The three largest member states – Britain, France, and Germany – have tended to respond to this paradox by pursuing closer trilateral cooperation. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with vanguard groups of members forging ahead – the recent diplomatic initiative concerning Iran’s nuclear program is a case in point.
最大的三个成员国——英国、法国和德国——面对这个矛盾，倾向于追求更紧密地三边合作。当然，先锋成员国先行一步没有什么不对——最近在伊拉克核计划问题上的外交倡议就刚好说明了这一点。的确，在可预见的未来，每个成员国都可能坚持自己追求独立外交政策的权利。