French immigration minister Brice Hortefeux said it is critical that European countries react in the same way on immigration and asylum matters.

Hortefeux said all EU members faced the same migratory⁵ pressures - and all need legal immigration for economic development. European countries must also respond to asylum demands from overseas - for these and other reasons, he said, it is important to have a policy that converged⁶ on a European level.

The agreement struck by the European ministers is expected to be endorsed⁷ by EU leaders during a summit next month. But it is non-binding - leaving it to individual member states to decide whether or not to adopt it in legislation.

Kris Pollet, who monitors immigration issues for Amnesty International's Brussels office, says the guidelines offer little that is new, and some of the language on asylum issues is quite positive. But he said there is some concern it would prompt some EU members to harden their immigration legislation, for example on the question of reuniting immigrant families.

"The whole reference to the family reunification is quite worrying," Pollet said. "It could be seen as stimulating⁸ other member states [to adopt tougher policies found in other countries], like the Netherlands, which already has [policies] for a language test in order to get a visa and be reunited with other family members. The pact⁹ could promote those kinds of practices which could be highly discriminatory."

The EU ministers are still not completely agreed on the idea of a European blue card, offering legal status for highly skilled workers - much like the green card in the United States, which attracts about twice the number of skilled workers as does Europe.

1 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

2 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

3 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

4 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

5 migratory   

n.候鸟，迁移

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• This does not negate the idea of migratory aptitude.这并没有否定迁移能力这一概念。

6 converged   

v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的过去式 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集

参考例句：

• Thousands of supporters converged on London for the rally. 成千上万的支持者从四面八方汇聚伦敦举行集会。
• People converged on the political meeting from all parts of the city. 人们从城市的四面八方涌向这次政治集会。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 stimulating   

adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的

参考例句：

• shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
• This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。

9 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。