欧盟是民主的吗？你的选票真的有用吗？：英语精读讲义

Being a citizen of the European Union means that many aspects of our lives are regulated by a weird entity. 語法

作为欧盟公民意味着，我们生活中的许多方面都受制于一个奇怪的实体。

It feels like a huge bureaucracy is making decisions over our heads. 習語

感觉就像一个庞大的官僚机构在越俎代庖地做决定。

Many Europeans think that their vote in the EU elections doesn't count 用詞

许多欧洲人认为他们在欧盟选举中的投票毫无意义，

and that the EU is not democratic.

并且认为欧盟不民主。

How democratic is the EU really?

欧盟到底有多民主？

And does your vote actually achieve anything?

你的选票真的能起到什么作用吗？

In democratic states,

在民主国家中，

public policies are based on the will of the people. 短語搭配

公共政策是基于人民的意愿。

But the people are not a coherent thing.

但人民并不是一个完全一致的整体。

Countless different groups are battling for influence and power 習語

无数不同的群体为了影响力和权力而战，

to establish laws and rules that benefit them.

以建立对他们有利的法律和规则。

In a working democracy,

在一个运作良好的民主国家里，

there are checks and balances that are supposed to create a fair environment 講解

会有制衡机制，旨在创造一个公平的环境，

where these battles can be fought.

让这些竞争得以展开。

Term limits stop factions from dominating too much. 文化背景

任期限制防止了派系过度主导。

But all of this ends at our borders. 表達脈絡

但所有这一切到了我们的边界就结束了。

International politics are not democratic,

国际政治并不民主，

but anarchic. 用詞

而是无政府状态的。

No central authority is powerful enough to ensure fairness or enforce laws,

没有哪个中央集权强大到足以确保公平或执行法律，

so the only law is the tyranny of the strongest and anarchy. 習語

所以唯一的法则就是强者的暴政和无政府状态。

So for most of human history,

因此，在人类历史的大部分时间里，

powerful countries took what they wanted from others,

强大的国家从其他国家那里夺取他们想要的东西，

either by extortion or by violence.

要么通过勒索，要么通过暴力。

After World War II,

第二次世界大战之后，

the United Nations were founded to overcome this anarchy

联合国的成立是为了克服这种无政府状态，

by establishing rules on how countries should behave.

通过制定国家行为准则。

But since the UN has virtually no power and its members often have opposing interests,

但由于联合国几乎没有实际权力，而且其成员国通常有着对立的利益，

it's usually politely ignored. 語氣意圖

它的规定往往被礼貌地无视。

The EU is a construct that tries to have rules and laws for its member nations that are actually enforceable,

欧盟是一个试图为其成员国制定切实可行的规则和法律的架构，

as the European Court of Justice is able to make binding decisions. 用詞

因为欧洲法院能够做出具有约束力的决定。

Originally,

最初，

the EU was founded to ensure peace between European nations

欧盟的成立是为了确保欧洲国家之间的和平

and prosperity for the continent.

以及整个大陆的繁荣。

But it's also an attempt to gain international power for its members.

但这也是为其成员国争取国际权力的一种尝试。

It's like a superstate 文化背景

它就像一个超级大国，

and it's striving to be democratic and legitimized by all of its citizens.

并且努力实现民主化并获得所有公民的合法认可。

To do that,

为了做到这一点，

it has to solve the problem of different actors wanting different things. 用詞

它必须解决不同利益相关方诉求不同的问题。

Only that its members are countries with very different priorities.

只不过它的成员国是优先事项各不相同的国家。

So,

那么，

how does this work?

这是如何运作的呢？

Since the EU is ridiculously complex

既然欧盟复杂得令人发指，

and politicians are even worse than scientists at naming things,

而且政客们在命名方面比科学家还要糟糕，

we'll simplify massively and omit a lot of details. 表達脈絡

我们将极大地简化并省略很多细节。

You can find further reading and explanations in our sources document.

您可以在我们的资料文档中找到进一步的阅读材料和解释。

Okay,

好吧，

if you want to create a democratic Union of independent nations,

如果你想创建一个由独立国家组成的民主联盟，

you have two options.

你有两个选择。

One,

第一，

let everybody vote for national politicians who then make decisions for the Union together.

让每个人投票选出本国的政治家，然后由他们共同为联盟做决定。

Or,

或者，

two,

第二，

let every citizen vote directly for an independent institution that is able to make binding decisions.

让每位公民直接投票选出一个能够做出具有约束力决定的独立机构。

Both approaches have their upsides and downsides

两种方法都有其优缺点，

and the EU ended up with a mix of both of them. 短語動詞

最终欧盟混合采用了这两种方法。

Next to the European Court of Justice, 用詞

除了欧洲法院，

there are four main institutions that we'll talk about today.

今天我们还要谈论四个主要机构。

The European Council,

欧洲理事会，

which is made up of the heads of government or states of the member countries. 短語動詞

由成员国的政府首脑或国家元首组成。

The Council of the EU with ministers from the member countries.

欧盟理事会，由来自成员国的部长组成。

The third one is the European Commission,

第三个是欧盟委员会，

which is the de facto government of the EU, 用詞

它是欧盟事实上的政府，

having one commissioner for each member state.

每个成员国有一名委员。

And lastly,

最后是，

the European Parliament.

欧洲议会。

The Parliament is the only part of the EU that is directly elected by you,

欧洲议会是欧盟唯一由您，

dear citizen, 語氣意圖

亲爱的公民，

in the European elections.

在欧洲选举中直接选举产生的部分。

In principle, 短語搭配

原则上，

all of these institutions of the EU originate from your direct or indirect vote,

欧盟所有这些机构都源于您直接或间接的投票，

be it at the national or EU level. 語法

无论是在国家层面还是在欧盟层面。

But some do more than others.

但有些机构与您选票的联系比其他机构更紧密。

For example,

例如，

you vote for your national representative

你投票选出本国代表，

and therefore contribute to form a national government whose head of state has a seat in the European Council. 短語搭配

从而促成组建国家政府，而该国元首在欧洲理事会中占有一席之地。

These leaders choose the president of the EU Commission and its fellow commissioners,

这些领导人选出欧盟委员会主席及其各位委员，

who eventually are confirmed by the EU Parliament.

他们最终将由欧洲议会确认。

So this is a sort of indirect democracy. 短語搭配

所以这是一种间接民主。

You didn't vote for the Commission,

你并没有给欧盟委员会投票，

but you voted for the people who appointed them

但你把票投给了那些任命他们的人，

and for those who confirmed and police them. 用詞

以及那些确认和监督他们的人。

So in effect, 短語搭配

所以实际上，

2.5 of the four main European Union institutions depend on the member state governments.

欧盟四个主要机构中有2.5个依赖于成员国政府。

But since you as a citizen can only directly vote for the European Parliament,

但是既然作为公民的你只能直接给欧洲议会投票，

the question is,

问题就来了，

how powerful is it?

它的权力有多大？

How much influence does your vote have?

你的选票到底有多大影响力？

The European Parliament started out with very little influence, 語法

欧洲议会一开始的影响力非常小，

but has become more and more powerful over the past two decades.

但在过去的二十年里变得越来越强大。

Today,

如今，

it has to approve new laws,

它必须批准新法律，

which can be binding for the member countries.

这些法律可以对成员国具有约束力。

It also votes on how the EU budget is spent 短語搭配

它还对欧盟预算的使用方式进行投票，

and on international treaties.

以及对国际条约进行投票。

All of this makes the Parliament very powerful and thus your vote very influential,

所有这些使得议会非常强大，因此您的选票也很有影响力，

even on an international level.

甚至在国际层面上也是如此。

Compared to national parliaments,

不过，与国家议会相比，

one major power is still missing, though. 表達脈絡

它仍然缺少一项主要权力。

The EU Parliament officially can't propose new laws on its own, 短語搭配

欧洲议会官方上不能自行提出新法律，

which is often the core of the argument the EU is not democratic enough

这往往是认为欧盟不够民主、

and that the European Parliament should be given more influence.

并认为应赋予欧洲议会更多影响力的核心论点。

Right now,

目前，

the member states governments pretty much control the European Union. 用詞

成员国政府几乎控制着欧盟。

Giving the Parliament more power would make the EU as a whole more democratic, 語法

赋予议会更多权力会使整个欧盟更加民主，

but it would also take power from member states.

但这也会夺走成员国的一些权力。

It's not clear which approach is better.

目前尚不清楚哪种做法更好。

Ultimately,

归根结底，

it's for the member states and us as citizens to decide how the Union should develop. 語法

应由成员国和我们作为公民来决定联盟应如何发展。

Okay,

好吧，

so can we draw a conclusion here? 短語搭配

那么我们能得出结论吗？

As a whole,

总体而言，

the EU is not as democratic as most of its member states, 語法

欧盟不如大多数成员国那样民主，

but it is democratic.

但它是民主的。

If you don't like decisions they make regarding copyright,

如果你不喜欢他们在版权方面做出的决定，

for example,

比如，

you can look up what your representatives voted for and vote them out. 短語動詞

你可以查阅你的代表是如何投票的，然后用选票把他们投下去。

The struggle to make it more democratic is closely tied to who holds power over what. 短語搭配

使其更加民主的斗争与谁掌控什么权力密切相关。

The EU keeps changing.

欧盟在不断变化。

You,

您，

dear citizen,

亲爱的公民，

are not only voting on the current politics, 語法

不仅在为当前的政治投票，

but also on what the system will look like in the future.

还在为这个系统未来的样子投票。

There are many parties and politicians that vow to make the EU Parliament, 用詞

许多政党和政治家发誓要让欧洲议会，

and therefore your vote,

从而让你的选票，

stronger.

更有影响力。

Many others want to keep it as it is or even diminish it. 短語搭配

还有许多人希望保持原样，甚至削弱它。

It's for you to decide what you think is better for the future of the Union.

这取决于您认为什么对联盟的未来更好。

Currently,

目前，

it's equally important for the EU who you vote for at home

在本国给谁投票对欧盟来说同等重要，

because these are the people who have the most influence in the European Union right now.

因为这些人是目前在欧盟中最有影响力的人。

Opinion.

观点。

At home is also where the EU is often used as a scapegoat. 習語

欧盟在各成员国国内也经常被当成替罪羊。

Politicians,

政客们，

especially before national elections,

特别是在全国大选前，

like to pretend the EU is all powerful and makes up rules and laws over the heads of the governments and citizens, 短語動詞

喜欢假装欧盟是万能的，在政府和公民头顶上制定规则和法律，

although often they were directly responsible for what the EU did. 表達脈絡

尽管往往正是他们自己对欧盟的所作所为负有直接责任。

Democracy is annoying and complicated and often very boring.

民主令人烦恼、复杂，而且往往非常无聊。

In the European Union,

在欧盟，

even more so than in the member states. 短語搭配

甚至比在成员国还要明显。

But voting and caring about how our political institutions change and develop

但是，投票和关心我们的政治机构如何变化和发展

is one of the most powerful things we can do as citizens.

是我们作为公民所能做的最有力量的事情之一。

The last few years have shown that extreme things can happen through elections.

过去几年表明，极端的事情可能通过选举发生。

We have to decide if we want to be an active part of this process.

我们必须决定我们是否想成为这一进程中的积极参与者。

If we don't take part in the struggle for power that is politics, 語法

如果我们不参与名为政治的权力斗争，

others will.

别人就会。

And we might not like what they decide for us.

而我们可能不喜欢他们为我们做的决定。

Because Europe is an important topic for us,

因为欧洲对我们来说是一个重要话题，

we've translated this video into as many European languages as possible. 語法

我们已经将这段视频翻译成了尽可能多的欧洲语言。

A couple of European YouTubers narrated it

几位欧洲的YouTuber参与了配音，

and uploaded it to their own channels.

并将其上传到了他们自己的频道。

Thank you to Funk and all YouTubers who helped us.

感谢Funk和所有帮助我们的YouTuber们。

You can find the playlist with all language versions in the description.

你可以在简介中找到包含所有语言版本的播放列表。