In praise of enlargement--赞成扩盟
关键词： 欧盟，扩盟In praise of enlargement
赞成扩盟
Don't put new obstacles in the way of expanding the EU
别为欧盟扩盟设新障
THERE is no clear answer to the question of how far east Europe stretches. But Romania and Bulgaria are European by any definition. So this week's news that these two Balkan countries are to join the European Union next January ought to be welcomed. Yet it was greeted with dismay in some European capitals—and with a warning by the president of the European Commission, no less, that the club cannot take in more members without reforming its institutions. This is code for demands to revive some or all of the ill-fated EU constitution that was rejected last year by French and Dutch voters.
东欧边界延伸至何处还没有定论，但是罗马尼亚和保加利亚无论如何都是欧洲国家。本周消息称这两个巴尔干地区国家将于明年一月加入欧盟，这本该令人欣慰。然而，欧洲的一些政府却持悲观态度，连欧盟委员会主席也警告说，欧盟若不进行制度改革，就无法接纳更多成员。这暗示去年在法国和荷兰惨遭否决的欧盟宪法需要部分甚至全部恢复。
Such a sullen response is testimony, say Europe's cognoscenti, to “enlargement fatigue”. Even in Brussels the talk these days is of limits to the club's “absorption capacity”. Yet polls still show a narrow majority of Europeans in favour of taking in more countries. The most recent expansion, the big bang of May 2004, when eight ex-communist countries (plus Cyprus and Malta) joined, has been highly successful. The growth in size of the EU has given it extra political clout, brought stability and prosperity to new members—and yielded tangible benefits for existing ones.
欧洲一些专家称，这种消沉的反应表明“扩盟疲劳”现象的出现。日前布鲁塞尔举行的会谈也是关于限制欧盟吸收成员的。不过民意测验显示赞成新成员加入的欧洲人还是稍多一点。最近一次扩盟发生在2004年5月，在这次非常成功的剧变中共有八个前共产主义国家（加上塞浦路斯和马耳他）加入了欧盟。欧盟扩充不仅使其拥有更多的政治实力，为新成员带来了繁荣稳定，也给已有成员带来实际利益。
This is not to dismiss doubts over the readiness of the two newcomers. There are grounds for concern over organised crime and corruption, especially in Bulgaria. Under pressure from Brussels, however, matters have improved in the past year. It is true that leverage over would-be EU members is greater before they join than after. But for Romania and Bulgaria, at least, the pressure will continue via the safeguard clauses that the commission is putting in place .
但是这些并不能摒除对这两个新成员资格的怀疑。对有组织的犯罪和腐败的担忧不是没有道理，特别是对保加利亚。但是由于欧委会的压力，这些情况已于去年得到改善。的确，在这些未来的成员国正式加入之前，欧盟对它们的影响力会更大些。但至少对于罗马尼亚和保加里亚来说，由于欧盟委员会保障条例的实施，压力还会继续下去。
It is also true that the political scene across central Europe is not pretty. Slovakia has a sleazy and thuggish new government. Hungary's prime minister has provoked riots by lying about the economy. Poland's populist coalition is tottering. The Czechs have given up trying to produce any government at all. Everywhere much-needed reforms have slowed or stopped. Contemplating all this, it is not surprising that some ask if it was right to let even these countries in.
事实上中欧的政治现状也不容乐观。斯洛伐克新政府黑暗凶狠，匈牙利首相由于隐瞒经济问题而激起动乱，波兰民粹联盟地位不稳，而捷克压根不进行新政府选举。各地都急需改革，但改革的进程不是减慢就是停滞。考虑到这些，无怪乎会有人怀疑让这些国家入盟是否正确。
The shock of the new
新成员的冲击
Yet in the sweep of EU history, these are mere teething troubles in a growing-up period. Plenty of older EU members suffer from organised crime and corruption, and have had bad or unstable governments. It is also older EU countries that have been most reluctant to reform their economies; as a result, they have been suffering from a virulent attack of slow growth. Most new EU members have fast-growing economies that have lifted the performance of the whole continent.
但是在欧盟历史上，这不过是些在发展壮大过程中碰到的初期困难。许多老资格的欧盟成员也面临着组织型犯罪和贪污腐败的问题，也有过差劲或不稳定的政府。老成员国也是最不愿进行经济改革的；因而经受着严重的经济增长缓慢。而大部分欧盟成员国经济增长迅猛，从而带动了整个欧洲大陆的经济。
Labour migration, contrary to some fears, has also been beneficial. A commission report showed that the three countries (Britain, Ireland and Sweden) that let in workers from the east in 2004 all gained. Labour mobility is not a zero-sum game: both senders and recipients win, as new jobs are created. Labour markets will be fully opened to Romania and Bulgaria within seven years; travel restrictions will go sooner. Better to welcome the new workers now, rather than imposing restrictions that most EU members (even Britain) are now planning in a bid to appease the populist press.
与某些人的担忧相反，劳动力迁移也十分有益。欧委会一项报告表明，在2004年接收东欧劳动者的三个国家（英国，爱尔兰和瑞典）都有所收益。劳动力迁移也不是零和游戏，由于有更多的新工作，劳动力输出国和输入国是互利共赢的。劳动力市场将于七年内向罗马尼亚和保加利亚全面开放，出入境限制也很快会取消。因此现在该做的是接纳新工人，而非像大多数欧盟成员（甚至包括英国在内）那样为了平息国内民粹主义者的不满而为劳动力迁移平添更多限制。
Old Europe has gained immeasurably from improved stability on its borders. As happened with Greece, Spain and Portugal in the 1980s, joining the EU club has helped entrench democracy, the rule of law and economic growth in countries that for too long had none of these things. Similar considerations should govern the EU's approach to other would-be members. EU governments know that the security and stability of the western Balkans depends on holding out to countries in the region the promise of joining their club one day. That prospect is essential to keeping a wavering Turkey on its pro-western path, too. This grander vision is what Europe's leaders should be describing to their voters—not making future expansion of the club dependent on an internal quarrel over its constitution.
老欧洲国家由于疆域稳固而获益甚多。20世纪80年代，希腊、西班牙和葡萄牙的入盟保障了民主、法治和经济的发展，这些东西在三个国家中曾长期缺乏。现在欧盟对其他准成员的做法也应考虑到这些。欧盟政府知道，要维持巴尔干西部地区的安全稳定，就要使该地区国家怀有希望，相信终有一天它们可以加入欧盟。对于时常动摇的土耳其，这也是使其保持亲西方路线的重要方法。欧洲各国领袖应该向选民们传达这种美好的前景，而不应让有关宪法的内部争斗决定扩盟的未来。
翻译 by 辣酸甜
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