自1973年正式加入歐洲共同體（歐盟）以來，英國參與歐洲整合已逾四十年。然而此其間，對於象徵歐洲整合持續深化的重大議題，如申根公約、歐元等，英國始終缺乏積極參與的精神與熱情。2013年1月23日，英國首相卡麥隆（David Cameron）拋出英國將在2017年就其歐盟會籍身分進行公投的政策主張後，立即引發各界的熱烈討論。本文認為英國早年基於自身經濟不振的考量，投入歐洲整合運動，卻因讓渡主權問題而無法認同歐盟持續深化的發展方向，在目前英國經濟尚未達到更平衡復甦以及國內疑歐派勢力高漲的情況下，卡麥隆拋出英國續留歐盟公投的議題，目的無非希望藉以解決其所面臨的政治困境。惟脫離歐盟是否真的更有利於英國的經濟發展？其對於英國可能產生何種衝擊？對歐盟又將產生何種影響？這些問題關係重大而深遠，不僅英國人民須作理性審慎的思考，歐盟各國更是不能掉以輕心。 Though Britain has been an EU member for more than forty years, the British view of European integration has historically been characterized as “half in half out” of the EU. Not only did Britain opt-out from the single currency and the Schengen Agreement on free movement, but also enjoyed being portrayed as one of the least enthusiastic EU member states. On January 23rd, 2013, British Prime Minister David Cameron delivered a speech on Britain's relationship to the EU, in which, Cameron has promised to call an in/out referendum before the end of 2017 which made Britain's relations with the EU comes to a critical juncture. This paper discusses the historical background of the British Eurosceptism, motives for Cameron to call for EU referendum and analyzes the potential implications of this Brexit on both Britain and the European Union. It then reaches the conclusion that the UK should remain in a reformed European Union as leaving the EU would hurt the UK much more than the EU.
