Independent Scotland faces ‘speedy’ EU return

Brexit: German politician rejects claims of lengthy queue

Agreeing an independent Scotland’s EU membership would be “relatively speedy”, according to the former chairman of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee.

Elmar Brok, a member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU party, said there would be few obstacles within any potential process because the country already meets the entry criteria.

His comments come just days after Spanish foreign minister Alfonso Dastis said Madrid would not block an independent Scotland’s EU bid.

Mr Brok said: “A lot of things which we have to negotiate with the candidate countries we have not to negotiate with Scotland because Scotland has already done it.

“If the political agreement would be there, then the process would be relatively speedy.”

The MEP also denied suggestions that if Scotland left the UK it would have to join a queue of countries seeking EU membership.

His comments come as Nicola Sturgeon continues to demand a second Scottish independence referendum.

While the majority of voters in the 2016 referendum opted to quit the EU, 62% of Scots backed remain, resulting in the stand-off between the First Minister and Prime Minister Theresa May, who has argued “now is not the time” for another vote on the constitution.

Stephen Gethins, the SNP’s Europe spokesman, said: “Elmar Brok is one of the European Parliament’s most senior and long serving members – with decades of experience.

“His comments on Scotland are welcome and he joins a growing list of senior decision-makers from around Europe who are making a commonsense case for Scotland.

“This puts paid to Tory myths that somehow Scotland would somehow find itself blocked form EU membership.”

Scottish Conservative MEP Ian Duncan said: “An independent Scotland which is happy to sign up to membership of the single currency, the Schengen Agreement allowing passport-free movement, Common Fisheries Policy, to name but a few, could probably look forward to a ‘speedy’ progression.

“The reality, however, is that membership for an independent Scotland would look nothing like the terms enjoyed by the UK, terms that were rejected by 38 per cent of Scots.”