布鲁塞尔的官员们声称，在美国宰杀的鸡不配出现在欧洲人的餐桌上。
Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables.
美国人回应说：不对，我们的家禽完全没问题，只是清洗方法不同而已。
No, say the Americans: our fowl are fine, we simply clean them in a different way.
如今，阻碍富裕国家之间贸易运转的，与其说是关税，不如说是各国国内法规的差异——而且程度远不止于此。
These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries.
抱怨的不只是农民。
It is not just farmers who are complaining.
一款符合欧盟安全标准的电动剃须刀，在美国销售之前必须经过美国测试人员的审批；而一台美国制造的透析机，在进入欧洲市场之前则需要获得欧盟的批准。
An electric razor that meets the European Union's safety standards must be approved by American testers before it can be sold in the United States, and an American-made dialysis machine needs the EU's okay before it hits the market in Europe.
碰巧的是，一款在欧洲安全合规的剃须刀，不太可能电死美国人。
As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans.
那么，大西洋两岸的企业界都在问：既然一套检测就够了，为什么还要做两套？
So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do?
政界人士原则上表示同意，因此美国和欧盟一直在努力达成一项协议，该协议将消除对众多产品进行重复检测的必要性。
Politicians agree, in principle, so America and the EU have been trying to reach a deal which would eliminate the need to double-test many products.
他们希望能在5月28日美欧贸易峰会前完成谈判。
They hope to finish in time for a trade summit between America and the EU on May 28th.
尽管谈判人员持乐观态度，但细节问题极为复杂，他们或许连达成任何协议都会有困难。
Although negotiators are optimistic, the details are complex enough that they may be hard-pressed to get a deal at all.
为什么？困难之一在于如何构建协议本身。
Why? One difficulty is to construct the agreements.
美国人乐于在医疗设备标准上达成一项协议，然后再费力商定——比如——电子产品和药品生产方面的另外几项协议。
The Americans would happily reach one accord on standards for medical devices and then hammer out different pacts covering, say, electronic goods and drug manufacturing.
欧盟——秉承欧洲大陆一贯的传统——希望就一般原则达成共识，这些原则可适用于多种类型的产品，或许还能推广到其他国家。
The EU — following fine continental traditions — wants agreement on general principles, which could be applied to many types of products and perhaps extended to other countries.