03-14-08

美参议院通过三万亿美元预算计划 (US Senate Passes $3 Trillion Budget Plan)

美国参议院通过了一项三万亿美元财政预算计划。民主党控制的参议院星期五早些时候以51票对44票通过了这项议案。参议员基本依照所属党派的立场投了自己的票。财政预算作为一份蓝图，指导国会为今年10月开始的2009财政年度通过各项开支法案。参议院通过的决议必须与众议院通过的相关预算法案相协调。

在参议院法案中，参议员拒绝了对议员专项拨款实行一年禁令的条款。议员专项拨款指为某些议员所青睐的项目做出的特别拨款。预计将获得共和党总统候选人提名的麦凯恩参议员呼吁禁止议员专项拨款。参议院还批准延续布什总统减税计划的某些内容，包括为贫困的工薪阶层减税，但不为较富裕的美国人减税。

The U.S. Senate has approved a three-trillion dollar budget plan. The Democratic-controlled Senate approved the measure early Friday by a vote of 51-44, mostly along party lines. The budget blueprint will guide Congress as it passes spending bills for the 2009 fiscal year, which begins in October. The Senate resolution must be reconciled with a similar budget plan approved by the House of Representatives.

In the Senate plan, lawmakers rejected a one year ban on earmarks -- spending allocations for projects favored by specific members of Congress. Presumed Republican presidential nominee John McCain had called for the ban on earmarks. 
The Senate also approved the continuation of some of President Bush's tax cuts, including one for the working poor, but not for wealthier Americans.

欧盟领导人支持遏止气候变化目标 (EU Leaders Back Goals for Fighting Climate Change)

欧洲联盟各国领导人支持制止气候变化的雄心勃勃目标。但是他们强调，在当前经济逆转的情况下，实现这些目标的费用必须能承受得起。在布鲁塞尔举行的两天高峰会议之后发表的声明中，各国首脑承诺将在明年最终议定2020年减少20%温室效应气体排放的战略。但是他们强调，实现目标的费用不能给欧洲联盟国家带来过高的代价。

欧盟领导人星期四接受了法国总统萨尔科奇建议的修改方案，同意成立一个包括北美和中东国家在内的“地中海贸易集团”。这位法国总统接受了为缓解德国担忧而作出改变后，从而赢得了各国领导人的支持。德国曾担心关于这项建议可能不利于欧盟团结。欧盟各国领导人让欧盟官员7月前拟定出计划的进一步细节。

European Union leaders have backed ambitious goals to fight climate change but stressed that they must be affordable at a time of economic downturn. In a statement issued at the conclusion of a two-day summit in Brussels, the leaders pledged to finalize by next year their strategy for a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2020. But they stressed that the cost of the project should not impose excessive costs on EU member states.

Thursday, the leaders accepted a modified version of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's proposal for a new Mediterranean trading bloc that would include North African and Middle Eastern countries. The French leader won the support of his EU colleagues after accepting changes that eased Germany's concerns that the proposal would undermine EU unity. The leaders instructed EU officials to work out further details by July.