A blow for the Scottish nationalists:
NON! EU slaps down Sturgeon: SNP leader dramatically announces she wants 'immediate discussions' to STAY in EU... but she is humiliated as Brussels says 'No, that's not how it works'
Nicola Sturgeon said she wanted to 'protect Scotland's place in the EU'
But Brussels civil servants snubbed her, saying whole of UK must exit
Sturgeon called for another Scotland referendum during negotiations
But Brussels said if it voted to leave, it would have to re-apply for EU
By
Michael Blackley For The Scottish Mail On Sunday
26 June 2016
The EU yesterday dealt a devastating blow to Nicola Sturgeon's new bid for independence - by ruling out any prospect of Scotland retaining its EU membership when Britain leaves.
The SNP leader yesterday said she is seeking 'immediate discussions' with Brussels to 'protect Scotland's place in the EU'.
But The Scottish Mail on Sunday can reveal that the European Commission, the executive body of the EU, has already ruled there is no option but the whole of the UK exiting following Thursday's shock Leave vote.
After the Brexit vote, the SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said she was seeking ‘immediate discussions’ with Brussels to ‘protect Scotland’s place in the EU’
Miss Sturgeon had hoped to hold a referendum during the next two years while Brexit negotiations take place - and had wanted Scotland to simply and seamlessly remain in the EU if there was a Yes vote.
But the new ruling by Brussels dashes her hopes, by confirming that an independent Scotland would have to reapply for EU membership.
Such a move could take years and come with conditions, such as having to adopt the euro (a deeply unpopular prospect amongst most Scots) and introduce border controls with England.
The official ruling confirmed that 'part' of a member state 'cannot remain in the EU if the member state itself withdraws'.
Asked at the end of last week if an independent Scotland would be able to retain membership of the EU despite the rest of the UK opting to leave, the EC told The Scottish Mail on Sunday that the rules make it clear that Brexit applies across the whole of the UK.
An EC source said: 'Article 50 is the only legal mechanism to withdraw from the union - and this article refers to "member states".'
The issue of a 'partial withdrawal' of a member state was also ruled out in a briefing note sent to MEPs by the European Parliamentary Research Service.
The document, seen by The Scottish Mail on Sunday, said: 'Also discussed (by commentators) is the question of whether a "partial withdrawal" could refer to part of the territory of a member state, and therefore the member state "as a whole" does not withdraw but part of it "remains" in the EU.
'It should be noted, however, that the "part of the member state" in question would not itself be a sovereign state, and that it would never have been a formal member of the EU as a sovereign state, so it could be argued that it cannot therefore "remain" in the EU if the member state itself withdraws.'
It is a devastating blow for Miss Sturgeon, who wanted to capitalise on the massive pro-Remain vote to help boost her primary cause of ending Scotland's place in the 309-year-old Union.