Nicola Sturgeon is in Brussels today. Get the facts here.

by the SNP
Posted on
8 years ago
4 min read

Today Nicola Sturgeon is taking part in a series of high-level meetings in Brussels to secure Scotland’s place in Europe. 

Among others, Nicola is meeting European Commission President Juncker, European Parliament President, Martin Schulz and Guy Verhofstadt, who is one of the Brexit negotiators.

 Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland

Tom Boadle, Producer at Sky News 

 

 Guy Verhofstadt MEP, former Belgian PM and Brexit negotiator

 Margaritis Schinas, Chief EU Commission Spokesperson

Margaritis Schinas, Chief EU Commission Spokesperson 

Here’s what prominent EU politicians have been saying about Scotland’s place in the EU.

Guy Verhofstadt: “If they decide to be independent, they decide to be independent, and if they want to stay in the European Union, they can stay in the European Union. It’s their decision.”

Glenn Campbell: “Stay in without having to join a queue to get in?”

Guy Verhofstadt: “Yeah, they are in for the moment so there is no problem on that side.”

“I think this possibility has to exist, yeah. Because if Scotland decides to leave the UK, to be an independent state, and they decide to be part of the European Union I think there is no big obstacle to do that.”

Guy Verhofstadt, STV News, 28 June 2016

  

 Enda Kenny, Taoiseach and Leader of Fine Gael

“On the Scottish level: to go the other way, it is up to them. Europe is open to new member states, that is totally clear. Those who want to stay are welcome in the European Union.”

Manfred Weber, Christian Social Union MEP and “key ally” of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Financial Times, 24 June 2016

  

– Jacek Saryusz-Wolski MEP, Vice-Chair of the European People’s Party group in the European Parliament, Twitter, 25 June 2016

“The EU will still consist of 28 member states, as I expect a new independence referendum in Scotland, which will then be successful…We should respond quickly to an application for admission from the EU-friendly country.”

Gunther Krichbaum, Chair of the Committee on the Affairs of the European Union of the German Bundestag and “ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel”, Reuters, 26 June 2016

“The EU must make clear that it remains open to the Scots and Northern Irish.”

Jean-Christophe Lagarde, leader of France’s third biggest party in a letter to President Hollande, 25 June 2016

  

“I and my party believe that it would be unacceptable for Scotland to be treated as a normal candidate country should it seek to remain as a member of the EU.

“It currently implements all EU laws.  It manifestly would not need to be reviewed for its standards of governance and ability to implement EU laws.

“It has a strong administration, a distinct legal system and an absolute commitment to European ideals,”

“Scotland is strong enough to advocate for itself, but Ireland should be its friend and demand fair play should it seek to remain in the EU.

“As for whether Scotland could effectively veto Brexit, we have to play this straight leaving this to the administrations concerned.  Europe must under no circumstance interfere,”

Micheál Martin TD, leader of the second party in the Republic of Ireland Fianna Fáil, 27 June 2016

Figures from across politics who previously didn’t back independence are now moving towards independence – to secure Scotland’s place in Europe.

“We have now got to a point that has changed the whole dynamic of Scotland and the union. Scotland’s choice now is does it want to be part of the UK out of Europe, or does it want to be out of the UK and a part of the European Union. I am very, very attracted to the notion that we be part of the European Union.”

Henry McLeish, former Labour First Minister, Herald, 25 June 2016

  

Malcolm Chisholm, former Labour MSP and Minister, Twitter, 25 June  2016

 

“I absolutely support Nicola Sturgeon 100% in her sojourn across European capitals. The whole landscape has changed. We are in a completely different place now. We have to accept the consequences of this vote. If a second referendum on independence were held tomorrow, Yes would win. The Labour Party cannot be seen to stand in the way of that…the people of England made a massively different decision to us and did so democratically. Now it is our right to stand with democratic people across Europe.”

Jamie Glackin, former chair of Scottish Labour, STV News, 26 June 2016

Even senior figures in the Tory party are acknowledging Scotland’s right to have another referendum, if that is what the people of Scotland want.

“If the people of Scotland ultimately determine they want to have another referendum, there will be one.”

David Mundell, Secretary of State for Scotland, BBC Sunday Politics Scotland, 26 June 2016