EU wouldn’t let them back in for years
BRUSSELS delivered a blunt assessment of Nicola Sturgeon’s plans last night, warning that Scotland would have to reapply to join the EU if it votes for independence.
Officials suggested Scots would have to join the back of a queue containing several other countries, meaning the process could drag on for years. The lukewarm reaction appeared to pour cold water on the SNP leader’s belief an independent Scotland will be offered fast-track EU membership.
It reflects a deep unease among EU chiefs about offering the country special treat- ment in the fallout from Brexit. The warning was followed by another from Nato that Scotland may not be able to remain in the defence alliance if it gets independence.
Jens Stoltenberg, the group’s secretarygeneral, said: ‘By leaving the UK, it will also be leaving Nato, but of course it is possible to apply for membership and then the allies would then decide.’ Despite Miss Sturgeon’s desire to remain in the EU, the bloc yesterday said it backed a doctrine laid out by former European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, who said during the first referendum that an independent Scotland would be left outside the EU.
After initially ruling out becoming involved in the debate, the Commission yesterday said the legal view was still fully supported.
While this approach still offers a path to rejoin the EU, experts believe the process would be fraught with difficulty and may lead to Scotland being left in limbo, cut off from both London and Brussels.
A deal would have to be ratified by the European Parliament, as well as other member states, and would likely face significant opposition from Spain, which believes it could encourage separatists in Catalonia.
The timescale of such wrangles is also likely to pale in comparison to the two years set out for Brexit negotiations, with recent ascensions taking around ten years.
While some have suggested Scotland’s current EU-compliant law-book could speed up the process, the bloc’s bosses will insist that Miss Sturgeon commits to joining the eurozone – leaving her with the daunting task of convincing voters to ignore the risks surrounding the ill-fated currency.
Brussels could also demand measures to tackle Scotland’s sizeable deficit.