歐盟諾貝爾和平獎存爭議,並非衆望所歸

THE European Union received the Nobel Peace Prize yesterday, honored by the Norwegian committee which looked beyond Europe's current malaise to recognize its decades of stability and democracy after the horrors of two world wars.

歐盟昨日領取了諾貝爾和平獎，由挪威委員會授予，委員會透過歐洲當前的低迷認識到經歷了兩次世界大戰的恐怖後歐洲幾十年的穩定和民主。

About 20 European government leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, attended the ceremony in Norway's capital of Oslo.

大約20個歐盟成員國政府領導人，包括德國總理安格拉•默克爾、法國總統弗朗索瓦•奧朗德和英國副首相尼克•克萊格出席了在挪威首都奧斯陸的頒獎典禮。

But not everyone approved the decision to give the prize to the EU, which was created 60 years ago.

但並不是每個人都同意這一決定把獎項頒發給60年前成立的歐盟。

Three Peace Prize laureates - South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland and Adolfo Perez Esquivel from Argentina? have demanded the US$1.2 million prize money not be paid this year. They said the bloc contradicts the values associated with the prize because it relies on military force to ensure security.

三位和平獎得主——南非大主教德斯蒙德•圖圖、北愛爾蘭的梅利艾德•馬奎爾和來自阿根廷的阿道夫•法勒斯丘韋要求今年不要支付其120萬美元的獎金。他們說歐盟有違與該獎有關的價值理念，因爲它依靠軍事力量來確保安全。

Amnesty International said that EU leaders should not "bask in the glow of the prize," warning that xenophobia and intolerance were now on the rise in the continent of some 500 million people.

國際特赦組織說歐盟領導人不應該“沐浴在諾貝爾和平獎的光芒中，”警告說現在排外和不耐煩情緒在這塊約5億人的大陸上高漲。

Thorbjoern Jagland, the prize committee chairman, handed the Nobel diplomas and medals to EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy and President of the EU Parliament Martin Schulz at a ceremony in Oslo's City Hall.

亞格蘭，諾貝爾獎委員會主席，在奧斯陸市政廳的典禮上把諾貝爾證書和獎章交給了歐盟委員會主席若澤•曼努埃爾•巴羅佐、歐盟理事會主席範龍佩以及歐盟議會主席馬丁•舒爾茨。

Jagland said the EU was instrumental in making "a continent of war a continent of peace."

亞格蘭說歐盟幫助歐洲完成了“從戰爭大陸到和平大陸的轉變”。

"In this process the European Union has figured most prominently," he said.

“在這個過程中歐盟表現最突出，”他說。

This year's prize comes against a backdrop of protests as the debt crisis for countries using the euro triggered tensions within the union, causing soaring unemployment and requiring massive austerity measures.

歐元區國家的債務危機引發了歐盟內的緊張局勢從而導致失業率飆升並需要大規模的緊縮政策，今年的獎項正是在對這一背景的抗議下到來的。

In his speech, Jagland said that European unity has become even more important as the EU battles its financial problems.

在他的演講中，亞格蘭說隨着歐盟與其財務危機作戰歐洲的團結變得更加重要。

"The political framework in which the union is rooted is more important now than ever," he said. "We must stand together. We have collective responsibility."

“現在聯盟植根的政治框架比以往更重要，”他說。“我們必須站到一起。我們有共同的責任。”

Jagland said the awarding committee had decided to honor the EU, which grew out of the conviction that ever-closer economic ties would make sure that century-old enemies such as Germany and France never turned on each other again.

亞格蘭說頒獎委員會決定將榮譽授予歐盟，它誕生於這樣的信念：日益密切的經濟聯繫將確保像德國和法國那樣的世仇不再彼此反目。

He described that reconciliation as "probably the most dramatic example in history to show that war and conflict can be turned so rapidly into peace and cooperation."

他把歐盟的和解描述爲“可能是歷史上表明戰爭和衝突可以如此迅速地轉變爲和平與合作的最引人注目的例子。”

He said the presence of Merkel and Hollande at the ceremony made "this day very particular, symbolic for all of us."

他說默克爾和奧朗德在典禮上同在使得“這一天非常特殊，對我們所有人來說都具象徵意義。”