The irony, of course, was that most of the 15 old member states had refused to give the new members full and immediate access to the Western job markets. But in any event, it was too late to protest: the ten Eastern states had already been granted membership of the Union.
当然，具有讽刺意味的是：欧盟15个老成员国中的绝大多数都拒绝让新成员国立即全面地进入西欧劳务市场。但无论如何，抗议已经为时太晚：10个东欧国家已经取得了欧盟成员的地位。