But, despite being the EU’s third poorest country, the European Commission’s rulings mean that it must purchase emission quotas from richer and more polluting EU members that have done little to meet their Kyoto commitments. This unbalanced approach is jeopardizing the economic development of Latvia and other vulnerable new member states, while old members enjoy a free ride.
但是，尽管拉脱维亚是欧盟第三贫困的国家，欧盟委员会的裁决还是意味着该国必须从更加富有、污染更大、而且在履行京都责任方面毫无建树的欧盟成员国那里购买排放配额。这种不平衡的方式让原来的成员国搭上了免费的顺风车，却损害了拉脱维亚及其他脆弱的新成员国的经济发展。