Norway's Nobel Committee handed its 2012 Peace Prize to the European Union, even as the bloc faces its most serious crisis since it emerged from the ruins of two world wars, an award that served as both endorsement and warning.

挪威的诺贝尔委员会(Nobel Committee)将2012年度诺贝尔和平奖授予了欧盟(European Union)，而这个从两次世界大战的废墟上建立起来的国家联盟此时正面临它诞生以来最严重的危机，这一奖项对欧盟而言既是肯定也是警告。

The committee, whose decision Europeans both celebrated and mocked, said the prize recognized more than six decades during which the conflict-ridden continent pulled together and became a harbinger of 'peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights' at home and beyond.

挪威诺贝尔奖委员会说，把今年的诺贝尔和平奖授予欧盟是因为，在60多年的时间里，曾经冲突不断的欧洲大陆已经团结在一起，并成为在欧洲内外推动“和平与和解、民主与人权的先驱。该委员会的这一授奖决定在欧洲人中既引发了庆祝也招致了奚落。

But Thorbjørn Jagland, the committee's chairman, also stressed that Europeans should see the prize as a warning of what the 27-country bloc stands to lose if the current economic turmoil breaks its cohesion.

但挪威诺贝尔奖委员会的主席亚格兰(Thorbjorn Jagland)也强调说，欧洲人应该将此次颁出的诺贝尔和平奖视为一个警告，看看如果当前的经济动荡导致欧盟这个由27国组成的国家集团四分五裂，欧盟将会丧失些什么。

'This year we saw that the prize could be important in giving a message to the European public of how important it is to secure what they have achieved on this continent,' he said as he announced the award in Oslo.

亚格兰在奥斯陆宣布今年诺贝尔和平奖花落谁家时说：今年我们认为这一奖项在向欧洲公众传递一则重要信息方面可能扮演重要角色，这一信息就是保住他们在这个大陆上所取得的成就是多么重要。

Reaction to the decision was mixed. Many politicians took it as an opportunity to commemorate the EU's achievements at a time when much of the discussion on Europe focuses on the struggles of its currency union.

人们对欧盟获今年诺贝尔和平奖的反应好坏不一。在外界有关欧盟的讨论都集中在其货币联盟的困境之际，许多政界人士都把欧盟获奖当做了纪念欧盟所取得成就的机会。

'The award of the Nobel Prize of Peace to the European Union reminds us that the EU is endlessly more than [interest-rate] spreads and bailout funds,' German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said.

德国财政部长朔伊布勒(Wolfgang Schaeuble)说，将诺贝尔和平奖授予欧盟提醒我们，欧盟远非只有利息差和救助基金。

Herman Van Rompuy and José Manuel Barroso─as presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, respectively, the EU's highest representatives─said the award 'shows that in these difficult times the European Union remains an inspiration for leaders and citizens all over the world.'

欧洲理事会(European Council)主席范龙佩(Herman Van Rompuy)和欧盟委员会(European Commission)主席巴罗佐(Jose Manuel Durao Barroso)说，从欧盟在此困难之际获奖可以看出，欧盟仍然在鼓舞世界各国领导人和人民。

Others, however, questioned why the bloc merited the prize during a period when it has been hobbled by internal troubles and when anti-European, and sometimes anti-German sentiment is growing. Just this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to recession-hit Greece drew tens of thousands of demonstrators rejecting EU-mandated spending cuts and economic overhauls.

但其他一些人则质疑说，在欧盟因其内部麻烦而步履蹒跚，以及在反欧洲、有时是反德国的情绪不断增长之际，欧盟究竟有什么资格获得诺贝尔和平奖。德国总理默克尔(Angela Merkel)上周访问深受经济衰退打击的希腊时，她遭到了成千上万示威者的抗议，他们反对希腊实施欧盟所要求的支出削减和经济改革。

'Today's award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the EU is an insult to the people of Europe themselves, who currently are experiencing an undeclared war as a result of the barbaric, anti-social austerity policies that are destroying social cohesion and democracy,' said Rania Svigkou, a spokeswoman for Greece's far-left Syriza party, which came in second in general elections this year.

希腊极左翼政党激进左翼联盟(Syriza)的发言人斯维科(Rania Svigkou)说，现在把诺贝尔和平奖授予欧盟是对欧洲人民的侮辱，他们目前正在经历一场不宣而战的战争，这种局面是欧洲实施野蛮、反社会的紧缩政策导致的，这些政策正在摧毁欧洲的社会凝聚力和民主。

The Nobel committee didn't gloss over the economic struggles that have rocked Europe, and particularly its currency union. Since 2010, five euro countries─Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus─and several EU members have had to ask for billions of euros in bailout money to patch over holes in budgets and banking systems. The crisis revealed fundamental flaws in the architecture of the euro zone, leading to fears of some countries leaving, or even a breakup of the currency union.

挪威诺贝尔奖委员会并没有粉饰目前正惊扰着欧洲、特别是其货币联盟的经济困境。自2010年以来，已先后有希腊、爱尔兰、葡萄牙、西班牙和塞浦路斯这五个欧元区国家以及其他几个欧盟成员国被迫申请了总额上百亿欧元的救助资金，以填补其预算和银行体系的窟窿。这场危机暴露出欧元区架构所存在的根本性缺陷，导致外界担心一些成员国可能会退出欧元区，甚至担心欧洲货币联盟可能会瓦解。

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