VOA标准英语2009-EU Gears Up to Appoint New President

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
19 November 2009

 
A journalist makes a phone call at European Council building in Brussels, 19 Nov 2009
Hours before European leaders meet in Brussels to choose the European Union's first permanent president, they remain divided on their choice.

Leaders from the 27 European Union states meet in Brussels for an early working dinner aimed to fill two key jobs: the EU's first ever permanent president, and what is essentially¹ a permanent foreign minister for the bloc². The posts are part of larger changes under way in the EU, which recently adopted its first constitution.

The EU president will hold office for at least two and a half years instead of the current six month rotating presidency³.

A number of current and former European leaders have been discussed as possible presidential candidates, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Observers say his chances have receded⁴ in recent weeks - while another politician, Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, has emerged as a leading contender. 

France and Germany are expected to vote for the same candidate. But everything else is up in the air. Janis Emmanouilidis is a senior analyst⁵ at the European Policy Center in Brussels.

"It's very complicated," he said. "You have no consensus⁶ yet among the heads of state and government, among the member states. So it might take long, there might be an extension until the latest the weekend, but I think they will try to find a solution."

EU leaders are also divided over who to choose for their first permanent foreign policy chief. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, considered a favorite, does not appear to want the job.

Meanwhile, there are also calls for a female to fill one of the two new jobs.

"If you look at the EU's top jobs at present, there's no woman in power," he said. "Now a woman in power will play a strong role when it comes to deciding who will fill the two posts they're going to be talking about at the extraordinary summit - because Chancellor⁷ [Angela] Merkel will have a great say. But that wouldn't compensate⁸ for the fact there are no women in the tableau⁹."

Emmanouilidis believes if EU leaders are deadlocked¹⁰ over the presidency job, a woman might emerge as a surprise choice. 

1 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

2 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。

3 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。

4 receded   

v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。
• The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。

5 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。

6 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？

7 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。

8 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

9 tableau   

n.画面，活人画（舞台上活人扮的静态画面）

参考例句：

• The movie was a tableau of a soldier's life.这部电影的画面生动地描绘了军人的生活。
• History is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortunes.历史不过是由罪恶和灾难构成的静止舞台造型罢了。

10 deadlocked   

陷入僵局的；僵持不下的

参考例句：

• The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
• The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。