Claim:
By ending the United Kingdom, England will be seen as a continuing 'successor state' and Scotland will have to re-negotiate entry from outside the EU, losing benefits such as free trade, freedom of movement and the UK's rebate.
Facts:
There is no precedent or procedure available to Scots as guidance, as to date no EU member state has split. The EU refuse to be drawn into making any definitive rulings until after the matter, claiming they will only publish an opinion if a member state makes a direct official request. The UK refuses to do this. A few European officials in informal interviews have claimed that Scotland would have to re-negotiate entry from outside, and other European officials have said the opposite.
So, with no certainties being offered, how can we know the answer? Well, sit yourself down and ask yourself two questions. One, what sort of organisation is the EU? An expansionary organisation, built on treaty, negotiation and compromise. Two, can you envision a realistic situation where such an organisation refuses membership to a country that already fulfils all its entry criteria, has been doing so for many years, wants in, and would be a net contributor?
What is likely is that Scottish membership will have to be renegotiated. This is a good thing. We might lose our share of the UK's EU rebate - but this rebate was bought at the cost of the Scottish fishing and farming industries. As a result of negotiating the rebate, the UK is no longer eligible for various subsidies that other member states - including an independent Scotland - are. The issue of using the Euro would be another item of negotiation - which I will cover in another post.
There is no precedent or procedure available to Scots as guidance, as to date no EU member state has split. The EU refuse to be drawn into making any definitive rulings until after the matter, claiming they will only publish an opinion if a member state makes a direct official request. The UK refuses to do this. A few European officials in informal interviews have claimed that Scotland would have to re-negotiate entry from outside, and other European officials have said the opposite.
So, with no certainties being offered, how can we know the answer? Well, sit yourself down and ask yourself two questions. One, what sort of organisation is the EU? An expansionary organisation, built on treaty, negotiation and compromise. Two, can you envision a realistic situation where such an organisation refuses membership to a country that already fulfils all its entry criteria, has been doing so for many years, wants in, and would be a net contributor?
What is likely is that Scottish membership will have to be renegotiated. This is a good thing. We might lose our share of the UK's EU rebate - but this rebate was bought at the cost of the Scottish fishing and farming industries. As a result of negotiating the rebate, the UK is no longer eligible for various subsidies that other member states - including an independent Scotland - are. The issue of using the Euro would be another item of negotiation - which I will cover in another post.
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