| 摘要: | 二○一四年九月十八日，蘇格蘭將舉行一次歷史性之獨立公投。蘇格蘭現今在聯合王國 中之地位十分特殊，且享有高度之自治。一九九八年英國國會通過蘇格蘭條例，為蘇格 蘭國會之創設建立法律依據。但蘇格蘭國會本身是否有權舉行蘇格蘭獨立公投，也引發 英國憲法上之爭議。二○一二年十月十五日，英國首相卡麥倫與蘇格蘭首席部長薩蒙德 簽訂愛丁堡協定，同意授權蘇格蘭國會依照前述蘇格蘭條例第三十條通過一項單獨立法 舉行獨立公投。二○一三年十一月二十六日，薩蒙德公布蘇格蘭獨立白皮書，為蘇格蘭 獨立提供詳盡之藍圖。一七○七年之前，蘇格蘭原本已經是一個主權獨立之國家，因此 當前蘇格蘭的追求獨立，似乎更可被定位為主權之回復。蘇格蘭一旦獨立，也會引發國 際法上國家承認、國家繼續以及國家繼承等問題。蘇格蘭獨立公投如獲通過，將影響未 來蘇格蘭與歐盟、聯合國等國際組織之關係。蘇格蘭一旦脫離聯合王國，也可能影響聯 合王國其餘部分〈英格蘭、威爾斯及北愛爾蘭〉之國家地位。蘇格蘭的獨立公投，乃當 代國際法上獨特之課題。縱使公投未獲通過，現階段蘇格蘭在聯合王國中之高度自治地 位，以及愛丁堡協定與蘇格蘭之獨立白皮書等，仍具有重要之研究價值。
A referendum for independence will be held on 18 September 2014 in Scotland, which now possesses a special status and enjoys high-level autonomy in the United Kingdom. The UK Parliament enacted the 1998 Scotland Act, offering a legal basis for the establishment of the Scottish Parliament. Whether the Scottish Parliament has the power to hold such a referendum has given rise to constitutional controversy. Prime Minister David Cameron and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond signed the Edinburgh Agreement on 15 October 2012, according to which the Scottish Parliament is empowered, under Section 30 of the Scotland Act, to adopt a statutory law for holding the referendum. Providing a comprehensive blueprint for a future independent Scotland, Alex Salmond unveiled a White Paper for Independence on 26 November 2013. As Scotland was already a sovereign state before 1707, the pursuit for Scottish independence should be better characterized as a reversion of sovereignty. An independent Scotland will bring about issues like state recognition, state continuity and state succession in international law. A positive result of the referendum will also re-formulate Scotland’s relations with international organizations like the European Union and the United Nations. With the secession of Scotland, the statehood of the remaining part of the United Kingdom (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) may also be affected. The referendum for Scottish independence can be regarded as a unique topic in contemporary international law. Issues like Scotland’s autonomous status in the UK, the Edinburgh Agreement and the White Paper still deserve a thorough analysis, notwithstanding a negative result of the referendum. |
