2016年，英国举行全民公投，宣告与欧盟分手。三年后的今天，脱欧进程仍未结束。为什么分手的过程如此痛苦？英国到底什么时候才能脱欧？今天带大家从三个关键词走进Brexit。
关键词：Article 50; No-deal Brexit; Backstop
01. 脱欧背景
自1973年英国加入欧共体（欧盟前身），英国对于欧共体的态度始终充满着不确定感，这为之后双方的矛盾爆发埋下了隐患。近几年，欧盟经济的萎靡不振和移民问题更是加重了英国的疑欧情绪。
另一方面，英国一旦脱欧，将迎来自己在贸易关系签署上的完全自主权，且无需再向欧盟提交高昂的预算费。
2016年6月，英国举行脱欧公投，过半选民支持脱离欧盟。
- Nearly half (49%) of leave voters said the biggest single reason for wanting to leave the European Union was “the principle that decisions about the UK should be taken in the UK”.
- One third (33%) of leave voters said the main reason was that leaving “offered the best chance for the UK to regain control over immigration and its own borders.”
02. 英国到底什么时候脱欧？
英国应该在什么时候正式脱欧呢？这就不得不提到一个词“Article 50”。
Article大家比较熟悉的意思是“文章”，它也可以指法律、契约中的“条款”。
为了保证欧盟的有效运作，欧盟成员国签署了the Lisbon Treaty（里斯本条约），其中第50条就规定了成员国脱离欧盟时需要遵照的流程。
- Invoke: 援用
For the UK to leave the EU it had to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which gives the two sides two years to agree the terms of the split.
2017年3月29日，根据《里斯本条约》第50条，英国正式启动脱欧程序，与欧盟展开为期两年（至2019年3月29日）的谈判。
- Trigger: 启动
Theresa May triggered this process on 29 March, 2017, meaning the UK is scheduled to leave at 11pm UK time on Friday, 29 March 2019, regardless of whether there is a deal with the EU or not.
若要延长谈判期限，须取得欧盟其他成员国同意。
- Halt: 停止，中断
A European court has ruled that the UK can decide to halt the process and stay in the EU at any time up to the deadline. Alternatively the process can be extended if all 28 EU members agree.
03. 为什么分手过程如此痛苦？
2018年11月，英国与欧盟已经达成了退出协议（withdrawal agreement），对双方分手的条件作出了规定。根据协议，2019年3月29日至2020年12月31日是英国脱欧后的过渡期。
退出协议虽然已获得欧盟方面通过，但仍需英国议会及欧盟其他成员国分别表决通过才能生效。
那么英国议员们支持这份退出协议吗？并不。他们三次投票否决了这份协议。
- MP: (Member of Parliament) 议员
- In a row: 接连
On 29 March – the original day that the UK was due to leave the EU – MPs rejected it for a third time. Members of Parliament have rejected all remaining alternatives to Theresa May’s Brexit deal after the prime minister’s own agreement failed to pass three timesin a row.
随后欧盟表示，英国必须在4月12日以前提出新方案，否则将进行“无协议脱欧”（no-deal Brexit）。
- Transitional period: 过渡期
A no-deal Brexit would mean the UK leaving the European Union and cutting ties immediately, with no agreement at all in place. That would mean there would be notransitional period after the UK leaves, and EU laws would stop applying to the UK immediately.
无协议脱欧意味着在英国正式脱欧后没有过渡期，双方贸易将依照世界贸易组织规则。英国很可能面临食品价格抬高、边境混乱等一系列经济和社会问题。
The UK would follow World Trade Organization rules to trade with the EU and other countries, while trying to negotiate free-trade deals. It expects some food prices could rise and checks at customs could cost businesses billions of pounds.
04. 议会为什么反对？
英国议会为什么再三反对首相特蕾莎·梅提出的退欧协议？其中一个备受争议的话题就是退欧协议的backstop（备份安排），它旨在避免在英国北爱尔兰地区与爱尔兰之间恢复“硬边界”，即重新设置实体海关和边防检查设施。
One of the biggest sticking points has been over what happens at the Irish border.
Both the EU and UK want to avoid the return of guard posts and checks, so something called the backstop – a sort of safety net – was included in the deal.
欧盟成员国爱尔兰与英国北爱尔兰地区的边界曾因武装冲突而长期处于军事化状态，直至1998年才实现了自由贸易。为防血腥冲突重演，英国和欧盟都认为爱尔兰边界应尽可能保持开放，要求将“备份安排”写入脱欧协议中。
- Resort: 应急措施；可最后采取的手段
The backstop is meant to be a last resort to keep an open border on the island of Ireland – whatever happens in the Brexit negotiations.
但由于这份backstop并不设期限，也不允许英国单方面叫停，反对者们担心北爱尔兰可能会无限滞留欧盟，导致英国分裂。虽然投票前首相特雷莎·梅破釜沉舟，以辞职为代价希望换取协议的通过，却仍然没有赢得超过半数的赞成票。
May had offered to resign if Parliament passed her deal, but ultimately she was unable to persuade enough MPs to back a plan they had resoundingly rejected in two previous votes.
最新消息：当地时间4月3日，英国议会通过一项法案，要求首相特雷莎·梅政府向欧盟寻求延迟脱欧期限的法案，从而阻止硬脱欧。
但欧盟委员会主席表示，若英国无法于本月12日前通过脱欧协议，便不可能再短暂延期。
英国接下来将何去何从？这场脱欧大戏的结局，还早着呢……
