Independent Scotland could lose membership of EU and UN
AN INDEPENDENT Scotland would have to reapply to be a member of major world organisations such as the European Union and the United Nations, according to government legal advice published today.
Meanwhile a rival report from the Scottish National Party (SNP), also issued today, says the country should keep sterling as its currency post-independence, even though Holyrood could have little control over key monetary decisions.
The UK government’s unusual decision to release the 57-page guidance it commissioned on the legal risks associated with next year’s referendum has angered Scottish nationalists.
According to the report’s authors, Scotland is likely to be considered a “new state” under international law and would not automatically be a signatory to thousands of existing international treaties. Nor will it automatically be a member of NATO, Interpol, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation, raising concerns about the country’s standing.
Last week the SNP set out plans to hold independence day in March 2016 if it wins the referendum.