Parliament is expected to vote in the next few hours on further budget cuts needed if Greece is to secure billions of dollars more in bailout money from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. Mark Lowen, in Athens, sent this assessment.
对希腊来说,要从欧盟和IMF获得另外数十亿救助资金,议会就得在几小时内就新的预算削减方案进行投票。Mark Lowen在雅典评论道:
In reality, the bailout package is likely to pass because the coalition commands a large majority of MPs inside the parliamentary chamber, so even if there is a rebellion of sorts, it will probably still win the majority approval. But all eyes really among Europe are on Athens tonight because if Greece were to declare bankruptcy, to potentially leave the euro, then the whole ideological basis of the European project could start to unravel. This is where Europe's sovereign debt crisis began about two years ago, and once again tonight, Athens is taking centre stage.
事实上这份援助方案很可能会通过,因为联盟政府控制了议会中的大多数议员,所以即使有人表示反对,政府最终还是会赢得多数支持。但今晚,欧洲所有的目光都在关注雅典,这是因为如果希腊宣布破产,或可能脱离欧元,那么整个欧洲项目意识形态的基础就会土崩瓦解。大约两年前,欧洲的主权债务危机都是从希腊开始的,今晚,雅典再次成为关注的焦点。