THE Scottish Government will publish a key paper this week outlining plans for Scotland and the EU after independence, the Sunday National understands.
The latest document in the series of white papers building a new prospectus for independence is expected to outline proposals relating to EU membership, such as the position on rejoining and on the Euro currency.
The issue of the Anglo-Scottish border – which would become an international border if an independent Scotland rejoined the EU – is also expected to be addressed.
During the referendum of 2014, the No campaign claimed the only way to protect Scotland’s EU membership was to reject independence.
The UK-wide results of the Brexit referendum resulted in Scotland leaving, despite every local authority area north of the Border voting to stay in the EU and Scotland overall backing Remain by 62% to 38%.
Rejoining the EU has become one of the key parts of the independence campaign since Brexit – but the UK’s departure from the bloc will present a vastly different scenario for issues such as trade and the border than the case for Yes outlined in 2014.
The Scottish Government has stated in a previous white paper that following a vote for independence, Scotland would apply to rejoin the EU to provide access to the European Single Market and allow freedom of movement of people.
However, it did not set out whether or not a further ballot would be required.
In January this year, Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson said a second ballot on whether or not to rejoin the bloc would not be needed post-independence, as the choice put to Scottish voters would be an independent Scotland within the EU or staying in the UK.
In an interview with Holyrood magazine, Robertson said that it would make the choice for voters “very clear” between Brexit Britain and rejoining the EU.
“The referendum case will be for Scottish independence within the European Union as a member state,” he said.
The EU paper will be the seventh in the Building a New Scotland series, the first of which was launched by former first minister Nicola Sturgeon in June 2022.
Other papers have covered a range of topics including the economy, citizenship, independence in the modern world, renewing democracy and the constitution.
It is understood there is a drive to speed up the publication of the papers, with the sixth paper which was launched at the beginning of November focusing on the creation of a migration system that “could boost the economy and better meet the country’s needs”.
There has been growing scrutiny by Westminster of the work of Independence Minister Jamie Hepburn, who is responsible for the publication of the papers.
However, First Minster Humza Yousaf has hit back saying it is well within the jurisdiction of the Scottish Government to have civil servants working on papers making the case for Yes.
