AN INDEPENDENT Scotland would be forced to apply to become a member of the European Union, a senior official said last night.
Alex Salmond has argued repeatedly that the transition from Union with England to the European Union would be "seamless", with a breakaway Scotland becoming an automatic member of the EU.
The European Commission has always refused to get involved in the debate, appreciating how sensitive the subject is in Scotland. But now, in a blow to Mr Salmond, Joe Borg, the fisheries commissioner, has broken ranks to say unequivocally that in his view, an independent Scotland would remain outside the EU until it had completed the formal application process - in the same way as Eastern European states have done in recent years.
Mr Borg is just another loose-mouthed EU Commissioner meddling in matters which are not his concern. Decisions on EU membership will be taken by the Council of Ministers representing the Member States and not by the Commission.
Incidentally, another story in the paper suggests that the UK might not be the first EU Member to break up. If that were the case - and it is a very big if - then whatever happens to Belgium in terms of EU membership would constitute a precedent that might be hard to avoid.
3 comments:
This story must be seriously vyying with Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas' in terms of the number of times it's been re-released and charted. Oh, and it's also about hoary old chestnuts roasting...
Hardly a meddling commisioner. It was Salmond who embarrased the Commission when he went to Brussels and used a meeting with Borg to make a political speech on independence which was meant for domestic consumption.
Hardly surprising to see the EU taking a swipe back. This story keeps resurfacing because it is true, it is incredibly arrogant for Scotland to assume it won't need to negotiate its membership in exactly the same way as everyone else.
I think it is important to keep in perspective that the Commission per se has no authority to determine the status an independent Scotland would, or would not, have within the EU. The Commission is a Civil Service - no more, no less - and as such it was unwise of Borg, as a civil servant, to make this comment. In the absence of any political agreement that an independent Scotland should seamlessly become an EU member state, the issue would have to be decided upon by the European Court of Justice. And it can make its own rules.
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