立陶宛喜憂參半地加入歐元區

VILNIUS, Lithuania — If anyone still has good reasons for joining the euro, it is the people bundled against the cold of this snow-dusted capital.

立陶宛維爾紐斯——如果說還有人有充分的理由想加入歐元區，那就是在佈滿積雪的立陶宛首都，裹得嚴嚴實實躲避嚴寒的民衆。

The plunge of the ruble and economic sanctions have all but destroyed Russia as a market for Lithuanian dairy products and other goods. Russia has been sending patrols of military aircraft over the Baltic Sea recently in what Lithuanians interpret as an attempt to intimidate them. Lithuanian growth, while still well above the eurozone average, has suffered.

由於盧布貶值和經濟制裁，俄羅斯幾乎已經無法再充當立陶宛乳製品及其他商品的市場。俄羅斯最近派軍用飛機到波羅的海上空巡邏，立陶宛人認爲這是在威脅他們。儘管立陶宛的經濟增長仍然遠高於歐元區的平均水平，但是也受到了衝擊。

The euro, which Lithuania will officially adopt Thursday, will not solve all those problems. But analysts and political leaders say it should grease commerce, eliminate money-changing costs and help develop new markets to the West.

立陶宛將於週四正式啓用歐元，但歐元無法解決所有問題。但分析人士及政治領導人表示，它能促進商貿，消除兌換貨幣的成本，有助於在西方開拓新市場。

The new currency may even provide an extra measure of geopolitical security. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia may be more cautious in provoking a country that is a member not only of the European Union and NATO but also the eurozone.

新貨幣或許還能帶來更多地緣政治的安全保障。俄羅斯總統弗拉基米爾·V·普京(Vladimir V. Putin)可能會更加謹慎，不願惹惱這個既是歐洲聯盟(European Union)、北約(NATO)成員，又屬於歐元區的國家。

The euro gives the country more freedom in negotiating business with Russia, said Valdas Adamkus, who was president of Lithuania for about a decade until 2009.

立陶宛前總統瓦爾達斯·阿達姆庫斯(Valdas Adamkus)表示，歐元還能使這個國家在與俄羅斯進行商業談判時，擁有更多自由。阿達姆庫斯於2009年卸任，執政時間接近10年。

“We don't have to accept the pressure of being a small country with a little currency,” Adamkus said. “Now we are members of the eurozone.”

“我們不需要再承擔使用弱勢貨幣的小國所面臨的那種壓力了，”阿達姆庫斯說。“現在，我們是歐元區成員國了。”

It remains to be seen whether such arguments will help the euro win more adherents in other eastern European countries that have yet to join, like Poland, whose relatively fast-growing economy would provide some badly needed dynamism to the currency bloc. In line with public opinion, Polish leaders are in no hurry to sign up. The eurozone's prestige could suffer further now that political turmoil in Greece is unsettling financial markets.

尚不清楚這些觀點是否有助於在其他尚未加入歐元區的東歐國家，爲歐元贏得更多支持。這些國家中包括波蘭，該國增長相對較快的經濟將會給歐元區注入急需的活力。波蘭領導人順從公衆的意見，並不急於簽約。目前，希臘的政治動盪正在擾亂金融市場，歐元區的聲譽可能會因此進一步受損。

Although most of the European Union's 28 member countries are obliged to adopt the euro, no additional countries are expected to join the currency bloc for at least several years.

儘管在歐盟的28個成員國當中，大多數都應當使用歐元，但至少在未來數年中，預計不會再有其他國家加入歐元區。

Even in Lithuania, enthusiasm about becoming the 19th country in the eurozone is not overwhelming. Recent polls show a majority in favor of adopting the euro, and as recently as September, polls showed most Lithuanians were against membership. Many Lithuanians believe that “we are joining the losing club,” said Ruslanas Irzikevicius, the pro-euro editor in chief of The Lithuania Tribune, an English-language news website. “We are joining the losing club and the problems in the eurozone will affect Lithuania's prospects.”

即使在立陶宛，人們對成爲歐元區第19個成員國的熱情也不是很高。最近的民意調查顯示，多數人贊成使用歐元，而今年9月的民調還曾顯示，多數立陶宛人反對加入歐元區。許多立陶宛人認爲，“我們正在加入一個江河日下的組織，”英語新聞網站《立陶宛論壇》(The Lithuania Tribune)支持歐元的總編魯斯拉納斯·伊爾日克維秋斯(Ruslanas Irzikevicius)說。“我們正在加入一個江河日下的組織，歐元區的問題將影響到立陶宛的未來。”

Lithuanians who are in favor of the euro equate it with easier travel and commerce, surveys show.

調查顯示，支持使用歐元的立陶宛人認爲，這將給旅行和商貿帶來便利。