VOA常速英语2007-EU Leaders Expected to Approve Reform at Summit

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
17 October 2007

European Union leaders are expected to approve a treaty on E.U. reforms during a meeting in Lisbon Thursday and Friday. Lisa Bryant reports from Paris that if signed and ratified¹, it will end a two-year political crisis.

The treaty is the fruit of a long and bitter debate. It aims to reform and streamline² European Union institutions and give more cohesion³ and power to the 27-member bloc⁴.

There are still unresolved issues. Poland wants changes to E.U. voting rules. Italy is not happy with the allocation of European parliament seats. But many of the larger stumbling blocks were resolved at a June summit in Germany.

An analyst⁵ at the Center for European Reform in London, Hugo Brady, says agreement at Lisbon on the new treaty is by no means certain.

"There are a number of issues hovering⁶ around the summit, but none of which on its own I would expect to crash the summit or collapse⁷ the negotiations," said Brady. "Because the reality is, the reason why these issues all seem so small and petty, is because the real flesh and blood of this negotiation⁸ has already been gotten over last June."

The new agreement would extend the E.U. rotating presidency⁹ to a two-year term. It would also give the E.U. greater say in foreign and internal security policy.

But it is far less ambitious than a draft European constitution that members previously¹⁰ agreed on. The constitution was put on hold in 2005, after French and Dutch voters rejected it in referendums.

Even if agreed on by member nations, this latest treaty must still be ratified by all 27 E.U. states. Analyst Hugo Brady says that is not a sure bet.

"I think for any set of reforms in the future the question should not be: is there any chance of them not getting through? The question should be: after the votes in 2005, is there any chance of them getting ratified at all?" said Brady. 

Supporters argue that a new treaty is essential to enact¹¹ critical reforms in the European Union and allow it to grow in the future. But skeptics argue the bloc has carried on to date without a new treaty.

1 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

2 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

3 cohesion   

n.团结，凝结力

参考例句：

• I had to bring some cohesion into the company.我得使整个公司恢复凝聚力。
• The power of culture is deeply rooted in the vitality,creativity and cohesion of a nation. 文化的力量，深深熔铸在民族的生命力、创造力和凝聚力之中。

4 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。

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 hovering   

鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
• I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

7 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

8 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

9 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。

10 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

11 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。