Senior EU figures support Scotland’s EU membership

by the SNP
Posted on
2 years ago
4 min read

In the 2016 EU referendum, Scotland sent an overwhelming message to Westminster and Europe: we remain a proudly European country.

All of the 32 local authorities voted to Remain – and with 62% of voters across the country, Scotland had by far the highest pro-EU vote of any UK nation.

While the Tories, with the explicit support of Labour, dragged Scotland out of the EU against our democratically expressed will, there is widespread support across Europe for Scotland re-joining the European family of nations.

Scotland is paying the price of a hard Tory Brexit we consistently rejected

Just like with Tory governments we rejected in every election since the 1950s, Scotland is now forced to pay the price of a hard Brexit we never voted for.

The price is an average £1,200 for every person in Scotland.

Billions of pounds in lost trade every month – hitting jobs and businesses.

A devastating sell-out of Scotland’s fishing communities.

A damaging deal for farmers, undermining Scotland’s food and drink sector and threatening our food standards.

Young people being denied opportunities to live, study and work across Europe.

And our NHS under threat from being carved up in Tory trade deals.

People across Europe support an independent Scotland in the EU

Polling of the public in key EU member states, conducted 5 years on from the referendum by Redfield and Wilton, shows that they would support an independent Scotland becoming a member state of the EU.

France, Germany, Italy and Spain showed respective support for an independent Scotland joining the EU at 44%, 51%, 54% and 56%. In contrast, opposition was insignificant at 10%, 9%, 8% and 9%.

The poll shows the level of awareness among the European public about Scotland’s position, and leaves the Tories – with their anti-democratic ignorance of Scotland’s wishes – increasingly isolated abroad.

Cultural heavyweights across Europe unite in a call to welcome Scotland into the EU

More than 170 prominent cultural figures, including the Italian novelist Elena Ferrante, German writer Daniel Kehlmann and Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, signed a letter to the European Union expressing solidarity with Scotland’s position.

The letter represents the huge scale of support for welcoming Scotland back into the EU, saying: “We all agree on this: we want the people of Scotland to know that Europeans everywhere would welcome them back in the European Union if this is their democratic wish.”

Brussels is “enthusiastic” about welcoming Scotland’s return

Senior EU figures, including former European Council President Donald Tusk, said the EU would “enthusiastically” welcome Scotland after independence.

Fabian Zuleeg, chief executive of the European Policy Centre in Brussels, said “the mood on the EU side is rather positive” and suggested an independent Scotland might be able to conclude membership negotiations in “two to three years” – similar to Finland in the mid-1990s.

Many leading MEPs from every corner of Europe expressed support and said the process of accession would be smooth.

We can build a fairer, better future as an independent country in Europe

Evidence clearly demonstrates that Scotland has what it takes to thrive as an independent country.

On a per head basis, Scotland’s national income makes us wealthier than rich countries such as New Zealand, Japan and Italy.

We have a highly educated population with some of the world’s best universities, extraordinary natural resources and a thriving high-tech sector with a huge exporting potential.

As an independent country in the EU, just like Denmark and Ireland, we will have full control of our economic policy and all levers at our disposal – as well as access to a market seven times the size of the UK.

Pledge your support and help us win an independent, European Scotland

Scotland has the right to choose its own future, and there is a clear democratic mandate for an independence referendum.

Pledge your support for independence here and share with 5 friends or family to spread the message.