导读:欧盟持续经济疲软，使得各国用于军事防御的资源大打折扣。然后，美国却一直咄咄逼人。
European Union member states could soon be spending billions of pounds on military research if funding is agreed this week for a multi-million pound project, Preparatory Action for Defence Research.
本周，如果耗资数百万英镑的“国防研究准备行动”达成协议，欧盟成员国不久就要耗资几十亿英镑，用于军事研究。
The scheme, which will cover the years 2017-2020, at an estimated cost of 50-100 million Euro, would pave the way for a full research programme that could require a budget of at least 3.5bn pounds between 2021 and 2027.
这项覆盖2017年到2020年，预计花费5千万到1亿欧元的计划，将为完整的研究项目铺平道路，横跨2021年到2027年的完整研究项目至少需要35亿英镑预算。
But the proposal is hugely controversial. More than 60,000 people have signed a petition against it. La?titia Sédou, EU programme officer at the European Network Against Arms Trade, said it was being pushed by vested interests without proper oversight and debate. “This proposal is merely a military-industrial policy driven by economic interests of a few, a trend towards liberalisation of the arms trade and competition with the US,” she said.
但是该项提案极具争议。60000多人签署请愿书反对它。欧盟反对武器贸易网络，欧盟计划官员Laetitia Sédou说，受既得利益的推动，该项提案缺乏正当的监督和讨论。“该项提案，只是由少数人的经济利益驱动的军事工业政策，一种武装贸易自由化和与美国进行军备竞赛的趋势。”她说。
If the budget is approved, it would be the first time the EU has provided funding exclusively for defence research purposes.
如果预算得到通过，这将是欧盟第一次专门为防卫研究目的提供资金。
“The EU was envisaged as a peace project and that’s what it should be,” said Andrew Smith of the Campaign Against Arms Trade. “Whatever your views on the UK’s role in Europe, it should not be using public money to fund research for arms companies. This proposal could mean taking funds from other projects for something that would only benefit arms companies.”
反对武装贸易成员安德鲁·史密斯说：“欧盟被视为一个和平项目，它本来也该是这样的。无论你怎么看待英国在欧洲的角色，也不应该使用公款来资助武装公司研究。这个提案意味着从其他项目获取资金，只让武装公司受益。”
Some EU member states believe a common defence research fund is long overdue because Europe is lagging behind other major powers.
因为欧洲一直在军事研究上滞后于其他主要国家力量，一些欧盟成员国相信，公用防卫研究资金早就该准备好了。
A document outlining the proposal claims that “cooperative defence research programmes are essential for sustaining and fostering key military capabilities in Europe, and for addressing capability shortfalls”.
一份概述该提案的文件声称，合作性防卫研究项目，对于欧洲维持和培育关键性的军事能力，解决能力短板至关重要。”
A document from the European Union Institute for Security Studies – an organisation funded by some of the world’s biggest arms companies – makes the case for further spending on defence research capabilities.
来自欧洲安全研究所（由世界上最大的武器公司资助的组织）的一份文件，为进一步在防卫研究能力上注资做出了努力。
It states: “Europe’s ongoing economic and fiscal crisis has clearly had a negative impact on the resources available to EU member states to engage in security-related activities. At the same time, threats have become more ‘hybrid’, less conventional, and very difficult to tackle with traditional means and without international cooperation. For its part, the US strategic ‘pivot’ to Asia forces Europeans to take defence more seriously.”
文件称：“欧洲持续的经济和财政危机明显对欧盟成员国从事安全相关活动的可用资源产生了负面影响。 与此同时，威胁变得更加“混杂”，不再那么传统，很难用传统手段或者在缺乏国际合作的条件下解决。 就其本身而言，美国将亚洲视为战略“枢轴”迫使欧洲人更加认真地对待国防。”
