The Scotsman reports:
THE SNP's case for independence was dealt a damaging blow last night when the European Commission and senior academics challenged the Nationalists' core assumption - that an independent Scotland would automatically become a member of the European Union.
The EC stressed that Scotland's entry as a member state would have to be "negotiated" and would not be the "seamless" transition the SNP has claimed.
The Commission's representative in Scotland, Neil Mitchison, confirmed that Scotland would not be granted automatic entry into the EU, as the Nationalists insist.
"The situation is unprecedented and therefore negotiations would be needed. Things would have to be discussed and negotiated," he said.
An expert in constitutional law from Edinburgh University backed this up by stressing that Scotland would have to negotiate its accession to the EU and warning that Europe might insist upon the adoption of the euro as a precondition of entry.
This is not the first occasion that I have had to warn the SNP on the consequences of failing to think things through (or take advice). They will have to do better in the next few months.
Securing independence is going to be a long and complex process. The SNP need to recognise this; they have no need to offer glib responses to every problem that is raised.
And, by the way, what's the point of revealing that a Labour MP is set to defect if you can't name him?
3 comments:
Well, drrrrhhhh. Obviously no automaticity, but not, frankly, the hardest thing in the world to negotiate. Did you notice where the Scotsman pointed out that Mitchison is a former Lib Dem candidate. You might have thought he would moderate any comments in view of such prior political affiliations which he should now be working hard, in the interests of neutrality, to disavow.
On your first point, I agree in principle that the negotiations should not be excessively difficult - we already have the acquis communautaire and no-one is likely to make a pre-condition of joining the euro (although we may have to commit to it for some point in the future). But we would be setting a precedent and those Member States with independence-minded regions are certainly not going to wave Scotland through.
As for Mitchison, he would appear to be flirting dangerously with political opinion. If he had an opinion from the Commission's legal service, I rather think that he would have said so.
If you really think that (1) the EU will not automatically admit the sixth largest oil producer at a time when it is panicing about security of supply, and (2) that being outside the EU, perhaps in the European Economic Activity Area, is that bad, then think again.
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