[Annotated] The EU digests Britain's new Brexit plan

The Irish border remains the biggest obstacle to a deal

The reaction in the rest of the European Union to the Chequers proposals this week was muted^[각주:1], partly because of the political turmoil in^[각주:2] Britain and partly because the EU was waiting to see the details in the government's Brexit white paper, which is due to be published on^[각주:3] July 12th. But European negotiators are relieved that Theresa May seems finally to have acknowledged that Brexit implies trade-offs^[각주:4]. They have something to get their teeth into^[각주:5] when talks resume next week, and especially when ministers from across the EU convene to^[각주:6] discuss Brexit on July 20th. 

That will be the first test for Britain's proposal to, in effect^[각주:7], retain membership of^[각주:8] the EU single market for^[각주:9] some traded goods. The European Commission insists that the single market's freedoms are indivisible. Not every government may take such a tough line^[각주:10]. Some are less wedded to ensuring that^[각주:11] their workers retain the right to move to^[각주:12] Britain after Brexit than is often realized. A bigger concern is ensuring that deregulation in^[각주:13] Britain does not undercut European firms^[각주:14]. 

Yet official say the Chequers proposal is unlikely to fly as it is. The British request still looks like cherry-picking^[각주:15]. In sophisticated manufactured products, the relative value of goods and services, such as maintenance contracts, are often tricky to disentangle^[각주:16]. Who would determine which products would fall under^[각주:17] Britain's proposed "common rule-book"? And there are questions over governance of^[각주:18] the proposed arrangement^[각주:19]. Some in Brussels argued for shooting down the goods-only proposal^[각주:20] even before it was agreed at Chequers. 

Nor do Britain's nightmarish politics help^[각주:21]. Some Tory politicians have said that Chequers^[각주:22] represents the limit of the concessions they can accept^[각주:23]. The EU has no wish to see Mrs May toppled^[각주:24]. The concern is that having battled so hard to^[각주:25] convince her cabinet^[각주:26] to unite behind a softer form of^[각주:27] Brexit, shedding ministers^[각주:28] along the way^[각주:29], it will be impossible for the prime minister to make the necessary further concessions. 

The EU has two possible tactics. One is to adopt^[각주:30] the right tone^[각주:31]. Its objections to^[각주:32] Chequers will be carefully telegraphed^[각주:33] and discreetly expressed in^[각주:34] order not to hand further ammunition to^[각주:35] Mrs May's enemies. The second is to delay. Britain's withdrawal agreement^[각주:36], which is supposed to be signed in October or soon afterwards^[각주:37], need cover only the principles of the future trade and migration relationship. The details will be negotiated after Britain has formally left the EU next March, by when the political temperature may have cooled^[각주:38]. 

Amid all the talk about the future relationship, a more urgent issue is being overlooked^[각주:39]. Last December Mrs May agreed that Northern Ireland would retain^[각주:40] regulator^[각주:41] and customs alignment with^[각주:42] the EU unless another way could be found to forestall a hard border with^[각주:43] Ireland. But to conclude the withdrawal treaty, Britain and the EU must agree on language that gives this "backstop^[각주:44]" legal form. And that looks hard. Mrs May reiterated to Parliament this week that^[각주:45] she would not accept regulatory^[각주:46] divergence between^[각주:47] Britain and Northern Ireland, implying that the backstop must apply to the United Kingdom as a whole^[각주:48]. But the EU fears that would allow Britain partial membership of^[각주:49] the single market via the back door^[각주:50]. 

Michel Barnier, the EU's Brexit negotiator, has tried to defuse the issue^[각주:51] by arguing that stepping up existing checks on goods at^[각주:52] ports and airports between Northern Ireland and the mainland hardly amounts to^[각주:53] erecting a border in^[각주:54] the Irish Sea. But that claim is unlikely to sway this British government^[각주:55], or any other. The two sides are stuck. Without a deal on the backstop there can be no withdrawal treaty, and Britain will tumble off the Brexit cliff edge on^[각주:56] March 29th 2019. This, more than anything else, should concentrate minds^[각주:57]. 

1. mute ; [타동사] 1. …에 약음[소음]기를 붙이다; …의 소리를 죽이다. ;; 2. …의 색조를 바림하다; 〔감정 따위〕를 누그러뜨리다. [본문으로]
2. turmoil ; [UC] 법석, 소동, 소란, 혼란(tumult) [본문으로]
3. be due to ; ~할 예정이다 [본문으로]
4. trade-off ; [명사] ~ (between sth and sth) (서로 대립되는 요소 사이의) 균형 ;; (타협을 위한) 거래, 교환 협정; (교섭에서의) 교환 조건 [본문으로]
5. get one's teeth into ; 1. …에 정신이 팔리다, 몰두하다 ;; 2. …에 기세 좋게 달려들다 [본문으로]
6. convene ; [자동사] 회합하다, 모임을 갖다 [본문으로]
7. in effect ; 1. 사실상[실제로는] ;; 2. 법이나 규정이 시행[발효] 중인 [본문으로]
8. retain ; [vn], (비교적 격식), (참고: retention , retentive) 1. (계속) 유지[보유]하다 [본문으로]
9. single market ; [명사] (주로 단수로) (경제) 단일 시장(권) (상품, 자본, 인력의 국가 간 이동에 제약이 거의 붙지 않는, 여러 국가들로 이뤄진 시장권) [본문으로]
10. take a hard[tough] line ; 강경 노선을 취하다 [본문으로]
11. wed ; [타동사] 4. [보통 수동형·재귀용법으로] …을 고집[에 집착]하다[to]. [본문으로]
12. retain ; [vn], (비교적 격식), (참고: retention , retentive) 1. (계속) 유지[보유]하다 [본문으로]
13. deregulation ; [명사] (인허가 따위 정부의) 규제 완화[철폐], 자유화, 규제 해제. [본문으로]
14. undercut ; 2. 약화시키다 [본문으로]
15. cherry-pick ; [타,자동사][VN, V] (최고를) 선별하다 [본문으로]
16. disentangle ; [자동사] (얽힘·혼란 따위로부터) 해방되다, 풀리다. ;; 해결되다 [본문으로]
17. fall under ; 1. …의 영향을 받다; …의 관할[지배] 아래 들어가다, …의 책임이다 ;; 2. …의 범위[부류]에 들어가다; …에 해당되다 [본문으로]
18. governance ; [U] (전문 용어) 통치, 관리; 통치[관리] 방식 [본문으로]
19. arrangement ; 3. [U, C] 조정, 중재; 수습, 해결; 결말, 낙착, 타협; 화해, 화합, 협정. ;; 4. 장치, 설비; 제도. [본문으로]
20. shoot (sb/sth) down ; 2. ~을 맹비난하다 [본문으로]
21. nightmarish ; [형용사] 악몽[악마] 같은 [본문으로]
22. Chequers ; (영) 수상의 지방 관저 ;; 미국∙영국 [tʃékərz] [본문으로]
23. concession ; 1. [C , U] (언쟁을 끝내거나 상황을 개선하기 위한) 양보[양해] ;; 참고 ; concede [본문으로]
24. topple ; 1. [자,타동사][+ adv. / prep.] 넘어지다; 넘어뜨리다 ;; 2. [타동사][VN] 실각시키다 [본문으로]
25. battle ; [자동사] 싸우다; 투쟁하다, 고투하다[against, with, for, to do]. [본문으로]
26. cabinet ; 3-(1). (英) (내각의) 회의실, 각의실 ; (지금은 특히) 각의(閣議). ;; 3-(2). [때로 C-] 내각. [본문으로]
27. unite behind ; ~을 중심으로 뭉치다, [본문으로]
28. shed ; 2. <잎 등을> 저절로 떨어지게 하다, <가죽·껍질·뿔 등을> 벗다, 갈다, 탈락시키다; <옷을> 벗어버리다; <무용지물·나쁜 버릇을> 버리다; 해고하다; 이혼하다 [본문으로]
29. along the way ; 그 과정에서 [본문으로]
30. adopt ; 5. WAY OF BEHAVING | [타동사][VN] (격식) (태도・어조・표정 등을) 취하다 [본문으로]
31. tone ; 2. 어조, 말투, 논조(論調) ;; 4. (사상·감정 등의) 경향, 풍조; 시황(市況); (연설 등의) 품격, 격조, 기품; 기분, 기질, 성격 [본문으로]
32. objection ; [명사] ~ (to sth/to doing sth) | ~ (that…) 이의, 반대 (이유) [본문으로]
33. telegraph ; [타동사] 3. (표정·몸짓 등으로) <의도 등을> 넌지시 알리다, 느끼게 하다 [본문으로]
34. discreetly ; [부사] 사려 깊게, 신중하게, 분별 있게 [본문으로]
35. ammunition ; [U] 2. (논쟁 등에서의) 공격[방어] 수단 [본문으로]
36. withdrawal ; [명사] 2. [U] 탈퇴, 기권 [본문으로]
37. soon afterwards ; 이내, 머지않아 [본문으로]
38. cool ; [자동사] 1. 식다, 차가워지다; 서늘해지다 ;; 2. <열정·화 등이> 식다, 가라앉다 [본문으로]
39. overlook ; [타동사] 1. 못 보고 지나치다, 빠뜨리고 못 보다 [본문으로]
40. retain ; [vn], (비교적 격식), (참고: retention , retentive) 1. (계속) 유지[보유]하다 [본문으로]
41. regulator ; 1. (산업・상업 분야의) 규제[단속] 기관[담당자] [본문으로]
42. alignment ; 2. (정치 운동 따위의) (…와의) 제휴, 동맹, 연합, 협력[with]. [본문으로]
43. forestall ; [타동사][VN] 미연에 방지하다 [본문으로]
44. backstop ; (구장(球場) 따위의) 백네트; (口)포수(捕手); 이탈을 막는 것, 안전장치 [본문으로]
45. reiterate ; (여러 번) 되풀이하다[반복하다]; 반복하여 말하다 ;; "to sb/sth" 부분을 that절 앞에 둔것을 확인 [본문으로]
46. regulatory ; [주로 명사 앞에 씀] (산업・상업 분야의) 규제[단속]력을 지닌 [본문으로]
47. divergence ; 2. (정상 상태로부터의) 일탈(逸脫)(deviation) ; (의견 따위의) 상위(相違) (difference). [본문으로]
48. as a whole ; 전체적으로 [본문으로]
49. partial membership ; 준회원자격. [본문으로]
50. back door ; 뒷문; 뒷구멍, 비밀[부정] 수단; [속어] 항문 [본문으로]
51. defuse ; [vn] 1. (긴장・위험 등을) 진정[완화]시키다 [본문으로]
52. step (sth) up ; ~을 증가시키다[강화하다] [본문으로]
53. amount to ; 2. …와 마찬가지이다[…에 해당하다] [본문으로]
54. erect ; (격식) 3. 만들다, 확립하다 [본문으로]
55. sway ; 3. <남의 의견·결심 등을> 좌우하다, 마음대로 하다; <목적·진로 등을> 빗나가게 하다 ;; 4. 지배하다, 지휘하다, 조종하다 [본문으로]
56. tumble off[from, out of] ;; …에서 떨어지다 [본문으로]
57. mind ; 4. THOUGHTS | [C] 신경, 생각, 관심 [본문으로]