The Government tells the EU: we want faster integration
By Alex Singleton
Politics
Last updated: December 14th, 2010
Translation by Autumnson Blog
Cameron's administration is invoking a clause in the Lisbon Treaty (Photo: Getty)卡梅隆的政府在行使一項里斯本條約的條款（圖片來源：GETTY）
David Cameron’s true position on Europe is now clear – he’s an integrationist. His administration has written to the European Commission asking it to invoke a provision in the Lisbon Treaty called “enhanced cooperation”. This allows groups of EU countries to push forward with speedier integration, without every member taking part, and the Government wants to use it to create a single European patent system.
大衛卡梅隆對歐洲的真正立場現在很清楚- 他是一個主張融合者。他的政府已致函歐盟委員會，要求它行使里斯本條約的一項條款稱為“加強合作“。這容許歐盟多國家加快推進一體化，而沒有每一位成員參加，和政府希望用它來建立一個單一的歐洲專利制度。
Currently, member states have their own patent offices. These work together as members of a non-EU body, the European Patent Organisation, which helps companies gain patents across 40 countries.
目前，成員國有它們自己的專利機構，這些作為一個非歐盟機構 - 歐洲專利組織 - 的成員一起工作。EPS幫助公司獲得全球40多個國家的專利。
Of course, the European Commission believes that this is terrible – and, with the British Government’s support, wants to grab control of patents. It claims that the status quo hurts European companies because it burdens them with higher costs than those faced by their Japanese and American rivals. But, like so many integrationist arguments, this is feeble.
當然，歐盟委員會相信這是可怕的 - 而且，在得到英國政府的支持下，要抓住專利的控制。它聲稱現狀傷害歐洲的企業，因為它負擔它們以較高的成本，高於那些面對日本和美國競爭對手的。但是，像許多融合者的爭論，這是虛弱的。
Global exporters need protection in all the major economies, so a Japanese or American firm will face the exact same costs as a European one – and two-thirds of the difference between getting a patent in Europe and in America is down to translation costs.
Europeans like using their own languages, so these translation costs are never going to disappear completely. Now it’s true that the planned European patent would cut the languages allowable in patents to three – English, French and German – but this could be done under the existing national systems. Indeed, the whole of Europe could standardise on English (for patents) if they really wanted to cut costs, as Italy is arguing. But, as the Spanish government is arguing, not allowing their companies to register patents in Spanish puts them at a disadvantage – which is why it is refusing to participate in the scheme, leaving just 10 EU countries, including Britain, planning to go ahead with it.
What David Cameron’s administration is supporting is yet another poorly-conceived act of European integration – and one which would remove patents from democratic control and place them at the mercy of Brussels legislators and the lobbyists who take them for lunch. David Cameron’s support is unforgivable, and this provides another reminder that, on Europe, the current lot of Tories cannot be trusted.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/alexsingleton/100068257/the-government-tells-the-eu-we-want-faster-integration/
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