EU summit finalizes budget plan
Edited by Kovis



The European Union (EU) summit on December 17 finalized a milestone deal on the 2007-2013 budget plan after marathon three-day talks on this tough issue.

The deal was reached at around 3 am local time (0200 GMT) after Britain agreed to cut its rebate by 10.5 billion euros (12.57 billion US dollars) over seven years and proposed a 2007-2013 budget of 862.3 billion euros (1.04 trillion dollars). The budget represents 1.045 percent of the EU GDP, up from 1.03 percent in an earlier proposal.

"You probably know that we have reached an agreement on the financial perspective," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair with a smile on his face, at his press briefing on early Saturday morning. The UK holds the rotating EU presidency.

However, the EU leaders also agreed to order the European Commission to publish in 2008/09 "a full, fundamental review of all aspects of EU expenditure" including farm subsidies and the British rebate.

"The deal allows us to move forward the solidarity of the European Union," said Blair, adding that the "difficult compromise" has removed the major obstacles and cleared the way for the European integration.

According to EU regulations, the deal has to be put before the European Parliament for approval, and the EU assembly will debate and vote on the deal.

French President Jacques Chirac, who successfully protected France's agricultural grants, praised the deal, saying that it demonstrated the "solidarity of Europe."

The compromise also shows that the 25-member bloc has come through the crisis, Chirac added.

Earlier at the EU summit in June this year, the EU leaders failed to agree on the budget plan because Britain refused to cut its rebate.

The failure of the budget plan, together with French and Dutch votes against the EU Constitution, has dragged the EU into a severe crisis.

"This is a very important political signal for Europe," announced European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Barroso said the deal has kept the EU's ambition alive, although he did not agree "100 percent" with the deal.

The EU leaders requested the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, to conduct the "fundamental review of all aspects of the EU expenditure," and Barroso vowed that the review would be thorough.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, center, at the final press conference of the EU summit in Brussels, December 17.

 

 

World in Pictures
Photo source:ImagineChina

	16-pound tumor removed 海地女童切除7公斤面瘤 Maxillofacial surgeon Jesus Gomez of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine explains the surgical procedure performed on Marlie Casseus during a news conference, December 16, in Miami. The photo on the right, shows Marlie after the operation. The 14-year-old Haitian girl underwent the rare operation last Wednesday to remove much of a 16-pound tumor-like growth on her face that all but obliterated her features.
	Presents for sharks 圣诞老人水中与鲨鱼同庆 Two Indonesian divers dressed as Santa Claus leave their cage to feed sharks inside an aquarium at Seaworld Indonesia in Jakarta on December 18.
	Koizumi's Segway 小泉骑布什赠送的滑行车上班 Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi enjoys a ride on a Segway, Tokyo, December 16. The scooter was a gift from US President George W. Bush at their last meeting in Kyoto November 16. Segway has not taken off in Japan, where it is banned on public streets.
	Youngest tennis player 瑞典男孩出生7月开练网球 1.5-year-old Daniel is training with his racket in the tennis club of the city of Norrkoping, Sweden, November 11. Daniel is going to be the best tennis player in the world according to his father Dabrivoje Stanojevic. He started training Daniel 8 months ago. "I am a professional tennis trainer and I know how to do this," says Dabrivoje.
	Monkeys warm up for the winter 日本猴子冬季传统"休闲"--泡温泉 Four monkeys soak away their cares, at an open-air hot spring in the city tropical botanical park in Hakodate, northern Japan, December 14. The park is home to 122 monkeys and many of them like to take a dip to warm up during winter. . "

 

 

World in Words
Collected & translated by Beverly

"In order to withstand the cold, the penguins have a habit of standing very still during winter months."
"为了御寒, 企鹅在冬天总是习惯站着一动也不动. "
Authorities at Asahiyama Zoo in northern Japan intend to take penguins on strolls to fend off obesity from December till April.
--日本北海道旭山动物园的负责人计划从今年12月到明年4月让园内的企鹅每天坚持散步, 以防止它们发福.

"She has an HP laptop, bigger than mine."
"她有一台惠普笔记本电脑, 比我的还大. "
Naira Soibatian, mother of an 11-month-old baby. More parents are buying electronics for their young children, but there is little evidence that the devices are educational.
--女儿只有11个月大的奈拉·索伊巴提安这样说道. 越来越多的家长会给他们的小宝贝买各种电子产品, 但并没有足够的证据表明这些设备能起到教育作用.

"Trust, friendship and happiness - Pooh doesn't lose any of those things, it just changes how we talk about him."
"信任, 友谊和快乐--这是维尼熊永远不会失去的东西, 它要改变的只是我们对它的看法. "
Preston Kevin Lewis, global director of the Winnie the Pooh franchise. Winnie the Pooh is getting a makeover for the 80th anniversary of its publication.
--"小熊维尼"连锁店的全球总监普雷斯顿·凯文·刘易斯表示为了迎接80岁诞辰, 小熊维尼目前正积极转型.

"When the test was last administered, in 1992, 40 percent of the nation's college graduates scored at the proficient level. But on this test, only 31 percent of the graduates demonstrated those high-level skills. "
"上次调查是在1992年, 当时有40%的高校学生达到了优秀的水平, 但这次, 只有31%的学生具备这种高素质. "
A nationwide test by the Department of Education showed that the average American college graduate's literacy skills have declined significantly over the past decade.
--美国教育部组织的一次全国性调查表明在过去的十年里美大学生的英语水平严重下滑.

 

Vocabulary
milestone 里程碑
scooter 滑行车
rebate 回扣
subsidy 补贴
solidarity 团结
obliterate 湮没