欧洲议会投票通过英国“脱欧”协议

欧洲议会全体会议全体周三决议通过“脱欧”的法案，让英国在正式脱离欧盟的进程上有了决定性的进展，为本月31日实现“脱欧”铺平道路。

英国与欧盟已经密切合作了长达半个世纪，此次的决议标志着英国将成为第一个脱离欧盟的国家，而这也被视为欧洲凝聚力开始消散的一个迹象。

The European Parliament gave the final approval to Britain's exit from the European Union on Wednesday, paving the way for the country to quit the bloc on Friday, after nearly half a century, and marking a major setback for the European integration.

“声泪俱下”的决议

投票当日，在各党团领袖一番激情洋溢的辩论下，最终多数议员同意了这份27个欧盟国家与英国在去年十月所达成的“脱欧”协议，其中就包括了英国将在周五正式脱欧的条款。共计有621个议员投票赞成，49人反对，另有13人弃权。

投票结束后，议员们还在会场内唱起歌曲《友谊地久天长》，以此表达对英国离开欧盟的惋惜，并祝福英国与欧盟之间开始新的友好关系。现场不少议员潸然泪下，一些议员还围着印有“永远同在”字样的围巾。

而因为英国将脱离欧盟，73个英国的欧洲议员们也将离开欧洲议会，他们在投票结束之后前去参加了为他们举办的告别会。

After an emotional debate during which several speakers shed tears, EU lawmakers voted 621 for and 49 against the Brexit agreement sealed between Britain and the 27 other member states last October, more than three years since the Britons voted out.

Thirteen lawmakers abstained and the chamber then broke into a rendition of Auld Lang Syne, a traditional Scottish folk song of farewell. Britain's 73 departing EU lawmakers headed for an "Au Revoir" party in the EU chamber after the vote.

漫长的“脱欧”进程

英国驻欧盟大使蒂姆·巴罗在周三早些时候向欧盟官员正式提交了“脱欧”相关的资料。

在拖延了长达三年多的“脱欧”议程终于成埃落定后，英国终于将在格林威治标准时间1月31日23:00正式脱离欧盟。英国国旗将会从所有欧盟的办公场所里被取下。

Earlier on Wednesday, Britain's ambassador to the EU handed documents formalizing Brexit to a senior EU official. Against a backdrop of British and EU flags at the bloc's Brussels headquarters, Tim Barrow, smiling, passed over a dark blue leather file embossed with the emblem of the United Kingdom.

After protracted divorce talks, Britain will leave the club it joined in 1973 at midnight Brussels time on Friday, when British flags will be removed from EU offices.

（European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen smiles as she addresses a press conference to announce the names of the new European commissioners, September 10, 2019. /VCG Photo）

按照既定程序，英国“脱欧”协议在欧洲议会表决通过后，还需欧盟理事会投票批准。根据这份协议，英国在正式脱离欧盟后，双方随即将围绕未来关系展开谈判。

因为“脱欧”后仅有11个月的过渡期，很快，英国与欧盟将在贸易、出入境、国家安全合作方面展开具体的新一轮的讨论。

欧盟代表们对英国的谈判的态度目前趋于强势。

欧盟委员会主席乌尔苏拉·冯德莱恩在议会的讲话中说：“我们在考虑一个免关税免配额的自由贸易协定。但前提是欧盟和英国的市场应该继续公平良性竞争。我们是绝对不会将我们的公司置于不公的市场竞争环境中。”

With a status-quo transition period running only until year-end, fresh talks – covering everything from trade to security – will begin soon on a new relationship.

"We are considering a zero-tariff, zero-quotas free trade agreement. But the precondition is that EU and British businesses continue to compete on a level playing field. We will certainly not expose our companies to unfair competition," European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen told the chamber.

有外交人士透露，欧盟首席谈判代表米歇尔·巴尼耶在周三早些时候曾对27个欧盟国家的代表说，与英国之间的后续协定可以以欧盟和乌克兰之前所签下的协定作为模版来展开。

此外据消息，巴尼耶曾在一个关门会议上强调过：“我们绝对不会在对我们关键的事项上让步。”

Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier told envoys of the remaining 27 members earlier on Wednesday that a loose association agreement like the EU has with Ukraine should serve as the basis for new relations, diplomatic sources said.

"We will not give ground on issues that are important to us," Barnier said, according to sources briefed on the closed-door meeting.

格格不入的英国

（Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during the weekly question time debate in Parliament in London, Britain, January 22, 2020. /Reuters Photo）

英国2016年经公投，以52%同意票对48%的反对票，决定离开欧盟，此后3年半一直陷于“脱欧”进程。英国民众就如何、何时、甚至是否“脱欧”难达共识，致社会深度撕裂。

英国独立党领导人、“脱欧”派领袖奈杰尔·法拉奇奈杰尔·法拉奇在他离开欧洲国会的当天说，一旦英国脱离了欧盟，那就永远都“不会再回来。”

他说2016年的公投结果已经能够反映英国人普遍“疑欧”的态度，质疑欧盟未来的政策方向是否会损害到英国的利益。

“英国真的不适合欧盟，我们脱离了会更好，” 法拉奇说。

On his last working day as a member of the European Parliament, leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage told reporters there was "no going back" once the UK leaves.

"The UK didn't fit, we'd be better off out," he said, describing Euroscepticism as a settled view in the UK, where "Leave" won the 2016 referendum by a narrow 52 to 48 percent margin.

对于今后将在2020年底前达成的新英欧协议，英国似乎在“公平竞争”这个欧盟一直在强调的关键词上有相向的看法，预示了今后新的谈判又将是布满坎坷的。

法拉奇说，英国首相鲍里斯·约翰逊曾向他保证过，在新的协议中，是不会有所谓的“公平竞争”这样的字眼和条款的。

He said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised him there would be no so-called "level playing field" clauses on fair competition in the new EU-UK deal, highlighting a major point of contention with the bloc in the coming talks.

再见，再见

(A protester holds a placard outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain on Feb. 14, 2019. /Xinhua photo)

多数人表达了对英国脱离欧盟的遗憾。欧洲议会议长大卫·萨索利和冯德莱恩都表示做出这一决定是多么的不容易，更表达了对于英国将脱离欧盟的深深惋惜。

冯德莱恩说：“我们会永远爱你们，我们永远不会远去。”

萨索利说：“你们离开了欧盟，但你们仍是欧洲的一部分。”

“对我们来说，共识永远大于分歧，” 他说。

While some MEPs marked the occasion with chants - others wore "always united" scarves.

For the Parliament's president, David Sassoli, it was a hard goodbye. The chief said the UK will always be a part of Europe.

"There is more that unites us than divides us."

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