VOA慢速英语--脱欧可能给欧盟国家带来经济问题

Brexit Could Bring Economic Problems to EU Countries

Workers at the Pedrosa & Rodrigues clothing factory in Portugal are worried that something 2,000 kilometers away could endanger their jobs.

Sales to Britain make up about half of this family business’s yearly earnings¹ of about 14 million euros. But a British withdrawal² from the European Union could make products from Portugal more costly³.

The factory could possibly lose up to 7 million euros a year, says Ana Pedrosa Rodrigues, who works with buyers of the company’s products. “It would be extremely worrying.”

Businesses like Pedrosa & Rodrigues fear they could be hurt by Brexit – Britain’s exit from the EU’s single market.

The single market ensures that there are no tariffs⁴ on trade and free movement for goods, workers and money. As Brexit-related economic changes hit Europe, small countries like Portugal could be badly hurt. But no one is sure about the exact effects because the terms of Brexit have yet to be decided⁵.

Some economic predictions are worrisome. Portugal says Brexit could destroy up to 26 percent of Portuguese⁶ exports of goods and services and take 1 percentage point off the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) serves as a policy adviser⁷ to developed economies. It estimates that if Britain leaves without an agreement on new trade terms with the EU, it could reduce the EU’s GDP by about 1 percentage point by 2020. That represents more than half a year’s economic growth at current rates. It could be three times worse for Britain, the OECD says.

The organization also said that some countries and businesses across the EU will feel more pain than others.

Last year, the European Committee of the Regions said Ireland would be greatly hurt by Brexit because it is so close to Britain. That closeness has tied their economies.

Cities like Stuttgart, in Germany, could also have economic problems, it said. The automobile⁸ industry in and around Stuttgart earns a lot from exports to Britain. Chemical and plastics companies in Belgium and the Netherlands also are at risk, the committee said.

Portugal has had close ties with Britain since the Treaty of Windsor in 1386. The Portuguese textile industries could be badly hurt. Its factories are based in one of the poorest areas in Portugal and Western Europe.

The textile companies have already experienced problems. Sales to Britain have fallen by more than 3 percent since the 2016 Brexit decision, according to Paulo Vaz. He is the director-general of the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Association, which represents about 500 textile companies.

Vaz noted⁹ that one reason for the drop in sales is weakness in the value of British money, the pound. This makes purchases from countries like Portugal that use the euro more costly. It is also because of worried British businesses and citizens who are cutting back on purchases as Brexit nears.

The Pedrosa & Rodrigues factory sits on the end of a small town in Portugal’s industrial center, where textile companies make about 130,000 jobs.

Ana Pedrosa Rodrigues remembers when her parents started the company with five employees in 1982.

She and her two older brothers recently joined their parents at the company. The other employees include husbands and their wives, fathers and sons, brothers and sisters. Almost all of the workers live in town.

A loss of British business would create job losses.

Sofia Cardoso and her husband both work at the company. She is not afraid.

“We’ve been through crises before and we’ve survived,” she said. “I think we’ll get through this one, too.”

Words in This Story

tariffs – n. a tax on goods coming into or leaving a country

Gross Domestic Product – n. the value of goods manufactured and services provided in a country during a year

textile – n. a fabric¹⁰ that is woven or knit

according – adv. as stated by or in

1 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

2 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

3 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

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 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

7 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

8 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。