Confidence in Italy, Spain, Ireland, Portugal, and Greece is rapidly evaporating, while the stronger economies in northern Europe are doing better, although they are struggling, too. Should this continue, perhaps bringing a de facto end to the Maastricht criteria and rising national protectionism in the form of industrial subsidies, the euro will be seriously jeopardized.
人们对意大利、西班牙、爱尔兰、葡萄牙和希腊的信心正在迅速蒸发，而北欧比较强大的经济体尽管日子也不好过，但情况相对要好一些。如果这种情况继续下去，也许马城条约标准将走到事实上的尽头，并且以国家保护主义的形式出现的工业补贴将不断抬头，欧元也将受到严重损害。不难想象欧元的失败将对欧盟作为一个整体意味着什么：那将是一场历史性的灾难。