德国对英国退欧立场趋于强硬
就在英国首相特里萨•梅(Theresa May)准备在明天启动历史性的退欧谈判之际，德国收紧了对英国退欧的立场。
Chancellor Angela Merkel, who made accommodating noises after last summer’s referendum, has adopted a tough position on issues such as the UK’s exit bill and the sequencing of negotiations, partly in response to increasing expectations that Britain is seeking a hard Brexit.
曾在去年英国退欧公投后做出宽容表态的德国总理安格拉•默克尔(Angela Merkel)，在诸如英国退出账单和谈判顺序等问题上采取了强硬的立场，这在一定程度上是在回应各方对于英国将寻求硬退欧的日益增强的预期。
“We have no interest in punishing the UK, but we also have no interest in putting European integration in danger over the UK,” Wolfgang Schäuble, the finance minister and Ms Merkel’s close ally, said in a recent FT interview.
德国财长、默克尔亲密盟友沃尔夫冈•朔伊布勒(Wolfgang Schäuble)最近在接受英国《金融时报》采访时表示：“我们没有兴趣惩罚英国，但我们也无意在英国问题上让欧洲一体化陷入危险。”
“That’s why our priority must be, with a heavy heart, to keep the rest of Europe — without the UK — as close together as possible.”
“这就是为什么我们的首要任务必须是：以沉重的心情，保持欧洲其他国家——在英国退出之后——尽可能紧密地团结在一起。”
The hardening mood in the EU’s most powerful state runs counter to hopes in London that Berlin would take a softer line because of pressure from the powerful car lobby, concerned about its sales and investments in the UK.
伦敦方面曾希望，由于强大的汽车业游说阵营(该阵营担心其在英国的销售和投资)的压力，柏林方面将采取较温和立场。但是，欧盟内部最强大国家日趋强硬的情绪粉碎了英方的希望。
Instead, Germany’s political debate has become more fiercely pro-EU after the election as US president of Donald Trump, an enthusiastic supporter of Brexit, and the emergence of Martin Schulz, the Europhile former president of the European Parliament, as Ms Merkel’s main challenger in federal elections in September.
相反，在英国退欧积极支持者唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)当选美国总统，以及亲欧的欧洲议会(European Parliament)前议长马丁•舒尔茨(Martin Schulz)成为默克尔在今年9月的联邦选举中的主要挑战者之后，德国的政治辩论已变得愈发强烈地亲欧盟。
While the chancellor previously insisted she wished to keep Britain “as close as possible” to the EU, Berlin has now given priority to maintaining the EU’s fragile unity in the face of challenges including migration, eurozone economic tensions and populist attacks on the bloc from French and Polish nationalists.
尽管默克尔此前曾坚称，她希望让英国与欧盟“关系尽可能地密切”，但在面对种种挑战(包括移民、欧元区经济紧张和法国及波兰民族主义者对欧盟发起民粹主义攻击)的情况下，柏林已优先注重维护欧盟的脆弱团结。
Berlin backs the European Commission’s insistence that Britain’s exit terms must be negotiated before talks begin on any new relationship with the EU. Ms Merkel’s view is that agreement on exit must be struck in principle, probably in outline, before future arrangements are discussed.
欧盟委员会(European Commission)坚持必须先商定英国的退出条款、再启动与欧盟任何新关系的磋商;柏林方面支持这一立场。默克尔的看法是，在讨论未来安排之前，必须在原则上达成退出协议——很可能是以纲要形式。
This applies particularly to the UK’s exit bill, which the commission says may total €60bn. The German finance ministry said: “Any Article 50 agreement will have to include the UK’s assurances that it will honour the financial commitments it undertook as an EU member state.”
这一点尤其适用于英国的退出账单，据欧盟委员会表示，这份账单的总额也许高达600亿欧元。德国财政部表示：“任何有关《里斯本条约》第50条(Article 50)的协议，都必须包括英国的保证，即英国将履行其作为欧盟成员国承担的财政责任。”
Heribert Hirte, a legal expert for Ms Merkel’s Christian Democrats and member of the Bundestag EU affairs committee, said a breakdown over finances would “rule out any chance” of negotiating the future UK-EU relations agreement. Other German officials and politicians also highlight the obstacles to a mutually satisfactory deal. Detlef Seif, the CDU’s parliamentary Brexit spokesman, said: “We all see it’s going to be difficult. It would be a miracle if we got a good result.”
默克尔所在的基民盟(CDU)的法律专家、联邦议院欧盟事务委员会成员黑里贝特•希尔特(Heribert Hirte)表示，财务谈判的破裂将会“排除”谈判达成未来英国-欧盟关系协议的“任何可能性”。其他德国官员和政治人物也强调了达成双方都满意的协议的障碍。基民盟英国退欧事务议会发言人德特勒夫•赛夫(Detlef Seif)表示：“我们都明白这事将十分困难。能得到好的结果将是个奇迹。”
Norbert Spinrath, Brexit spokesman for Mr Schulz’s Social Democrats, said: “We expect the British to do the honourable thing. If they don’t, the EU can take them to the international courts.”
舒尔茨所在的社民党(SPD)的英国退欧事务发言人诺贝特•施皮拉特(Norbert Spinrath)说：“我们期望英国人拿出高尚的行为。如果他们不这样做，欧盟可以把他们告上国际法庭。”
The only party to welcome Brexit, the rightwing Alternative for Germany, has recently lost ground in polls.
唯一欢迎英国退欧的政党、右翼的德国新选择党(Alternative for Germany)最近在民调中失利。
However, government and Bundestag representatives argue friendly relations with the UK must be maintained if possible, and so, as one quipped, “this unpleasant duty must be done well”.
然而，德国政府和德国联邦议院(Bundestag)的代表们主张，在可能的情况下必须维持与英国的友好关系，正如其中一人的俏皮话所称，“必须好好完成这项令人不快的任务”。
