EU, US to Launch Talks on Free Trade Deal

　　At the G8 Summit, the European Union and the United States have announced plans to start negotiations¹ on a free trade deal next month.

 

　　As CRI's London correspondent Tu Yun reports, the talks could lead to what's being touted² as the "biggest trade deal" in history.

 

　　British Prime Minister David Cameron has announced the plan at a news conference following the first round of talks by leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations in Northern Ireland.

 

　　Cameron is describing the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership³ as a once-in-a-generation prize to seize.

 

　　"A deal that could add as much as 100 billion pounds to the EU economy, 80 billion pounds to the US economy, and as much as 85 billion pounds to the rest of the world. We should be clear about what these numbers could really mean: 2 million extra jobs, more choices and lower prices in our shops. We're talking about what could be the biggest bilateral⁴ trade deal in history."

 

　　The US and the EU together account for half of all global economic output and a third of all trade.

 

　　The message behind the transatlantic deal, according to President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, is quite simple.

 

　　"The Atlantic is no the past. It is also the future. The EU and its member states are ready to engage and look forward to the new trade landscape we shape together."

 

　　But there is already discord⁵.

 

　　France has been insisting cultural industries be excluded from the negotiations.

 

　　The French side is hoping to protect its movies and online entertainment from the influence of Hollywood and Silicon⁶ Valley.

 

　　The final mandate⁷ does not include the audiovisual sector⁸.

 

　　But it does give the EU Commission the right to ask member states for a broader negotiating mandate at a later stage.

 

　　Paris's move has prompted fears that Washington might use the French fears to launch their own exemptions⁹ into other sectors¹⁰.

 

　　Still, US President Barack Obama says he's confident of reaching an agreement.

 

　　"This transatlantic trade and investment partnership is going to be a priority of mine and my administration. It's important that we get it right and that means resisting the temptation to downsize our ambitions or avoid tough issues just for the sake of getting a deal. It's important we make sure it's part of an overall plan to do what it takes to promote growth and jobs. Trade is critical, but it's not alone silver bullet, has to be part of a comprehensive strategy that we pursue on both sides of the Atlantic."

 

　　The two sides say they hope to conclude the negotiations by the end of next year.

 

　　The two-day G8 Summit will also focus on other issues, such as combating tax evasion¹¹ and counter terrorism when the leaders meet for the second day on Tuesday.

 

　　For CRI, I'm Tu Yun reporting from London.

1 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

2 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

3 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

4 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

5 discord   

n.不和，意见不合，争论，（音乐）不和谐

参考例句：

• These two answers are in discord.这两个答案不一样。
• The discord of his music was hard on the ear.他演奏的不和谐音很刺耳。

6 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

7 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 exemptions   

n.（义务等的）免除( exemption的名词复数 )；免（税）；（收入中的）免税额

参考例句：

• The exemptions for interpretive rules, policy statements, and procedural rules have just been discussed. 有关解释性规则、政策说明和程序规则的免责我们刚刚讨论过。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• A: The regulation outlines specific exemptions for some WPM. 答：该规定概述了某些木质包装材料的特定的例外情形。 来自互联网

10 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 evasion   

n.逃避，偷漏(税)

参考例句：

• The movie star is in prison for tax evasion.那位影星因为逃税而坐牢。
• The act was passed as a safeguard against tax evasion.这项法案旨在防止逃税行为。