‘Not a particularly long process’: In the event of independence, Scotland expects to return to the EU

“Not a particularly long process”
In the event of independence, Scotland expects to return to the European Union

10/17/2022 at 8:32 PM

The Prime Minister of Scotland is optimistic about the country’s possible independence. If the Scots decide to secede from Great Britain in the event of a new referendum, Sturgeon expects rapid readmission into the European Union.

Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon is hoping for a swift return to the European Union in the event of independence from Great Britain. Although there will be negotiations, most experts agree that “this will not be a particularly long process,” Sturgeon said in Edinburgh. “No one can seriously be trusted to think that Scotland is not welcome in the EU.”

In the 2014 referendum, more than half of Scottish voters opposed secession from the United Kingdom. However, Scotland left the European Union as part of the United Kingdom in 2020. Supporters of Scottish independence argue that this has fundamentally changed the situation and that Scots should vote again for their country’s independence.

The government wants to guarantee freedom of travel

In her notes on the economy of an independent Scotland, Sturgeon made it clear that border controls would be essential to the movement of goods between Scotland and its closest trading partner, England. Fear of passport controls, for example when visiting relatives across the border, is “nonsense”, because Scotland will remain in a common area with Ireland and Great Britain, where there is freedom of travel. Sturgeon also confirmed plans to introduce a new currency – the Scottish pound. However, she didn’t want to set a timetable for it just yet.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader has targeted a referendum on October 19, 2023. At the request of the Scottish government, the UK’s highest court is currently considering whether Edinburgh can legitimately hold such a vote, even if the UK central government has not given the green light.