VOA标准英语2009年-EU Leaders Meet in Brussels

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
29 October 2009

European leaders are in Brussels to discuss possible candidates for a future president and foreign minister for the 27-member European Union.  The heads of state will also try to overcome sharp differences about paying for developing countries to fight global warming, before a critical climate-change summit in Copenhagen.

Europe is poised¹ to undergo dramatic structural² changes, after years of discussions and setbacks.  The last hurdle³ to a key reforming charter, know as the Lisbon Treaty, will disappear when the Czech Republic ratifies⁴ the document - which observers expect will take place within weeks.

Among other reforms, the treaty outlines the powerful new post of president of the EU - one of the subjects European leaders are talking about Thursday and Friday in Brussels.  Two of the most likely contenders for the presidency⁵ are former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg.  Former Irish President Mary Robinson is another possibility.

"The summit will start to discuss basically the deal of who will get this very important position," said Hugo Brady, a Brussels-based analyst⁶ for policy group the Center for European Reform. "And then, depending on who gets it, that will be clearer as who should get the job of quasi [EU] foreign minister and how the foreign minister's staff will be organized and so on.  That will start to emerge at this summit, but there won't be agreement on that issue, which is very controversial."

The EU leaders will also tackle another highly controversial issue - how to share the costs of paying for developing nations to adapt to climate change. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, recommends the bloc⁷ pay more than $22 billion a year to poorer countries.  Aid groups say Europe should pay more.

Either way, less wealthy EU members, like Poland, want richer ones, like Germany, to pay more.

"It'll be a critical summit, from the point of keeping the EU together, keeping consensus⁸ that the EU should maintain leadership on this issue," said Brady.  "That will involve keeping countries happy with the division of labor⁹ as regards carbon trading, as regards how much they want to hold back their own industrial development, even though they say - particularly many of the EU's new countries - that they were poor for a long time, no different than the .., that they have a right to develop their economy, that it is the rich countries in Europe that are more responsible for climate change than they are and they should get special treatment in any kind of EU position."

The EU leaders are also expected to discuss justice and migration¹⁰ issues.

1 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

2 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

3 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

4 ratifies   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• American Revolutionary War: The United States ratifies a peace treaty with England. 1784年的今天，美国独立战争：美国批准了一项与英国的和平条约。 来自互联网
• Each Member which ratifies this Convention shall ensure the effectiveapplication of its provis ions. 批准本公约的每一会员国应确保有效地实施本公约的规定。 来自互联网

5 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。

6 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。

7 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。

8 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

9 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

10 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。