Расширение Евросоюза – далеко не такое благо, как принято считать

(Вацлав Клаус, президент Чехии)

“Историческое значение расширения Европейского Союза, ряды которого пополнили10 новых государств, обсуждалось в последнее время активно. Слов сказано много, но боюсь, что серьезный анализ при этом почти отсутствовал. Практически все ораторы и комментаторы априори согласны с тем, что произошедшие перемены однозначно позитивны и полезны для всех. Любая попытка поставить под сомнение это утверждение, любой намек на критику считались близорукостью или злым умыслом. Я отважусь придать этой проблеме хотя бы общие очертания, выделив те элементы, которые помогут составить представление о последствиях расширения как для новых, так и для старых стран-членов, а также для ЕС в целом.”

Exercise 9. Create polemics answering the questions below using some handy hints on defending your position by creating convincing arguments:

Win or lose an argument

Offensive Defense

As you see it I’d agree with you to a certain extent

Wouldn’t you agree Possibly (may be so)

Wouldn’t you say I see (take) your point

Isn’t it also true to say/ to assume That may well be

Isn’t it just possible Fair enough

Might it not be true That’s the correct answer, but

Surely you’d admit That’s quite true

Don’t you think Perhaps, but I don’t think that

If you ask me I’m not sure I quite agree

I’d like point out that I see what you mean, but

The point is… Come off! You can’t be serious

To my knowledge… My guess is…

1. What are the economic perspectives of the EU enlargement for Russia?

2. What are the political consequences of the EU enlargement for Russia?

3. What fields can the EU and Russia successfully cooperate in?

4. Comment on the issue of Kaliningrad region? How is it solved now?

5. What other problems are to be resolved?

Т ема V.

CONTRADICTIONS AMONG LEADING FORCES AND NEW CHALLENGES

Germany, Britain and France are Europe's indispensable three. Their close cooperation is not a sufficient condition for Europe to have a serious foreign and security policy but it is a necessary one. As we saw over Iraq, if these are divided, all Europe will be divided.

Today, the European Union faces a British problem, a French problem and a German problem. Each must be dealt with if the EU is to seize the unique opportunity of its eastward enlargement and build a new partnership with the US in the 21st century.

Europe's British problem is that, after 30 years of membership, the British still cannot make up their minds whether they really want to be full participants in the European adventure. Half-blinded by old prejudices, which are reinforced by a Eurosceptic press, they do not realize how European they have become.

Torn between Europe and their country's intimate ties with America, the British still harbor the illusion that they may best be served by an exclusive 'special relationship' with the U.S. In the Iraq crisis, Tony Blair had perfect pitch in Washington; but the British prime minister's Atlanticist and multilateralist policy, admirable in principle, fell down because of his failure to establish a single, strong, coherent European position in prior consultations with Paris and Berlin.

Europe's French problem is twofold: the French political and administrative elites tend to think naturally that what is bad for the US good for France and they tend to transfer their sense of frustration with Washington to their relations with their smaller European partners, be they from "old" or "new" Europe.

It is true that what is good for the US is not necessarily good for Europe or France – it does not follow that what is bad for America is good for France. France's widely shared frustration with some of the more unsavory behavior of George W. Bush's administration should not obscure the fact that no credible European ambition can be achieved in opposition to the US. And in Warsaw, the Hague or Riga, France will never be accepted on its own estimate as the regional equivalent of the US. It will take years for France to overcome the bitter legacy of President Jacques Chirac's comments to the prospective central and east European members of the EU: "They should have kept silent." True French ambition for Europe demands a sense of modesty and self-criticism.

Europe's German problem may be called "paradigm lost". The cold war reasons for German Euro-enthusiasm have disappeared. The Germans recovered national unity with their neighbors' consent. They are now living in a peaceful and prosperous environment of stable democracies, EU partners (present-day or prospective) and NATO allies. They no longer compelled to behave as model Europeans as a means of proving that they have stopped dreaming of hegemony over the continent.

Ten years ago people were anxiously asking whether Europe could cope with a united Germany. Today the question should be: can Germany cope with a united Europe? Will it continue to bring up the economic rear in the EU – or will it succeed in making a fresh start and pursuing new reformist goals as one of Europe's main driving forces? Last but not least, is it willing to increase its defense budget to advance the project of enhancing Europe's military capability?

So the British should be more European, the French should be more modest and the Germans should be bolder.

Europe will never be serious political actor as long as its national leaders keep using foreign policy as a vehicle for their imaginary greatness, and as they decline to give Europe the means to realize its goals. For example, the new European "foreign minister" should have a strong staff, including EU career officials and the brightest and best from national ministries. His or her first task will be to formulate a European strategic approach to the challenges that confront the world, including rogue states, international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as poverty, organised crime, drugs, people-smuggling and environmental destruction. The US should not have the monopoly on asking the right questions – especially if we think it does not always give the right answers.

Yet, with the best staff and analysis in the world , there will always be a tendency for the foreign policy of an EU of 25 and more states to remain vague and declaratory, based on lowest-denominator compromises. It is therefore essential that France, Germany and Britain come together in a systematic though not formalized way to ensure that European policy is substantial as well as common.

This should start with greater efforts to co-ordinate policy on the part not just of the foreign ministries in Berlin, Paris and London but also of the Bundeskanzleramt, the Elysйe Palace and Downing Street. This operational trio, or "club of three", should be routinely extended to include a serious player in the White House (not just the State Department).

There might also be "contact groups" on the big new challenges facing Europe, such as Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. These would always include British, French and German representatives but also other relevant powers. In the case of the contact group for the Balkan wars in the 1990s, these were Russia and subsequently Italy. New groups might include Poland when the issue concerns Eastern Europe, say, or Spain and Italy for North Africa. The groups would not be exclusive – but nor would they be open to all who just wanted a seat at the table for the sake of national prestige. Membership would have to be learned by proven competence, capability and seriousness.

Such proposals will immediately raise the hackles of other European states, who fear a directoire of Europe's big tree. British, French and German officials sometimes like to suggest privately that a directoire is precisely what is needed, just so long as no one ever admits that it exists. Such dreams of a directoire are foolish. Our fellow Europeans know better and deserve better. But they should realize that if the only alternative acceptable to them is lowest-common-dominator mush and guff, nobody will profit. If the EU' s influence in the world is close to zero, theirs will be even smaller.

Notes:

proven – (used before a noun) tested and shown to be true: a man of proven ability; доказанный

mush (U) – (informal, derogatory) writing, etc. that is too sentimental: a romantic novel full of mush; сентиментальщина

guff (informal) – трепотня, треп

to raise somebody’s hackles = to make somebody angry: His tactless remarks were enough to raise his colleague’s hackles; fig. It makes my hackles rise – это приводит меня в бешенство.

Active Vocabulary:

adventure – смелое, рискованное предприятие; авантюра;

military adventure – военная авантюра;

alternative – вариант; альтернатива, выбор альтернативы; выбор;

to confront with alternative – ставить перед альтернативой;

to endorse alternative – принимать альтернативу;

to have no alternative – не иметь (другого) выбора / альтернативы;

to offer, to propose an alternative – предложить альтернативу;

to reject an alternative – отклонить альтернативу;

there is no other alternative but ... – нет иной альтернативы / другого пути / иного выбора , кроме ... ;

constructive alternative – конструктивная альтернатива;

multiple-choice alternative – многовариантный выбор;

sensible alternative – разумная альтернатива;

policy – 1. политика 2. линия поведения; курс, стратегия;

for reasons of policy – по политическим соображениям;

critical issues of policy – злободневные политические проблемы;

lurches of policy – колебания, шатания в политике;

to carry on, to conduct, to follow, to pursue a policy – проводить политику;

to approve, to endorse a policy – одобрить политику;

to form, to shape policy – определять политическую линию, политический курс;

reform – реформа, преобразование;

to introduce a reform – проводить реформу;

currency/monetary reform – денежная / валютная реформа;

to pursue currency reform – проводить денежную реформу;

sweeping reforms – коренные преобразования;

rogue state – "безответственное" государство, государство, не признающее международных норм, государство-изгой;

for the sake of – ради;

for one's own sake – для себя самого; из-за себя самого;

for all our sakes – ради всех нас;

he was persecuted for the sake of his opinions – его преследовали за убеждения;

things are getting out of hand – события выходят из под контроля.

Exercise 1. Give Russian/English equivalents to the following word combinations with the word policy, use a dictionary if necessary:

policy

to follow an independent policy; to commit oneself to a policy; to attack somebody's policy; to condemn somebody's policy; to drift away/to shift away from the policy; to abandon / to drop the policy; to make/to elaborate policy; to enunciate/to set out a policy; to fail to explain one's policies persuasively; to harden one's policy; to justify/to validate one's policy; to re-examine/to revise/to review one's policy; to reject a policy; to uphold a policy; to reconcile policies; to stick with existing policies; to moderate a policy toward a country; to offer a positive policy; to have misgivings about somebody's policy; to revive the cold war policy; the policy in favor of the status quo; watering-down of the policy

бюджетная политика, вырабатывать политику, выступать со своей политикой, говорить о политике, заниматься политикой, интересоваться политикой, критиковать чью-либо политику, начать проводить новую политику, одобрять политику, определять политику, оправдывать свою политику, осуждать чью-либо политику, отвергать политику, отказаться от проводимой политики, отойти от проводимой политики, пересмотреть свою политику, проводить политику, стать приверженцем какой-либо политики

Exercise 2. Bear in mind the following information and translate what follows:

elite – фр. элита, отборная часть, цвет (общества и т.п.) – (used as a countable noun often derogatorily)

1. to become one of, to join, to create, to form elite;

2. small, intellectual, privileged, ruling, social, governing, business, political elite;

3. a member of an elite.

Translate the following:

1. The elites of wealth and power are gathering this month at the international summit.

2. All his life he has been willing to joint a club for members of the business elite.

3. She exemplified an elitist educational system and belonged to a small privileged elite.

4. The President has been accused of developing policies in favor of a small elite.

5. The sort of goods once reserved for the elite are now available to everyone.

6. The army was controlled by a small elite of officers.

7. She was chosen as one of the elite squad for the Olympic Games.

8. Only the educational elite go/goes to Oxford or Cambridge.

9. It’s sheer elitism to restrict these privileges to the management staff.

10. Public opinion is influenced by the small elite who control the media.

11. Many people believe that private education encourages elitism.

12. She accused him of being elitist.

Exercise 3. Give Russian/English equivalents for the following word combinations to go with the word problem, use a dictionary if necessary. Retrieve the synonyms and regroup them. Choose the most illustrative combinations and make up sentences of your own:

problem = challenge, issue

1. to address, to aggravate, to alleviate, to apply oneself to, to appreciate, to approach to assess, to attack, to bring a problem to a head *, to burden somebody with, to brush aside *, to circumvent *, to cause, to combat, to come across, to come to grips with *, to come up against *, to concentrate, to confront *, to consider, to cope with, to crack, to create, to deal with, to define, to detect, to dispose of *, to dodge *, to ease , to elucidate *, to encounter, to erase, to escape from, to exacerbate, to exaggerate, to examine, to experience, to explain, to explore, to face (up to), to fight, to focus, to foresee, to formulate, to get to grips with, to grapple with *, to grasp, to handle, to identify, to ignore, to loose sight of, to magnify, to master, to overcome, to overlook, to pinpoint, to perceive, to pose *, to precipitate, to predict, to present, to raise, to recognize, to rectify, to relieve, to represent, to resolve, to rise above, to run into, to run up against, to see, to settle, to share, to shrink, to shy away from *, to solve, to sort out, to state, to straighten out *, to struggle, with, to tackle, to think over/through, to thrash out *, to tinker with *, to touch upon, to transform, to trigger (off), to unravel *, to wrestle with problem

2. a problem arose, baffled somebody; boils down to … a problem; came to a head, cleared up, cropped up, disappeared, emerged, exists, got out of hand *, haunted somebody *, hinges on …*, hit somebody, occurred, originates in …, perplexed somebody, persisted, preoccupied somebody, recurred , remains, resolved itself, stems from, vanished, was made worse, worried somebody

3. actual, acute, appalling, awesome *, awkward, basic, central, chief, common, complex, complicated, constant, contemporary, contentious *, continual, crucial, current, complicated, delicate, depressing, difficult, disgusting, enormous, fundamental, glaring, hypothetical, immediate, important, incipient *, insoluble, insurmountable, intricate *, intractable *, key, knotty *, long-standing, long-term, main, major, marginal, minor, obvious, outstanding, painful, perennial, perpetual, perplexing, personal, potential, present, pressing, principal, profound, recent, recurring, related, real, routine, sensitive, serious, severe, simple, special, striking, subtle, tangible, tangled, tedious *, touchy, tough, tricky, trivial, troublesome, typical, underlying *, unexpected, unforeseen, unique, urgent, unmanageable problem

4. обсуждать проблему, освещать проблему, осложнить проблему, поднимать широкий спектр проблем, представлять серьезную проблему, рассматривать проблему, решать проблему политическим путем, снять проблему, снять остроту проблемы, уходить от обсуждения проблемы, стоять перед проблемой, актуальная проблема, назревшая проблема, безотлагательная проблема, важная проблема, валютно-финансовая проблема, основная проблема, глобальные проблемы, дискутируемая проблема, жгучая проблема, ключевая проблема, нерешенные экономические проблемы, насущная проблема, неразрешимая проблема, спорные международные проблемы.

to bring a problem to a head* – обострять, усиливать что-либо;

to brush aside * – отмахнуться, отмести что-либо;

to circumvent * – обходить; to find a way of overcoming or avoiding;

to come to grips with a problem * – вплотную заняться проблемой;

to come up against * – натолкнуться на;

to confront *- столкнуться с;

to dispose of *- справиться с;

to dodge * – увернуться, увиливать, уклониться;

to elucidate * – разъяснять, проливать свет на;

to exacerbate * – обострять;

to pose * : this poses an awkward problem – это создает серьезную проблему;

to grapple with a problem * – взяться, браться за проблему;

to shy away from something * – робеть перед чем-либо; отпрянуть от чего-либо;

to straighten out * – уладить;

to thrash out * (synonym figurative = to defeat) – побеждать

to tinker with * – возиться с чем-либо , ковыряться в чем-либо;

to unravel * – распутывать, (fig.) разгадывать;

it hinges on this problem * – (fig.) все связано с этой проблемой (вопросом);

things (problems) are getting out of hand * – события (вопросы, проблемы) выходят из под контроля;

to haunt somebody * – неотвязно преследовать;

it is a recurring problem * – это постоянно возникающая проблема;

awesome *- внушающий страх;

baffling *- ставящий в тупик; сбивающий с толку; загадочный;

contentious *- спорный, вздорный;

incipient * – зарождающийся;

intricate * – запутанный, сложный;

intractable * – трудноразрешимый, неустранимый, упрямый, несговорчивый;

knotty *- запутанный, трудный;

tedious *- утомительный, скучный, нудный;

underlying * – лежащий в основе.

Exercise 4. Match the nouns with the corresponding definitions then translate the sentences below into Russian:

1. organization

2. institution

3. institute

4. authority

5. council

6. party

7. body

8. society

9. association

10. league

11. Federation

12. union

1. An organization which represents the interests of people who work for the same company or do the same type of work.

2. A group of separate organization clubs which have jointed together to help and support each other.

3. An organization consisting of people, countries, or groups that have jointed together because they have the same aim.

4. A group of people with the same aim or interest, especially people in an area or country who do the same kind of work or activity.

5. A large official organization for people who have the same aim or interest.

6. Any organization made up of people working together, especially in government, making laws or advising people.

7. A political organization with members and leaders, especially one that governs a country or wants to be elected to govern a country.

8. An official organization responsible for the public services in a town or area, or a large organization which represents particular people.

9. An official organisation, or a local government department, which has power in public affairs, provides public services.

10. An organization which has professional or educational aims.

11. An organization, especially a large, important, and long-established organization, whose work is in fields such as business, education, or science.

12. An organized group of people; a system.

Translate the following:

1. There’s an organization called the Blue Cross that runs clinics for animals. 2. The Pan-American Health Organization has been commissioned to conduct a trial of the drug. 3. There is an organization called The Blue Cross that runs clinics for animals. 4. Mr. Hale was offered the position of office manager in a large financial institution. 5. His laboratory is in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. 6. My colleague is a scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of technology. 7. The work undertaken by government research institutes is very much appreciated. 8. Regional health authorities are planning improvements to the ambulance services. 9. Roosevelt created the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933. 10. You can claim housing benefit from your local authority. 11. His case was taken up to the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants. 12. She’s been elected onto the city council. 13. The Democratic Party won the election. 14. This is the first time Spain’s political parties have come up with a joint approach to terrorism. 15. He joint the Democratic party while studying at university. 16. UEFA is the governing body for European football. 17. Where are the national policy-making bodies for science and technology located? 18. He was president of the Washington Humane Society. 19. The Society of Authors publishes a quarterly magazine. 20. He had the support of the National Education Association and the Association of American Colleges. 21. He was invited to speak at the association’s annual dinner. 22. The League of Nations was formed to promote international peace service. 23. Morocco is a member of the Arab League. 24. Leaders of the Football League met to discuss the problems of hooliganism. 25. The inquiry was set up by the National Federation of Housing Associations. 26. The Chicago Teachers Federation helped her to win an administrative position. 27. The party depends on the support of the unions. 28. The trade union leader was in negotiation with the management. 29. Some workers who refused to join union were harassed by their colleagues. 30. Meanwhile the debate on European political and monetary union continues.

Exercise 5. Give English/Russian translation as fast as you can:

1. отклонить альтернативу, to seize the unique opportunity;

2. to realize the goals, военная авантюра;

3. колебания, шатания в политике, the big new challenges facing Europe;

4. proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, злободневные политические проблемы;

5. по политическим соображениям, to raise somebody’s hackles;

6. определять политическую линию, политический курс, relevant powers;

7. to represent a serious player, одобрить политику;

8. по политическим соображениям, to formulate a European strategic approach to the challenges that confront the world;

9. не иметь (другого) выбора, to remain vague and declaratory, based on lowest-denominator compromises;

10. осуждать чью-либо политику, for the sake of national prestige;

11. to pursue new goals, события выходят из под контроля;

12. поднимать широкий спектр проблем, to increase the defense budget.

Exercise 6. Read the information about the discourse markers. Find some sentences in the text and analyze the functions:

Discourse markers are words or phrases which are normally used to mark boundaries in conversation between one topic or bit of business and the next. For example, words and phrases such as right, okay, I see, I mean, anyway, basically, still help speakers to negotiate their way through talk indicating whether they want to open or close a topic or to continue it, whether they share a common view of the state of affairs, what their reaction is to something, etc. For example, people speaking face to face or on the phone often use anyway to show the wish to finish that particular topic, finish the whole conversation or perhaps return to a previous topic. Similarly, right often serves to indicate that participants are ready to move on to the next phase of business.

Discourse makers are words or phrases which help us to structure and monitor a stretch of written or spoken language. You have probably learned how to use them in writing to help readers understand the ideas.

1. The most frequent discourse makers in spoken English are: okay, well, you know, I mean, right, actually, I (would) think, so, you see, I don’t know, basically, anyway, still .

2. Discourse markers usually occur at the beginning of utterances and signpost how a listener is to interpret what follows: for example, mainly as part of a logical or temporal sequence, as part of shared knowledge, or as part of statements which should not be taken too dramatically. Discourse markers can also sometimes do several of these things at the same time.

3. Whole phrases and clauses such as I was saying and I just wanted to ask you can also function as discourse markers.

4. Spoken discourse markers can also cluster together (собираться группами), e.g. well, I mean; I don’t know, I think; you know , I think; right, OK.

5. Some discourse markers soften the content of a statement so that a speaker does not sound too definite or dogmatic.

6. As a discourse marker still has a meaning similar to the more formal on the other hand or nevertheless: I worked in cinemas but I was out of work at 50 because the cinemas closed. But still, who isn’t out of work today?

7. Anyway is used to show to bring the conversation back to its main line or thread, after an interruption or diversion on to another topic. It is particularly common in moving from one episode to another in spoken story-telling:

… I’m not that stupid. Anyway, what I was saying was, when I first typed it up it was like normal spacing and normal character size and I’d done nine pages.(resuming the narrative after a diversion or interruption)

8. Basically is very frequent in spoken language, used with the meaning of ‘what I’m simply saying is…‘: I just basically told them the situation.

Exercise 7. Practice translation with: no longer, not any longer (The Economist , 2004)

Not any longer and no longer, not … any more, are used to show that the action with duration has stopped or must stop. They come at the end of a sentence or clause: Hurry up! I can’t wait any longer/any more.

No longer can come before a full verb or at the end of a sentence, though the end position is sometimes slightly more formal: I’m sorry, Professor Carrington no longer lives here.

1. The British reckon that France and Germany can no longer set the EU’ s agenda as they once did. Their failure to dictate a common line on Iraq and to force the EU’ s draft constitution through last month’s summit in Brussels demonstrates as much. In short, the British conclude, the French and the Germans need Tony Blair.

2. You could hardly call Lithuania a banana republic: it is now shivering under thick snow. But no longer its president, Rolandas Paksas, clings on, the worse the country’s political reputation. As they prepare to join both the European Union and NATO, Lithuanians deserve better.

3. The British reckon that France and Germany can no longer set the EU’ s agenda as they once did.

4. They no longer compelled to behave as model Europeans as a means of proving that they have stopped dreaming of hegemony over the continent.

5. France will no longer enjoy the huge influence that once seemed like an automatic entitlement for a prime mover in founding the Union.

Exercise 8. Read the text below. It’ is a brief version which appeared as an editorial in the Financial Times. First, summarize the article and then answer the questions:

What has changed since then?

What countries didn’t approve of the new constitution?

Comment on new contradictions within the EU?