欧盟与日本将开启双边贸易谈判

The EU will launch negotiations with Japan on a bilateral trade agreement that would be the world’s largest after member states brushed aside concerns from the EU’s struggling carmakers.

在欧盟(EU)成员国无视欧盟陷入困境中的汽车制造商的担忧之后，欧盟将与日本就一项双边贸易协定展开谈判，它将是世界规模最大的双边贸易协定。

The decision to open negotiations, which had been in doubt just a day earlier, was taken by unanimity at a meeting of the bloc’s trade ministers in Brussels, and held up as a sign of its commitment to free trade even in the midst of recession.

一天前谈判还备受质疑，但最终欧盟各国贸易部长在布鲁塞尔的一次会议上一致决定开启谈判，人们认为这表明，即便在衰退期间欧盟依然致力于自由贸易。

If completed, a pact would unite two economies that account for more than a third of global economic output, but which have been seeking a tonic for chronically sluggish growth.

如果谈判成功，双边贸易协定将把占全球经济产出三分之一的两个经济体联合起来。双方此前都在寻求方案解决经济增长长期迟缓问题。

The EU estimates that a deal could add up to 420,000 jobs, particularly in pharmaceuticals, business services, chemicals and the food and drink sectors, while increasing gross domestic product by 0.8 per cent.

欧盟估计，双边贸易协定将增加42万份工作，尤其是在医药、商业服务、化工和饮食行业，同时将国内生产总值(GDP)提高0.8%。

Japan, which has long pressed for such a deal, won EU support after pledging to dismantle a list of non-tariff barriers, which have traditionally kept foreign competitors at bay, even before negotiations begin.

日本长期以来一直推动这样一份协定，在承诺废除一系列非关税壁垒（甚至在磋商开始之前就做出了承诺）之后，获得了欧盟的支持。传统上，日本的这些非关税壁垒阻止了外国竞争者。

Lord Green, the UK minister for trade, called Thursday’s decision “the first big step towards liberalising trade between two of the world’s largest economies and said an agreement would “bring major economic benefits to Europe.

英国贸易大臣格林勋爵(Lord Green)称周四的决定“是世界两个最大经济体朝着贸易自由化方向迈出的重要第一步，并表示贸易协定将“为欧洲带来重大经济利益。

A Japan deal is one of several bilateral trade agreements that the EU has embarked on amid a growing realisation that the Doha talks aimed at reaching a global pact through the World Trade Organisation have failed.

与日本的贸易协定是欧盟着手的几项双边贸易协定之一。欧盟意识到，旨在通过世贸组织(WTO)达成一项全球贸易协定的多哈回合谈判已经失败，因此开始着手缔结双边贸易协定。