心扉美文

　　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 tarrifs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries. It is not just farmers who are compaining. An electric razor that meets the European Union’s safty standards must be approved by American testors before it can be sold in the United States, and an American-made dialysis machine needs the EU’s okay before it hit the market in Europe.

　　As it happens, an electric razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans. So, ask businesses on both sides, 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 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 agreements on general principles, which could be applied to many products and perhaps extended to other countries. 来源:考试大-生活英语考试

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