【英语国际】欧洲紧缩措施引发多国大规模抗议活动

Tensions over Europe's austerity drive bubbled to the surface across the Continent as protesters hit the streets from Brussels to Madrid and a visiting U.S. official urged Europeans to tread carefully on fiscal belt-tightening.

A general strike left much of Spain paralyzed as unions challenged the government's draconian budget cuts and labor market overhaul. Demonstrations disrupted other European capitals including Brussels, Lisbon and Athens.

The protests, which are expected to continue in the coming weeks, mark a key test of the resolve of Europe's indebted governments to stick with promises to bring their deficits under control by cutting public spending. Greece, Spain and Portugal all bowed to pressure from investors and their European peers in recent months to trim spending, but the full force of the cuts is only now beginning to take hold.

'This is the start of the fight, not the end,' John Monks, who heads the European Trade Union Confederation, told supporters in Brussels.

For now, governments are expected to stand by their austerity plans. As unpopular as the spending cuts are, governments across the region have concluded that any other course would likely result in investors refusing to lend them money, leaving governments with no choice but to follow Greece in seeking a bailout.

Market reaction to Wednesday's protests was muted. Debt markets in the afflicted countries dipped slightly and major stock indexes across the region posting modest declines. Meanwhile the euro gained against the dollar on rising expectations that the Federal Reserve will be forced to step up monetary stimulus.

Analysts warn that any sign countries on the euro-zone periphery are backing away from their austerity commitments could unleash a selloff, hastening a return of the volatility that plagued markets in the spring when Greece nearly defaulted.

Investors are keeping a particularly close eye this week on Ireland and Portugal. The Irish government is expected on Thursday to detail the full cost of bailing out one of its major banks amid concerns that the rescue could cause the country's national debt to balloon and force the government to impose more austerity.

Outside Spain, protests were centered in Brussels, where an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 workers representing trade unions from all over Europe marched past the buildings that house the EU bureacracy.

The march, organized by the European Trade Union Confederation, came as European officials proposed legislation that would allow the EU's executive arm to impose sanctions on profligate euro zone governments. The unions worry that the sanctions would endanger jobs.

Lalo R. Villar/Associated Press周三，西班牙，纠察队员点燃火焰拦截高速公路。
欧洲紧缩措施引发的紧张气氛在欧洲大陆充分显露，从布鲁塞尔到马德里，抗议者涌上了街头，一位到访的美国官员敦促欧洲在财政紧缩的问题上谨慎从事。

一场大罢工令西班牙的多数地区陷入瘫痪，因工会对政府大幅消减预算及改革劳动力市场感到不满。示威活动还影响到欧洲其他国家的首都，包括布鲁塞尔、里斯本和雅典。

预计抗议活动在接下来的数周还将持续。这些抗议对欧洲各国负债累累的政府所表明的决心是一次重大考验，他们决意坚守承诺，通过削减公共开支来控制赤字。希腊、西班牙和葡萄牙最近几个月屈从了投资者及其他欧洲国家要求它们缩减支出的压力，但支持削减的强大力量直到现在才开始掌握控制权。

欧洲工会联盟(European Trade Union Confederation)的负责人蒙克斯(John Monks)在布鲁塞尔对支持者说，这是斗争的开始，不是结束。

Associated Press周三，西班牙，示威者抢劫一家商店。眼下，各国政府可能仍将支持它们的紧缩计划。与削减开支计划同样不受欢迎的欧洲各国政府认为，任何其他行动方法都可能会令投资者拒绝向它们借出资金，从而使各国政府除了像希腊寻求拯救那样之外别无选择。

周三的抗议活动所引起的市场反应十分平淡。相关国家的债市微幅走低，欧洲主要股指跌幅有限。与此同时，欧元兑美元走高，因有关美联储(Federal Reserve)将被迫加大货币刺激的预期不断升温。

分析师警告说，任何显示欧元区国家放弃紧缩承诺的迹象都将引发抛售，使市场加速恢复波动，在今年春天希腊濒临违约之时，波动性曾令市场苦不堪言。

投资者本周尤其密切关注着爱尔兰和葡萄牙。预计爱尔兰政府周四将公布拯救该国一家主要银行的全部成本细节，这期间有人担心此次拯救将增加爱尔兰的国家债务，迫使政府实行更加严格的紧缩政策。

在西班牙之外，抗议活动集中在布鲁塞尔。估计有50,000至100,000名代表欧洲各地工会组织的工人在游行期间经过了欧盟办公所在地的建筑群。

此次游行由欧洲工会联盟组织，时间正值欧洲官员建议通过立法允许欧盟执行机构对挥霍浪费的欧元区政府实行制裁之际。各工会担心制裁将对就业产生威胁。