Marseille, France Aiming to be Headquarters of Mediterranean Partnership

马赛争取成为地中海合作联盟总部

　



Some 40 heads of state from the Middle East, North Africa and Europe gather in Paris next Sunday to launch a new agreement aimed at reinforcing cooperation between the European Union and non-European nations bordering the Mediterranean. Building up trade and investment ties is a key part of the proposal.

　

来自中东、北非和欧洲的大约40位国家首脑下星期天在巴黎开会，就加强欧盟跟地中海沿岸非欧盟国家的合作达成一项新的协议。增进相互贸易和投资关系是这项议案的重要内容。

The southern seaside city of Marseille has long been known as the gateway to North Africa, which lies just across the sparkling Mediterranean. Now, the colorful, multi-ethnic hub is jostling for a new title as the showcase for a new partnership agreement between the European Union, North African and Middle Eastern countries.

　

法国南部海滨城市马赛一直是人们熟知的通向北非的大门，她跟引人注目的地中海刚好隔海相望。现在，这个多姿多彩、种族多元化的枢纽城市正在争夺新的头衔--成为让世人了解欧盟、北非和中东国家新的合作协议的窗口。

The city is in the midst of a massive urban renewal project that includes building new housing and office space, revamping blighted neighborhoods and giving its oceanfront a facelift. The overhaul aims to draw new business from across the Mediterranean region - and, politicians like Guy Teissier, hope to make Marseille the obvious choice as headquarters for the new Mediterranean partnership.

　

马赛正在进行大规模都市改造工程，建新的住宅区，新的办公区，维修破旧不堪的街区，让城市的海滨旧貌换新颜。大规模的城市改造目的是吸引隔海相望的地中海沿海地区到马赛开办新企业，居伊.泰西耶等政界人士还希望让马赛成为地中海新合作夥伴关系的无可非议的总部。

Teissier is a French deputy and local mayor, who is also president of Marseille's urban renewal project.

　

泰西耶是法国议员、市长，也是马赛都市改造工程的领导人。

Teissier says Marseille has all it takes to be a leader in the Mediterranean region. It has universities and superb technology and research centers - and its population reflects the diversity of the Mediterranean region.

　

泰西耶说，马赛具备成为地中海地区领袖的一切条件。她有大学、有上乘的技术和研究中心，而且这座城市的人口也反映了地中海地区的族裔多元化。

The new Euro-Mediterranean pact has been championed by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, which took over the rotating European Union presidency this month. It follows another 1995 agreement called the Barcelona Process, which critics say has not produced much by way of concrete results.

　

新的欧盟-地中海合作协议一直得到法国总统萨尔科齐的大力支持，法国是这个月欧盟轮值主席国。新协议遵循了1995年签署的一项协议，即“巴塞罗那进程”的宗旨，不过批评人士指出，“巴塞罗那进程”并没有产生具体的结果。

The new Mediterranean union is also generating criticism. Some consider it vague and already watered down by Germany's opposition to some of Mr. Sarkozy's objectives.

　

新的地中海联盟也招致一些批评。有些人认为协议内容含糊不清，并且德国不同意萨尔科齐提出的某些目标，这已经削弱了这份新协议的力度。

Countries like Algeria and Libya have expressed reservations about the partnership, and Israel's membership makes the pact politically volatile. Overall, says analyst Clara O'Donnell, of the Center for European Reform in London, the expectations of many Middle Eastern and North African countries have been dashed.

　

阿尔及利亚、利比亚之类的国家表示对这项合作协议保留意见，而且因为有以色列参加，使得这项协议从政治角度看来很不稳定。总之，伦敦欧盟改革中心的分析人士克拉拉.奥唐纳认为，许多中东和北非国家对这项合作协议所抱的期望遭受了冲击。

"They're upset because the way it was sold to them was as a very ambitious proposal," she said. "And they saw it being undermined from within the EU, so they didn't even have a say.

　

奥唐纳说：“这些国家之所以感到失望是因为当初这项协议是作为一项雄心勃勃的提议来推荐给他们的，他们眼见欧盟内部破坏了这一协议，而他们却根本没有发言权。”

Nor does O'Donnell believe the partnership will generate much by way of new trade and investment within the Mediterranean region.

　

奥唐纳也不相信新的合作协议会在地中海地区创造新的贸易和投资机会。

"The one positive thing about it is that it has put the Mediterranean back at the top of the agenda," she added. "It's true that Barcelona [process] was lingering, there was lack of impetus. Now, the Mediterranean is number one again. There is a return of political will."

　

奥唐纳说：“唯一的积极因素是协议重新把地中海置于议程中的首要地位。巴塞罗那进程的确迟迟没有进展，缺乏动力。现在，地中海国家又重新得到重视，重新恢复了政治意志。”

But during a recent visit to Marseille, EU external affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner argued the partnership offered new chances for cooperating in areas like environmental protection, renewable energy and infrastructure programs.

　

不过欧盟对外关系委员贝妮塔.费雷罗.瓦尔德纳最近访问马赛时认为，新的合作协议为相关国家在环境保护、再生能源以及基础设施项目等领域的合作提供了新的机会。

"We have been working on a process call Barcelona," she said. "And now we reinvent, we re-dynamize, we put a new political pulse into this Barcelona process by having the summit every two years. And in between by having meetings by ministers of foreign affairs. And having a co-president - that means a shared responsibility - which wasn't there [before]. And particularly, by regional projects."

　

瓦尔德纳说：“我们一直在贯彻巴塞罗那进程。现在，我们对这个进程进行更新，重新加强，我们每两年召开一次首脑会议。在每次首脑会议之间，我们将举行外长会议，给巴塞罗那进程加强了政治动力。我们还要设立共同主席，共同承担责任，而以前的巴塞罗那进程没有这个内容。特别在一些地区性项目里没有。”

A number of business leaders are also excited about investment and trade potential in the Mediterranean, although they worry about legal and other barriers to investing in southern Mediterranean countries. At a conference in Marseille, they called on members of the new partnership to increase exchanges between European and Mediterranean countries by 10 percent a year and to triple foreign investment by 2020.

　

尽管一些工商界领袖对在南部地中海国家投资可能会遇到法律等方面的障碍表示担忧，但他们也为地中海地区潜在的投资和贸易机会激动不已。工商界领袖在马赛出席一次大会时呼吁新合作联盟的成员国在2020年之前把欧盟和地中海国家的贸易量每年提高10%，把相互之间的投资提高两倍。

For Liat Shaham of Invest in Israel, an Israeli government agency, it means creating business ties in countries where diplomatic relations are rocky.

　

对于在以色列一个政府投资机构工作的利亚特.沙汉姆来说，这意味着在外交关系冷淡的国家里发展贸易关系。

"Right now [there] is not so much investment from Arab countries," Shaham said. "This is part of the project. This project is supposed to bring us together - via the economy, I guess. To build bridges in countries via economic relations."

　

沙汉姆说：“眼下阿拉伯国家到以色列投资并不多。而这是协议内容的一部分。我猜想这项协议的本意是通过经济活动让我们走到一起，通过建立经济联系弥合国家之间的分歧。”

Hanan Jaabiri, 29, of Marseille, who also attended the conference, has big expectations for her new company, Jaabiri Exports.

　

马赛市29岁的居民哈南.贾布里也出席了这次工商界领袖大会，她对自己新成立的贾布里出口公司寄予厚望。

"I met several people from Europe, from the U.S. and from the Gulf who are interested in exporting their goods throughout the region. The main problem is the language. For instance, Spanish exporters are not so able to develop in the Maghreb countries so I help them find customers and partners there and help them increase their presence on the market and get marketers."

　

贾布里说：“我遇到几位来自欧洲、美国和海湾国家的商人，他们都希望把他们的商品出口到这个地区。主要的难题是语言。比如，西班牙出口商在北非地区的业务发展就比较困难，我就帮助他们在那个地区找到客户和合作者，帮助他们扩大在那里的市场份额，争取客户。”

Jaabiri, whose father is Tunisian and whose mother is Spanish - speaks five languages and is a mirror of multi-ethnic Marseille.

　

贾布里的父亲是突尼斯人，母亲是西班牙人，她可以讲五国语言，是马赛种族多元化的真实写照。

Marseille's bid to host the new Mediterranean pact headquarters faces competition. Several countries, including Morocco, Tunisia and Malta, have reportedly expressed interest. Whether Marseille will be the new face of the Mediterranean union - and whether that union will live up to the very high expectations of its supporters - is anybody's guess.

　

马赛争取成为新地中海合作协议总部的努力遇到挑战。摩洛哥、突尼斯和马耳他等国家据说也表示有兴趣成为新合作联盟的总部。马赛是否会成为地中海合作联盟的新总部，新联盟是否会实现支持者的高期望，谁都说不准。