评论
打印
【Pressure in Europe Builds for Banking Reform】
TEXT:This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语经济报道。
Pressure for financial reform is building in Europe. This week the financial services company Moody’s Investors Service reduced Spain’s credit rating. The rating was cut from A3 to baa3. That means that Moody’s judges the credit risk of Spanish debt has moved from very low to moderate.
欧洲金融改革的压力在增加，本周金融公司穆迪投资者服务公司降低了西班牙的信用评级。从A3降低到baa3，这意味着穆迪认为西班牙的信用风险从极低变为中等。
The company said it acted because Spain is borrowing about one hundred twenty-five billion dollars in rescue loans for its banks.
该公司说，之所以如此，是因为西班牙为其银行借入了近1250亿美元的援助贷款。
Debt markets punished Spain by pushing up the interest rate on its long-term debt to about six point eight percent. That increases Spain’s borrowing costs and hurts its already troubled economy. Spain was not the only country to get downgraded by Moody’s. Cyprus got the same treatment.
债务市场对西班牙的惩罚，是将其长期债务的利率提高到约6.8%，这就增加了西班牙的借贷成本，影响已经处于困境的经济。西班牙不是被穆迪降级的唯一国家，塞浦路斯也受到同样对待。
On Wednesday, American Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. He said the increase in borrowing costs for European countries like Spain means European officials must move quickly to avoid growing costs.
周三，美国财长盖特纳在华盛顿外交关系委员会上发表讲话。他说，西班牙等欧洲国家借贷成本的增加，意味着欧洲官员必须快速行动起来避免成本继续增加。
TIM GEITHNER: “If you wait to move in these things and you let the market get ahead of you, then you increase the costs of the solution and you make it harder to get there--you get too much momentum—it’s very costly. Once you decide, there’s no argument for doing it slowly.”
盖特纳：“如果只是等待，那么市场就会抢先一步，那么就增加了解决问题的成本，解决就更难了，成本增加的势头就更强。一旦下定决心，就没有放慢之说。”
Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has been pushing for economic reform in the seventeen countries using the euro. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel has argued that her country is unwilling to put money at risk unless banking reform is enacted throughout the Eurozone. She warned this week that Germany’s economic power was not unlimited.
作为欧洲最大经济体的德国一直推动17个欧元使用国进行经济改革，但德国总理默克尔说，德国不愿把资金置于风险中，除非在整个欧元区进行银行改革。本周她警告说，德国的经济实力并非无限的。
Earlier this month, the European Commission proposed steps toward a common banking policy. The proposals include empowering nations to intervene when their banks are in trouble. But proposed changes may also bar support for failing banks.
本月初，欧洲委员会就建立共同的银行政策提出了系列步骤，提议包括，当银行陷入困境时，给予这些国家以干涉的权力。但还提议禁止向濒临破产的银行提供援助。
Some European leaders are pressing for an expanded European bailout fund. Germany has resisted providing new financial resources. But details of any deal with big European economies have yet to be decided.
一些欧洲领导人要求扩大欧洲援助基金，德国反对提供新的财政资源。但与欧洲大经济体的协议的细节尚未确定。
Europe’s financial crisis is likely to be the main issue at the G-20 economic meeting in Mexico next week. Secretary Geithner is looking forward to the conference.
欧洲财政危机可能是下周墨西哥G20经济会议的主要议题，财长盖特纳将出席会议。
TIMOTHY GEITHNER: “you know, the world is waiting for them, they have a -- they have a big incentive to add as much clarity to those plans as early as they can.”
盖特纳：“要知道，全世界正期待着，他们希望尽早使这些计划有明确的动机。”
