欧洲央行下调利率刺激经济

The European Central Bank lowered its benchmark interest rate Thursday to a record 1.0 percent. The move by the bank to help stimulate Europe's economy came as France and Germany urged other European leaders to adopt their eurozone crisis plan at a key summit in Brussels.

欧洲央行星期四将其基准利率下调到历史最低点1%。在欧央行采取这一旨在帮助刺激欧洲经济的举措之际，法国和德国敦促其它欧洲国家领导人采纳他们在布鲁塞尔重要峰会上提出的解决欧元区危机的计划。

Just hours before the start of the European Union summit, French and German leaders were in the southern French city of Marseilles, making a final pitch to overhaul key European treaties.

在欧盟峰会开幕前仅几小时，法国和德国领导人在法国南部城市马赛就修改欧盟条约发出最后呼吁。

In an address to fellow European conservatives, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the 17-nation euro currency union needed more solidarity, more discipline and more governance. The longer European leaders wait to make a decision, he said, the costlier and less efficient it will be.

法国总统萨科齐向欧洲的保守派人士发表讲话时说，欧元区17国需要更大程度的整合、更好的秩序和更多的治理。他说，欧洲领导人等待作出决定的时间越长，代价就越高，效率就越低。

Mr. Sarkozy and his German counterpart, Angela Merkel, will be making that argument during the two-day summit in Brussels. Analysts say their plan may take years to be implemented - while the eurozone crisis needs immediate solutions. But the pair argues Europe's very foundations must be changed to save the currency union.

萨科齐总统和德国总理默克尔将在此次为期两天的布鲁塞尔峰会期间做出以上论调。分析人士说，尽管欧元区危机需要即刻的解决方案，但他们的计划可能需要数年时间才能实行。不过萨科齐和默克尔认为，要挽救欧元货币联盟，就必须改变欧洲的基础。

Mr. Sarkozy said EU leaders need to re-found and rethink Europe. If not, the same causes will produce the same effects.

萨科齐说，欧盟领导人需要重新发现和重新思考欧洲，否则的话，相同的原因将产生相同的结果。

There are already indications that some EU members - notably Britain - are skeptical about their proposals. But in Marseilles, Chancellor Merkel said that France and Germany want all 27 EU states to adopt their plan.

已经有迹象显示，一些欧盟国家，尤其是英国，对于他们的建议持怀疑态度。德国总理默克尔通过翻译说，法国和德国希望所有27个欧盟国家采纳他们的计划。

"I'm sure that we need all 17 members of the eurozone, that we demonstrate that we are willing to be that we will be able to move forward if we are all in agreement - i.e., all 27 members of the European Union," Merkel said.

默克尔说：“我确定我们需要所有17个欧元国家，我们展示出开放的意愿，如果我们全体达成一致，我是指所有27个欧盟国家，我们就将能迈向前进。”The two leaders do have a "plan B." If all 27 members do not accept their plan, they will push the 17 eurozone members to adopt it.

法德两国领导人还有“变通计划”。如果欧盟27国不同意他们的建议，他们将催促欧元区17国采纳他们的建议。

The eurozone debt crisis and fears of a looming recession prompted the European Central Bank (ECB) to announce Thursday it is cutting its benchmark interest rate by a quarter-percent for the second month in a row. At a press conference in Frankfurt, the ECB's new chief, Mario Draghi, also signaled the bank was expanding emergency funding to cash-strapped banks.

欧元区债务危机以及担心经济即将陷入衰退迫使欧洲央行星期四宣布将基准利率下调0.25个百份点，这是该央行连续第二个月降息。欧洲央行新任行长马里奥·德拉吉还表示，该央行将向现金紧张的银行扩大紧急资金援助。

"A number of factors seem to be dampening the growth momentum in the euro area," said Draghi. "They include a moderation in the pace of global demand growth, and unfavorable effects on overall financing conditions and on confidence resulting from ongoing tensions in euro-area sovereign debt markets as well as process of balance-sheet adjustments in financial and non-financial areas."

While Draghi predicted a better economic forecast next year, ratings agency Standard & Poor's dumped more bad news on Europe - warning on Wednesday it might cut the credit rating of the European Union and that of top European banks. It has already warned it might downgrade the ratings of 15 eurozone countries.

虽然德拉吉对于明年的经济作出较好的预测，但是信用评级机构标准普尔带来了有关欧洲的更多坏消息。该机构星期三警告称，它可能下调欧盟和欧洲大银行的信用评级。标准普尔已经警告说，可能下调15个欧元区国家的评级。

In an interview on French radio, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Junker - who also heads the euro group of countries - expressed surprise at the S&P move.

卢森堡首相兼欧元集团主席容克在法国电台的一个访谈节目中对标普的举动表示惊讶。

Asked if he was optimistic the EU leaders could reach agreement during their summit, Mr. Junker was blunt. The leaders, he said, have to reach an agreement.

在被问到对欧盟国家领导人在峰会期间达成协议是否感到乐观时，容克直言不讳。他说，欧盟领导人不得不达成协议。