AS IT IS 2015-07-14 Greek Deal Is the Beginning of a Long Process

AS IT IS 2015-07-14 Greek Deal Is the Beginning of a Long Process

European leaders announced agreement Monday on a plan to provide help to Greece. The announcement came after 17 hours of talks in Belgium over the weekend. Under the agreement, Greece would promise to enact¹ difficult reforms in exchange for a huge amount of financial aid. But the deal is just the first step.

The agreement resulted from weeks of negotiations² between Greece and the other 18 members of the Eurozone. All 19 countries belong to the European Union and use the euro as money.

Observers say the agreement is far from a done deal. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras must now get his country’s parliament to approve new measures by Wednesday.

Several Eurozone members, including Germany, must seek parliamentary approval to start negotiations on a new assistance plan for Greece. Germany is Europe’s biggest economy. It also is one of the biggest skeptics of a new deal. German officials have expressed concern about a new rescue plan for Greece. But European leaders welcomed the agreement.

Donald Tusk³ is the president of the European Union.

“The decision gives Greece a chance to get back on track with the support of European parliaments. It also avoids the social, economic and political consequences that a negative outcome would have brought.”

German Chancellor⁴ Angela Merkel hopes Greek lawmakers will approve the conditions. She said that when approved, she would fully⁵ suggest that German lawmakers support the deal.

Ms. Merkel said there were a lot of supports which, if enacted⁶, would lead the way for Greece to return to growth. But, in her words, it would be a long and difficult path.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras may face difficulty as he seeks approval in his home country. The new demands come in return for a new three-year, $95 billion financial rescue plan for the Greek government.

Mr. Tsipras said his team had fought a difficult battle. But he had to make some decisions to avoid a worst result. Without an agreement, Greece risked bankruptcy⁷ and a possible ouster from the eurozone.

Words in This Story

enact – v. to make a bill become part of a law; to carry out

bailout – n. the act of saving or rescuing something (such as a business) from money problems

skeptic(s )– n. people who question something

lawmaker(s) – n. someone who make laws

bankruptcy – n. the condition of financial failure; unable to pay one’s debts

1 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。

2 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。

3 tusk   

n.獠牙，长牙，象牙

参考例句：

• The wild boar had its tusk sunk deeply into a tree and howled desperately.野猪的獠牙陷在了树里，绝望地嗥叫着。
• A huge tusk decorated the wall of his study.他书房的墙上装饰着一支巨大的象牙。

4 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。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

7 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。