第 8 课 · Trading Standards

Trading standards

贸易标准

Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables.

布鲁塞尔的官员们声称，在美国宰杀的鸡不配摆上欧洲人的餐桌。

No, say the Americans: our fowl are fine, we simply clean them in a different way.

美国人却说：不，我们的家禽好得很，我们只是用另一种方式给它们做清洁处理。

These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries.

如今，在富裕国家之间，真正让贸易'卡壳'的远不止是关税，更是各国法规上的差异。

It is not just farmers who are complaining.

抱怨的不只是农场主。

An electric razor that meets the European Union's safety standards must be approved by American testers before it can be sold in the United States, and an American-made dialysis machine needs the EU's okay before it hits the market in Europe.

一把符合欧盟安全标准的电动剃须刀，必须先获得美国检测人员的认可才能在美国销售；而一台美国制造的透析机，也须先得到欧盟的'点头'才能进入欧洲市场。

As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans.

事实上，在欧洲用起来安全的剃须刀，不太可能把美国人电死。

So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do?

于是，大西洋两岸的企业都在问：一次检测本来就够了，为什么要做两套？

Politicians agree, in principle, so America and the EU have been trying to reach a deal which would eliminate the need to double-test many products.

政界人士在原则上表示同意，因此美国和欧盟一直在努力达成一项协议，以取消对许多产品重复检测的要求。

They hope to finish in time for a trade summit between America and the EU on May 28th.

他们希望赶在5月28日举行的美欧贸易峰会之前完成这项协议。

Although negotiators are optimistic, the details are complex enough that they may be hard-pressed to get a deal at all.

尽管谈判代表们态度乐观，但各种细节复杂至极，他们可能根本难以达成协议。

Why? One difficulty is to construct the agreements.

为什么呢？一个难点在于如何拟定这些协议。

The Americans would happily reach one accord on standards for medical devices and then hammer out different pacts covering, say, electronic goods and drug manufacturing.

美国人巴不得先就医疗设备的标准达成一项统一协议，然后再分别敲定涵盖电子产品、药品制造等领域的不同协定。

The EU -- following fine continental traditions -- wants agreement on general principles, which could be applied to many types of products and perhaps extended to other countries.

而欧盟——遵循着欧洲大陆的优良传统——则希望先就一般性原则达成协议；这些原则可适用于多种产品，或许还能推广到其他国家。