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France and Germany’s economy ministers will ask the US to lay off making “aggressive” overtures to European companies in a bid to lure their green investments across the Atlantic, French officials said ahead of a visit to Washington this week.
法國官員在本週訪問華盛頓之前表示,法國和德國的經濟部長將要求美國停止對歐洲企業做出「咄咄逼人」的姿態,試圖吸引它們在大西洋彼岸進行綠色投資。
France’s Bruno Le Maire and Germany’s Robert Habeck are due to hold talks with White House officials on Tuesday to underscore EU concerns about President Joe Biden’s landmark climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, and push for better co-operation.
法國的布魯諾•勒梅爾(Bruno Le Maire)和德國的羅伯特•哈貝克(Robert Habeck)將於週二與白宮官員舉行會談,以強調歐盟對美國總統喬•拜登(Joe Biden)里程碑式的氣候立法《降低通膨法》(Inflation Reduction Act)的擔憂,並推動雙方加強合作。
The $370bn US package, which contains hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies for green tech, aims to bolster investment in everything from electric carmakers to renewable energy producers. The bill, originally intended to challenge China’s dominance of green tech, is conditioned on manufacturing being local, which has sparked fears that a growing number of businesses considering investments in Europe would pivot to the US instead.
這份3700億美元的美國刺激計劃,包括數千億美元的綠色科技補貼,旨在提振對電動汽車製造商、可再生能源生產商等各個領域的投資。該法案最初的目的是挑戰中國在綠色科技領域的主導地位,其提供補貼的前提是製造業必須本地化,這引發了歐洲人的擔憂,即越來越多考慮在歐洲投資的企業將轉向美國。
Le Maire and Habeck will ask the US not to go above and beyond that framework by actively trying to poach EU businesses, the French officials said. Representatives of economic bodies from several US states including Michigan and Ohio toured Europe in recent months to tout the incentives.
該法國官員表示,勒梅爾和哈貝克將要求美國不要超越這一框架,積極試圖挖走歐盟企業。近幾個月來,密西根州和俄亥俄州等美國幾個州的經濟機構代表訪問歐洲各地,宣傳這些激勵措施。
“What we’re looking for are not only exemptions, but also to have a mutual understanding to avoid a subsidies race and also to avoid aggressive tactics involving the US administration going to see European companies to ask them if they want to move their factories to the US,” one of the French officials said. “You don’t do that among friends.”
一名法國官員表示:「我們尋求的不僅是豁免,還包括達成一項相互理解,以避免補貼競賽,並避免咄咄逼人的策略,即美國政府去拜訪歐洲企業,詢問它們是否願意將工廠遷往美國。朋友之間不能這麼做。」
There was “enough room for everyone”, the second official added.
這名官員補充稱,「有足夠的空間容納所有人」。
During their joint trip to Washington, Habeck and Le Maire will meet US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen, trade representative Katherine Tai and commerce secretary Gina Raimondo.
在哈貝克和勒梅爾聯合訪問華盛頓期間,他們將會見美國財政部長珍妮特•葉倫(Janet Yellen)、貿易代表戴琪(Katherine Tai)和商務部長吉娜•雷蒙多(Gina Raimondo)。
The EU has repeatedly pressed for exemptions to the US climate package to help some European businesses benefit from the subsidies without uprooting their production. Lower energy costs in the US, which is less directly exposed to the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on global markets for oil and gas, are also making that market more attractive for some manufacturers.
歐盟一再要求在美國氣候補貼計劃之中取得豁免,幫助一些歐洲企業在不轉移生產的情況下受益於這些補貼。俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭影響了全球石油和天然氣市場,但美國所受的直接影響較小,因此美國能源成本下降,也使其市場對一些製造商更具吸引力。
The Le Maire and Habeck visit, billed in part as a show of unity between France and Germany at a time when relations have been strained by the energy crisis in Europe and the fallout from the Ukraine war, is unlikely to yield much in terms of extra wriggle-room, the officials said.
官員們表示,勒梅爾和哈貝克的訪問不太可能產生太多額外的迴旋空間。此次訪問在一定程度上被宣傳爲,在歐洲能源危機和烏克蘭戰爭餘波導致法德關係緊張之際展示兩國團結的表現。
The main exemption obtained so far allows electric cars built outside North America to qualify for some of the tax credits offered to US drivers, a shift that could benefit German auto manufacturers in particular.
迄今爲止獲得的主要豁免允許北美以外地區生產的電動汽車有資格享受美國司機享受的部分稅收抵免,這一轉變可能尤其有利於德國汽車製造商。
German officials have expressed concern that some in the US Congress want to revisit the compromise on electric cars. “There have been efforts made by some to reopen it and we want to signal how important it is for us that this agreement is preserved,” said one.
德國官員對美國國會中一些人希望重新審議有關電動汽車的妥協表示擔憂。其中一名官員表示:「一些人一直在努力重啓談判,我們希望表明,維護這項協議對我們有多麼重要。」
Habeck and Le Maire also hope to persuade the US to show more flexibility when it comes to local production requirements contained in the IRA for critical materials used in electric car batteries, German and French officials said — one area where there are already co-operation treaties between the EU and the US. They will also press for transparency on the level of US subsidies handed out to businesses, which could allow the EU to match some of the incentives.
德國和法國官員表示,哈貝克和勒梅爾還希望說服美國,在《降低通膨法》中對電動汽車電池關鍵材料的本地生產要求方面表現出更大靈活性。歐盟和美國已經在這一領域簽署了合作條約。他們還將敦促美國提高企業補貼水準的透明度,這可能使歐盟能夠提供與美國的一些激勵措施相匹配的補貼。
The European Commission is generally in charge of trade policy for the bloc. However, a German official noted that it was “very important that [France and Germany] explain [to the US] from a national perspective what kind of effect the IRA could have on us, and the challenge that it presents”, he said.
歐盟委員會(European Commission)通常負責歐盟的貿易政策。然而,一名德國官員指出,「非常重要的是,(法國和德國)應從國家角度向(美國)解釋《降低通膨法》可能對我們造成什麼樣的影響,以及它帶來的挑戰」。
The EU is preparing its own response to the US climate programme, which includes loosening restrictions on subsidies in Europe and extra funding for green tech businesses.
歐盟正在準備自己對美國氣候計劃的回應,其中包括放鬆對歐洲補貼的限制,以及爲綠色科技企業提供額外資金。