【外刊英语精读】英国脱欧，久拖不决

The Brexit endgame: How late it was, how late

脱欧残局：久拖不决

Talks inch towards a last-minute deal—but it is not done yet

谈判朝着最终协议缓慢推进，但协议还没有达成。

The government is urging businesses to step up preparations for the end of Britain’s transition out of the European Union on December 31st.

（英国）政府正催促企业加快准备，以迎接12月31日英国脱欧过渡期的结束。

This week Michael Gove, the cabinet office minister, announced the setting up of a new border operations centre, adding that significant change was coming with or without a trade deal.

本周英国内阁办公室部长Michael Gove宣布建立新的边境事务中心，并补充说无论是否达成贸易协议，重大改变都将到来。

Yet many companies retorted that uncertainty over the negotiations made proper preparation all but impossible.

但是许多公司对此反驳，认为谈判的不确定性使其几乎无法做出适当准备。

alks in London have made some progress, yet the old gaps remain over fisheries and a level playing-field for competition.

本周在伦敦举行的谈判取得了一些进展，然而双方就渔场和公平竞争议题的分歧仍然存在。

Officials suggest Boris Johnson now needs to intervene to seal a deal.

有官员建议约翰逊现在需要加以干预从而达成协议。

The prime minister is under pressure, especially after a big backbench Tory revolt on December 1st against his new covid-19 tier system.

首相正面临压力，尤其是在12月1日经历了一次大规模的保守党后座议员对其新冠疫情分级体系的反抗之后。

Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group, a consultancy, sees little sign of early readiness to give more ground to the EU.

来自咨询公司欧亚集团的Mujtaba Rahman并未看到英国发出已经准备好向欧盟妥协的讯号。

And the mooted inclusion of more unilateral (and illegal) changes to the Northern Ireland provisions of the withdrawal treaty in next week’s finance bill could upset the applecart again.

在下周的金融议案中，英国提出对脱欧协议爱尔兰条款的单边（以及非法）更改，这可能会再次扰乱整体计划。

As repeated Brexit deadlines come and go, the timetable for ratifying a trade treaty that runs to some 800 pages (plus annexes) becomes ever tighter.

随着脱欧期限一再更改，批准长达约800页（含附录）的贸易协议愈加刻不容缓。

Getting a deal through Westminster should not be hard even with another revolt by hardline Tories, because the Labour opposition is unlikely to vote it down if the alternative is no deal.

即使态度强硬的保守党再次反叛，英国议会通过协议也并非难事，因为相比无协议脱欧，工党是不会对该协议投反对票的。

But rushed approval by the EU is a lot more problematic.

欧盟若草率通过该协议，其程序就更加纷繁复杂。

All national governments must agree. Some may jib if there is not enough time for full legal scrutiny and translation.

所有成员国政府都必须同意该协议。如果没有足够时间进行充分的法律审查和法律翻译，一些成员国是不愿踏出这一步的。

In a few countries, such as Finland, parliamentary approval is needed before a government signs.

在一些国家，比如芬兰，政府签署协议之前需要得到议会批准。

Some parliaments may also demand a say if the deal is “mixed”, meaning it includes issues such as airline regulation or social security that fall within national not EU competence.

一些国家的议会可能也会要求对该协议是否是“混合”协议进行解释，即该协议是否包含了属于国家管辖范畴而非欧盟管辖范畴的议题，比如民航管控和社会保障。

That is harder with the European Parliament, since its approval has always preceded a trade deal taking effect.

这对欧洲议会来说更难，因为贸易协定生效之前需要它的批准。

Next week sees its last planned plenary meeting of the year.

下周将举办欧洲议会本年度的最后一次全体会议。

Two committees normally scrutinize and report on trade deals before they are voted on.

在对协议投票之前，两个委员会通常要审查贸易协议对进行报告。

Yet MEPs are well briefed on the Brexit trade talks, and are anxious not to be seen as an obstacle to a deal.