Name: 公司與國家 - BBC學習英語 (Companies vs countries - BBC Learning English)
Uploaded: 2021-10-13T16:45:27.000Z
Duration: 8 min 45 s

程度副詞

Multinational corporations can be really big –

跨國公司可以是真正的大公司 --

But does that mean they're more powerful than a country?

但這是否意味著他們比一個國家更強大？

We'll show you how the law keeps things balanced.

我們會告訴你法律是如何保持平衡的。

How can countries stop multinational companies if they break the law?

如果跨國公司違反法律，各國如何阻止它們？

And why do they end up fighting each other in court?

而為什麼他們最終會在法庭上互相爭吵？

And... let's find out how companies structure themselves

還有......讓我們來看看公司是如何構建自己的。

For decades, no one's held them to account.

幾十年來，沒有人追究他們的責任。

They've never been subject to any serious pressure.

他們從來沒有受到過任何嚴重的壓力。

So, as these companies grow, is the law keeping up?

那麼，隨著這些公司的發展，法律是否跟上了？

Do countries or companies have more power, legally?

在法律上，國家或公司是否有更大的權力？

Let's look at Canada, one of the most sued countries in the world.

讓我們來看看加拿大，世界上起訴最多的國家之一。

Canada has been sued lots, because of something called

加拿大已經被起訴了很多次，因為有一種叫做

the North American Free Trade Agreement: NAFTA.

NAFTA was the free trade deal between Canada, the USA and Mexico.

北美自由貿易區是加拿大、美國和墨西哥之間的自由貿易協議。

But, it also made it easier for investors to sue governments

但是，它也使投資者更容易起訴政府

  Canada soon became the most sued developed country in the world –

Foreign companies forced changes in Canadian law on toxic waste imports

外國公司迫使加拿大修改關於有毒廢物進口的法律

and sued for millions of dollars over oil drilling regulations.

並因石油鑽探條例而被起訴，索賠數百萬美元。

Campaigners were unhappy and it was eventually replaced

by the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement,

which limited the power of multinational companies

Maude Barlow campaigned against the trade agreement,

莫德-巴洛參加了反對貿易協定的活動。

She explained how she thinks companies got to be so powerful.

她解釋了她認為公司是如何變得如此強大的。

so that their production is in this country,

是以，他們的生產是在這個國家。

和他們在這個國家的避稅天堂。

and their administration's here, and so on...

和他們的管理在這裡，等等......

their head office might be somewhere else.

And so they truly are global corporations:

是以，他們確實是全球性的公司。

they really don't belong to nations... nation states.

他們真的不屬於民族......民族國家。

both nation-state law, but international law,

既有民族國家的法律，也有國際法。

or lack of international law – so that they can do what they want.

或缺乏國際法--這樣他們就可以做他們想做的事。

Maude thinks some multinational companies use their size and spread

莫德認為一些跨國公司利用其規模和分佈

And here's the important thing: that what...

the kind of laws that corporations get, in free trade agreements,

在自由貿易協定中，公司得到的那種法律。

if they don't like their laws, if they can...

如果他們不喜歡他們的法律，如果他們能...

if they show that their laws can... are affecting their...

如果他們表明他們的法律可以......正在影響他們的......。

their right to profit – negatively affecting their right to make money.

他們的獲利權--對他們賺錢的權利產生負面影響。

Whereas there's nothing currently internationally, at the...

that really does impose restrictions on these corporations.

Maude says corporations can get rights from trade agreements,

莫德說，企業可以從貿易協定中獲得權利。

She thinks companies have ended up with more power than countries.

她認為公司最終比國家擁有更多的權力。

That's the interesting thing: it's not that all the countries got together

這就是有趣的事情：不是說所有國家都聚在一起了

and said, 'Let's give these corporations legal rights that we don't have.'

並說，'讓我們給這些公司以我們所沒有的合法權利。

It started with this North American Free Trade Agreement,

它始於這個北美自由貿易協定。

but since then there are more than 3,000 bilateral investment agreements

但從那時起，有超過3000個雙邊投資協議

between countries – so, that's between any two countries and they...

國家之間 - 所以，這是在任何兩個國家之間，他們...

then the corporation of this country can sue that government,

那麼這個國家的公司就可以起訴這個政府。

and the corporations of that country can sue that government.

而這個國家的公司可以起訴這個政府。

Maude says companies have gradually gained power

So, some strong opinions there from the campaigner, Maude Barlow.

是以，運動家莫德-巴洛的一些強烈意見。

States and multinationals often disagree.

國家和多國公司往往有不同意見。

Does the way the companies are made protect them from the law?

公司的製造方式是否能保護他們不受法律約束？

For instance, a company is based in the United States,

but it owns several 'subsidiary companies' in another country,

但它在另一個國家擁有幾個 "子公司"。

like China and Russia, that are registered in those countries.

像中國和俄羅斯，在這些國家註冊的。

This kind of structure means the main company is protected from being sued

這種結構意味著主要公司受到保護，不會被起訴。

because it's harder to sue a parent company

for the actions of a subsidiary in another country.

為在另一個國家的子公司的行動。

So, what does that actually mean in reality?

那麼，這在現實中究竟意味著什麼？

Daniel Leader has taken major companies to court.

丹尼爾-利德曾將大公司告上法庭。

He explains how hard it is to punish a parent company

這很難。我們經歷了漫長的法律鬥爭

that have gone all the way to the Supreme Court,

這些案件一直延續到最高法院。

the principle of parent company liability.

But, happily, the Supreme Court now has twice rejected

但是，令人高興的是，最高法院現在已經兩次駁回了

the company's attempt to narrow parent company liability,

該公司試圖縮小母公司的責任。

and has in fact unanimously expanded the scope

and gone so far as to say if a parent company makes a public commitment

甚至於說，如果一個母公司公開承諾

about supervising or assisting its subsidiary and it fails to do so,

關於監督或協助其子公司，它沒有這樣做。

that in itself can give rise to legal liability.

It is hard to punish a parent company, but some courts,

要懲罰母公司是很難的，但有些法院。

are doing more to hold parent companies responsible.

正在做更多的工作來追究母公司的責任。

How effective is the law in dealing with companies that break the rules?

法律在處理違反規則的公司方面的效果如何？

the fundamental problem is you've had corporate impunity for decades,

根本問題是，幾十年來，你們的企業一直逍遙法外。

if not longer: corporations have not been held to account

如果不是更長時間：公司沒有被追究責任

for very serious human rights and environmental abuses.

對非常嚴重的侵犯人權和環境的行為。

But what's increasingly happening is the courts in many jurisdictions

但現在越來越多的情況是，許多司法管轄區的法院