Post by mcnass on Sept 19, 2007 21:59:30 GMT 10
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.
That application process would be much easier than for the new accession states because Scotland has been in the EU for 30 years, but it would probably take months, maybe even years, to complete, with all the other member states having to approve the country's membership before it could join.
In an interview with The Scotsman, Mr Borg said: "On the issue concerning Scotland's independence, that's not my competence to assess or to evaluate but if, for one moment, we were to assume that Scotland gained independence and therefore is eligible as a new member state for the European Union, I would see that, legally speaking, the continuation of the membership would remain with the rest of the UK - less Scotland. And, therefore, Scotland, as a newly independent state, would have to apply for membership."
Mr Borg's remarks run completely against assumptions the SNP has been making for years and contradict statements from both Mr Salmond and his enterprise minister, Jim Mather.
Last year, writing in The Scotsman, Mr Salmond said: "Scotland is already a member of the EU and that would continue. It is not easy to leave the EU, as we saw with the attempts by Greenland when they won autonomy from Denmark."
This year, Mr Mather said: "We are an incumbent member state - what about England having to re-apply?"
A spokesman for Mr Salmond stressed last night that the First Minister did not share Mr Borg's view.
He said: "Commissioner Borg makes it clear that the issue is not within his competence to assess as an individual. In response to several European parliamentary questions on the matter, the European Commission has quite deliberately and properly not given that answer, which is its official position.
"The reality is very clear, and was expressed by the late Robin Cook, when foreign secretary, in his statement that an independent Scotland would remain a member of the EU: 'It's in the nature of the European Union, it welcomes all comers and Scotland would be a member'.
"When we have recently welcomed Romania and Bulgaria into full EU membership, how could it be otherwise for resource-rich Scotland?"
The European Commission retained its neutral position yesterday. A spokeswoman said: "It is not customary for the commission to state its views on matters which, as things stand, are purely hypothetical."
But, by speaking out in the way he has done, Mr Borg has sparked a renewed debate on Scotland's future as an independent country, not least because he is the most senior and influential figure from Europe to have made his views known on the issue.
His comments suggest Scotland's place as an independent member state within the EU is not guaranteed and that it might find itself outside its main trading block for months, if not years.
more: thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1497442007
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.
That application process would be much easier than for the new accession states because Scotland has been in the EU for 30 years, but it would probably take months, maybe even years, to complete, with all the other member states having to approve the country's membership before it could join.
In an interview with The Scotsman, Mr Borg said: "On the issue concerning Scotland's independence, that's not my competence to assess or to evaluate but if, for one moment, we were to assume that Scotland gained independence and therefore is eligible as a new member state for the European Union, I would see that, legally speaking, the continuation of the membership would remain with the rest of the UK - less Scotland. And, therefore, Scotland, as a newly independent state, would have to apply for membership."
Mr Borg's remarks run completely against assumptions the SNP has been making for years and contradict statements from both Mr Salmond and his enterprise minister, Jim Mather.
Last year, writing in The Scotsman, Mr Salmond said: "Scotland is already a member of the EU and that would continue. It is not easy to leave the EU, as we saw with the attempts by Greenland when they won autonomy from Denmark."
This year, Mr Mather said: "We are an incumbent member state - what about England having to re-apply?"
A spokesman for Mr Salmond stressed last night that the First Minister did not share Mr Borg's view.
He said: "Commissioner Borg makes it clear that the issue is not within his competence to assess as an individual. In response to several European parliamentary questions on the matter, the European Commission has quite deliberately and properly not given that answer, which is its official position.
"The reality is very clear, and was expressed by the late Robin Cook, when foreign secretary, in his statement that an independent Scotland would remain a member of the EU: 'It's in the nature of the European Union, it welcomes all comers and Scotland would be a member'.
"When we have recently welcomed Romania and Bulgaria into full EU membership, how could it be otherwise for resource-rich Scotland?"
The European Commission retained its neutral position yesterday. A spokeswoman said: "It is not customary for the commission to state its views on matters which, as things stand, are purely hypothetical."
But, by speaking out in the way he has done, Mr Borg has sparked a renewed debate on Scotland's future as an independent country, not least because he is the most senior and influential figure from Europe to have made his views known on the issue.
His comments suggest Scotland's place as an independent member state within the EU is not guaranteed and that it might find itself outside its main trading block for months, if not years.
more: thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1497442007
