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IT COULD BE “impossible” for an independent Scotland to join the EU, the head of the European Commission has warned.
“I believe it’s going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible” because the formation of a new member from a member state needs approval from all other EU nations, Jose Manuel Barroso told BBC television.
Barroso’s blunt statement ramps up the pressure ahead of Scotland’s key referendum on independence from the United Kingdom, following Britain’s warning that it will not be allowed to keep the pound if it votes to break away.
Barroso speaking to the BBC. (Image Credit: The Andrew Marr Show/BBC)
Scots are due to vote on independence on 18 September in a historic referendum that could result in the breaking up of its 300-year union.
“I don’t want to interfere on your referendum here, your democratic discussion here, but of course it will be extremely difficult to get the approval of all the other member states to have a new member coming from one member state,” Barroso said.
“We have seen Spain has been opposing even the recognition of Kosovo, for instance. So it is to some extent a similar case because it’s a new country and so I believe it’s going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible, a new member state coming out of one of our countries getting the agreement of the others.”
“Scottish people”
But he added: “It’s for the Scottish people… to decide about the future of Scotland.”
The comments drew a sharp rebuke from Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whose Scottish National Party (SNP) is spearheading the pro-independence campaign.
“This is a preposterous assertion, as the ridiculous comparison with Kosovo illustrates,” Sturgeon said in a statement.
Deputy First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon. (Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
“Scotland is already in the EU and has been for 40 years.”
“As Mr Barroso rightly says, the question of Scotland’s independent membership of the EU is a matter for the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland and the views of other member states, not the European Commission,” she said.
The fact of the matter is that no member state has said that it would veto Scotland’s continuing membership.
Britain, which is campaigning for a “no” vote in the referendum, has already warned that an independent Scotland would have to leave the pound.
Finance minister George Osborne said on Thursday that there was “no legal reason” why the rest of the United Kingdom would have to share the pound.
All three of Britain’s three main political parties argue that they will not let an independent Scotland retain the pound sterling currency.
The Scottish government has previously said it will seek to negotiate Scotland’s EU membership in the 18 months after the referendum, should Scots vote in favour of leaving the UK.
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Makes the Anglo “deal”, look even worse.
Unless Ireland can outperform the Euro zone by 1% every year for the next 40 year, inflation will not decrease the burden it will add to it.
Michael Noonan “forgot” (read refused), to tell us what the banks have legally had to tell us for years, “Past performance is no indication of future performance”.
For the benefit of readers who might not understand what you’re getting at, Eurostat figures put Inflation in the Eurozone at 2.0% in the year to January 2013.
Basic 101 economics ‘The Law of Diminishing Returns’
Austerity really working I see.
It is working! For the billionaires that is.. their wealth is increasing rapidly.. look it up yourselves.
Look at the situation from the perspective of its creators.
And is anyone really surprised by this? What exactly is it going to take to make the Germans realise that austerity economics is not working – you can’t cut your way out of a recession.
It’s not entirely bad news for Ireland. It means that interest rates are unlikely to rise at any time in the near future, which will be a relief to anyone who owes any significant debt.
So who profited on the 0.6% debt increase?
The economy dropped 0.6% in the forth quarter of 2012.
Debt is a different issue. I don’t know understand what you’re saying. ? Sorry
The debt based money system we use is essentially a ponzi scheme. As money is only created through debt and it demands payment with interest it is mathematically impossible to pay down all debts. The system must grow exponentially to feed the new money creation. Unfortunately permanent exponential growth is also mathematically impossible. By taking on the debts of the sick monsters who would enslave us our government has sold us down the river and up the swanny. We can just hope against hope that the system’s bubble reinflates itself long enough for us to dig ourselves out of this. The future of this country depends upon this very dodgy gamble…
Very well said John.
Try telling that Jack Bowden, 2 comments up. He didnt get what I was hinting at.
tin hats for sale, 50 euro.
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