To some, the prospects for the proposed transatlantic and transpacific trade pacts appear to have dimmed. Harry Reid, who leads the Democratic majority in the Senate, announced his opposition to taking up proposed legislation to restore a “fast-track” process for congressional approval of such agreements. At a retreat last Friday, Democrats in the House of Representatives are reported to have expressed similar reservations. The previous legislation, which had been instrumental in almost every significant trade agreement signed by the US since 1974, expired six years ago and has not been replaced.
對(duì)一些人而言，擬議中的跨大西洋和跨太平洋貿(mào)易協(xié)議的前景似乎已然黯淡。美國(guó)參議院多數(shù)黨領(lǐng)袖、民主黨參議員哈里?里德(Harry Reid)宣布，他反對(duì)討論旨在恢復(fù)國(guó)會(huì)“快速道”(fast-track)批準(zhǔn)這類貿(mào)易協(xié)議的立法議案。在最近一個(gè)閉門會(huì)議期間，眾議院民主黨人據(jù)報(bào)道表達(dá)了類似的反對(duì)意見(jiàn)。以往的“快速道”法律在自1974年以來(lái)美國(guó)簽訂的幾乎所有重大貿(mào)易協(xié)定中起到了重要作用，但該法在6年前失效，至今未被新法接替。