Big blow, as Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s push
for another independence referendum hits the brick moments after she delivered
a speech. Since after the Brexit vote last year, the First Minister has been
using clamouring tirelessly for a second referendum to leave the UK, using the
issue of membership of the EU single market as an excuse.
It has been said that despite the threat for another
IndyRef, Edinburgh will not be given any special treatment in whatever way. This
was disclosed by the Commission in a response Sturgeon’s referendum speech.
The First Minister has argued over and over that the EU is
going to give the Scottish people a special arrangement for them to remain in
the EU if the Scottish people vote in favour of leaving the UK, saying such a
move will not in any way cause any controversy, especially in adopting the
euro.
However, critics from different quarters have condemned the
assertions made by the First Minister, saying it is a pure fantasy. To make it
worse, EU leaders have bluntly refused to give any waiver to Scotland even if
it breaks out from the UK to retain membership of the EU, as they have resolved
to threat Scotland as any other country wanting to join the EU.
This was affirmed by the Commission’s representative as much
after being asked about the claims in certain quarters which states that Edinburgh
would be made to “turn the clock back to zero” in order to negotiate new EU
membership from scratch.
Maragritis Schinas told reporters at a briefing that
Brussels would apply the “Barroso doctrine” to Scotland’s case, an argument
which states that regions opting for independence automatically lose their EU
membership by opting to become a new country.
In 2012 the then Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso
slapped down claims by Alex Salmond that Scots could vote to leave Britain and
still keep their membership of the bloc, saying it was incompatible with both
EU and international law.
He said: "I am not going to speculate now about
possible secessions, it is not my job. But I can tell you that to join the
European Union, yes, we have a procedure. It is a procedure of international
law.
"A new state, if it wants to join the European Union,
has to apply to become a member like any state. In fact, I see no country
leaving and I see many countries wanting to join.
"A state has to be a democracy first of all, and that
state has to apply to become a member of the European Union and all the other
member states have to give their consent."
Mr Barroso said: “In case there is a new country, a new
state, coming out of a current member state, it will have to apply and the
application and the accession to the European Union will have to be approved by
all the other member states of the European 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.
“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.”
And quizzed about Ms Sturgeon’s announcement of a new
independence referendum today, Mr Schinas was less than lukewarm and offered no
encouragement whatsoever that Scotland would be in line for EU membership in
the event of a vote for secession.
He said: “We’ve got no particular position at the moment
because these events are currently taking place.
“The commission fully respects the legal, constitutional
rights of the member states to organise things as they like.
“And the Barroso doctrine, whether that would apply? Yes,
that would apply, obviously.”
The confirmation throws a huge spanner in the works of Ms
Sturgeon’s independence bid, as it means Edinburgh will now have to go through
the long and gruelling process of joining the EU and could face its membership
being vetoed by other member states.
Theresa May has so far refused to say whether or not the
Tories will allow the legislation required for a second vote to pass, whilst
Labour has confirmed that it will fight it in Holyrood but will not oppose it
if it comes to Westminster.
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