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More than 170 cultural figures have signed a letter urging European leaders to offer a fast track to future EU membership to Scottish voters ahead of any referendum on independence from the U.K.
Signed by prominent European writers, artists and philosophers, the letter says an independent Scotland “deserves a different process” from the long path to membership normally taken by aspiring EU member states.
Pro-independence parties look likely to retain majority control of Scotland’s devolved parliament after an election next week, with Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon set to agitate for a second referendum if she remains first minister. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has indicated he will reject any calls for such a referendum.
In the first referendum in 2014, pro-union campaigners argued that Scotland’s membership of the EU was at risk if the country left the U.K.
Support for Scottish independence has risen slightly since the Brexit referendum in 2016, when Scots voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU while the U.K. as a whole voted to leave. Sturgeon’s SNP has since focused its campaign for independence on the idea of an independent Scotland as part of the EU, while unionists argue re-entry isn’t guaranteed and would take years.
The letter urges the EU and its member states to settle this debate by making a “unilateral and open offer of membership — an exceptional proposal to match Scotland’s exceptional circumstances.”
This, it argues, should come in advance of a referendum and requires “creative practical thinking,” including potential financial support for Scotland during a transition period.
Italian novelist Elena Ferrante, Scottish actor Brian Cox and historian Adam Tooze were among those who signed the letter, which was organized by the Europe for Scotland group.
A recent Institute for Government report indicated Scotland could only apply to join the EU once independence negotiations were complete, and that the whole process “could take the best part of a decade.”
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