08 · 贸易标准
Trading Standards
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Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables. No, say the Americans: our fowl are fine, we simply clean them in a different way. These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries. It is not just farmers who are complaining. 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.
As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans. So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do? 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. They hope to finish in time for a trade summit between America and the EU on May 28th. Although negotiators are optimistic, the details are complex enough that they may be hard-pressed to get a deal at all.
Why? One difficulty is to construct the agreements. 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. 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.
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整篇课文
Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables. No, say the Americans: our fowl are fine, we simply clean them in a different way. These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries. It is not just farmers who are complaining. 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.
As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans. So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do? 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. They hope to finish in time for a trade summit between America and the EU on May 28th. Although negotiators are optimistic, the details are complex enough that they may be hard-pressed to get a deal at all.
Why? One difficulty is to construct the agreements. 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. 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.
布鲁塞尔的官员声称，美国屠宰的鸡不配端上欧洲人的餐桌。美国人却说，不对，我们的鸡没有问题，只是清洗方法不同。如今，在富裕国家之间，给贸易制造障碍的，与其说是关税，不如说是各国法规的差异。抱怨的不只是农民。符合欧盟安全标准的电动剃须刀，要先得到美国检测机构批准，才能在美国销售；美国制造的透析机，也必须获得欧盟认可，才能进入欧洲市场。
其实，在欧洲使用安全的剃须刀，也不大可能到了美国就把人电死。因此，大西洋两岸的企业都问：一次检测足够，为什么要做两次？政治人物原则上也赞同，于是美国和欧盟一直试图达成协议，让许多产品不必重复检测。他们希望赶在五月二十八日美欧贸易峰会之前谈妥。虽然谈判代表都很乐观，但细节如此复杂，他们恐怕连能否达成协议都很难保证。
难在哪里呢？一个难点是协议该怎样组织。美国愿意先就医疗器械标准达成一项协议，再分别磋商其他协议，涵盖电子产品、药品生产等领域。欧盟则遵循欧洲大陆一贯的思路，希望先就普遍原则达成一致，让这些原则适用于多种产品，甚至进一步推广到其他国家。
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