The United Kingdom left the European Union on Friday, its most significant change of course since the loss of its empire — and a major blow to 70 years of efforts to forge European unity from the ruins of two world wars.
After the numerous twists and turns of a three-and-a-half-year crisis, the final parting is an anticlimax of sorts: Britain steps into the twilight zone of a transition period that preserves membership in all but name until the end of this year.
At a stroke, the EU will lose 15 percent of its economy, its biggest military spender and the world’s international financial capital — London.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
“This is the moment when the dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act,” said UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, one of the leaders of the “Leave” campaign in the 2016 referendum. “It is a moment of real national renewal and change.”
DISUNITED KINGDOM
The EU cautioned that leaving meant losing the benefits of membership, though the US said Britons wanted to escape the “tyranny of Brussels.” While Britons either side of the Brexit (a portmanteau of “British” and “exit”) divide expressed either sadness or delight.
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
For proponents, Brexit is “independence day” — an escape from what they cast as a doomed German-dominated project that is failing its 500 million people.
Opponents believe Brexit is a folly that will weaken the West, shrivel what is left of Britain’s global clout, undermine its economy and ultimately lead to a more inward-looking and less cosmopolitan set of islands in the northern Atlantic.
Brexit was always about much more than Europe. The referendum, which split voters 52 percent to 48 percent, showed up deep divisions and triggered soul-searching about everything from secession and immigration to empire and modern Britishness.
Photo: Bloomberg
照片：彭博社
SMALL TIMEFRAME AHEAD
Feb. 1 marks the beginning of a new phase of negotiations between London and Brussels to agree on the shape of their future relationship.
They have until the end of 2020 — a transition period during which Britain will remain an EU member in all but name — to hammer out an agreement on trade and other issues including security, energy, transport links, fishing rights and data flow.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
Johnson claims 11 months is time enough to strike a “zero tariff, zero quota” trade deal and has vowed — even though the option is there — not to extend the limbo period beyond 2020.
If they fail, the legal default will be a potentially crippling no-deal Brexit that would leave trade between Britain and the EU from 2021 onwards based on WTO terms, and see the imposition of import duties and controls.
(Reuters)
英國上週五脫離了歐洲聯盟，這是自大英帝國解體以來英國最重大的改變，這對自兩次世界大戰廢墟中重建、經七十年整合努力的歐洲來說，也是重大的打擊。
這場危機歷時三年半、經過無數迂迴曲折，最後的脫歐似乎有些太過平靜：英國進入了過渡期的模糊地帶，雖名義上已脫離歐盟，但到年底前這段過渡期仍享有原先歐盟成員國之待遇。
英國一脫歐，歐盟即會損失百分之十五的經濟、其最大的軍事開支國，以及國際金融重鎮──倫敦。
英國首相波里斯‧強森說：「這是黎明破曉、揭開新篇章的時刻」，強森曾是二○一六年公投中「脫歐」派的領導人之一。「這是真正的民族復興與變革的一刻。」
國內嚴重的分歧
歐盟警告說，英國脫歐意味失去歐盟成員國所享有的利益，雖然美國表示英國人想逃離「布魯塞爾的暴政」。而對於脫歐，英國贊成與反對的兩方皆表達出其喜與悲。〔「Brexit」（英國脫歐）一字為「Britain」與「 exit」所合成。〕
對脫歐支持者來說，英國脫歐日是「獨立日」──擺脫了他們所認為註定失敗、由德國主導、辜負其五億人民的歐盟。
反對脫歐的人認為，英國脫歐是不智之舉，會削弱西方的力量，也會讓英國所剩不多的全球影響力更無足輕重、破壞英國的經濟，最終會讓英國變成獨善其身、國際化程度較低的北大西洋島嶼。
英國脫歐所牽涉的問題絕不止是歐洲。脫歐公投將選民撕裂為百分之五十二贊成與百分之四十八反對的兩方，顯示選民分歧之深，也引發了人民對國家分裂、移民，乃至大英帝國及現代對「英國性」之定義等這一切的深刻反省。
協議談判的緊迫時程
倫敦與布魯塞爾自二月一日起開始新階段的談判，以決定其未來關係的樣貌。
將於二○二○年底屆滿的過渡時期中（在過渡期，英國實質仍為歐盟成員，但名義上不是），英國和歐盟必須就貿易和其他問題（包括安全、能源、交通運輸、漁權及資料流通）達成協議。
強森聲稱，十一個月的時間足以達成「零關稅、零配額」的貿易協議，並誓言不會把過渡期延長、拖過二○二○年，即便英國有此選項。
若未在此期限內達成協議，就會變成無協議脫歐，損害可能非常嚴重，英國和歐盟間之貿易便會在二○二一年起依世界貿易組織（WTO）之規定課徵進口關稅及受管制。
(台北時報林俐凱編譯)
FOLLOW UP 讀後練習
Questions
1. When and through what procedure did the UK decide to leave the EU?
2. What do you think are some of the reasons why British people supported leaving or remaining in the EU?
3. What is the next step for the Brexit process after Feb. 1?
4. What are the pros and cons of an independent nation state ceding certain aspects of sovereignty to join an economic and political union such as the EU?
(Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)
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