Scottish Independence

kingrulzuk

This morning everyone at my work only talking about the comment made by Mr Barroso.

So my qustion is Do we Scots really want to join the EU?

bluebeary

no we dont really

scotsbob

Seems ill advised to manage to break away from England only to find we are now ruled from Brussels.

jj_5

Mr Barrosso has no say in who joins the EU and has received widespread criticism for the inaccuracy of his comments.

No member state (the people who DO decide), have said they would veto Scotland, even Spain's prime minister who is keen to stop the Catalan independence movement.

So whether we'd like to join or not, atleast we'd have a say in the matter.

zagubov

It'd be smarter to follow this bunch's advice and join EFTA instead.

http://www.brugesgroup.com/EFTAorTheEU.pdf

antrobus

zagubov wrote: »

It'd be smarter to follow this bunch's advice and join EFTA instead.

http://www.brugesgroup.com/EFTAorTheEU.pdf

Some 90% of Scotland's exports are headed for EU markets, so it would hardly be 'smart' now would it, to walk away from the EU and throw away all that business?

Scotland would need to join the EEA and to join the EEA you need to get the agreement of all the 28 EU-EEA members and all 3 of the EFTA-EEA members. Joining EFTA doesn't get you into the EEA, that's separate.

But you should know this already. I've told you enough times.:)

zagubov

antrobus wrote: »

Some 90% of Scotland's exports are headed for EU markets, so it would hardly be 'smart' now would it, to walk away from the EU and throw away all that business?

Scotland would need to join the EEA and to join the EEA you need to get the agreement of all the 28 EU-EEA members and all 3 of the EFTA-EEA members. Joining EFTA doesn't get you into the EEA, that's separate.

But you should know this already. I've told you enough times.:)

You seem to think that's a major hurdle. The EFTA and EU both offer EEA membership.

The Bruges group reckon it would take weeks to join the EFTA-EEA. Nobody's blocking entry into the EU-EEA (despite Mr Barosso's daft ramblings) so who knows why you think EFTA-EEA would be difficult.

scotsbob

zagubov wrote: »

The Bruges group reckon it would take weeks to join the EFTA-EEA. Nobody's blocking entry into the EU-EEA (despite Mr Barosso's daft ramblings) so who knows why you think EFTA-EEA would be difficult.

Exactly so.

When Croatia and Slovenia split they both got EU membership.

When Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania left the Soviet Union they got EU membership.

Ireland has membership. Even the Canary Islands and Madeira have membership.

What member states would deny Scotland membership and on what grounds?

Being denied membership is a non starter.