What is Europe for Scotland?
We are a European initiative which invites Europeans from around the world to come together to express solidarity with Scotland.
We want our Scottish friends to know that Europeans would welcome them back in the European Union if this is still their democratic wish.
Why does Scotland need European solidarity?
The Scottish people voted to remain in the EU but Brexit was imposed on Scotland against its democratic will.
In the 2016 EU Referendum, not a single Scottish district voted to leave, and Scotland as a whole voted 62% to 38% to remain in the EU. In subsequent years, the Scottish Parliament rejected the withdrawal process at every stage and called for a different approach on Brexit. The UK government ignored the Brexit stance expressed by the Scottish government and in 2020, Scotland was taken out of the European Union on terms its democratic institutions rejected, with dire consequences for the Scottish economy.
What do we want the EU to do?
We want the EU to recognize Scotland’s unique situation, and to respond to it with bold solidarity.
Specifically, we are asking the EU to signal prior to any referendum that an independent Scotland would be welcome back to the EU as it is well positioned to go speedily through the accession process given it has been part of the EU for many years and left involuntarily. In the event Scotland does become an independent country, we want the EU to support it during the transition from independence to EU membership, as the EU does with all joining states.
Why is this good for Scotland?
An expression of solidarity and an offer of support from the EU would give Scotland more freedom and more certainty about its future.
Any independence referendum should be an informed and clear choice, where Scottish citizens know what they are voting for. During the Brexit referendum the EU’s silence arguably contributed to a vote that was dominated by propaganda rather than by facts. If Scotland was to hold a legal independence referendum voters should hear from all sides, including the EU, so that they can make a well-informed choice in the best spirit of democracy.
Why should the EU support Scotland?
The European Union must always stand for democracy and solidarity and therefore respect and encourage the democratic right of European people to decide their own future.
Conversely, it would be extremely detrimental to European culture and democracy if a former member state, which left the EU against the will of its people and democratic institutions, was to hear no words of support and solidarity but instead “the silence of [their] friends”.
Finally, we all know how greatly Scottish thinkers have contributed to European culture, and how positive Scotland’s impact could be if it were to once again be part of the EU.
Do we endorse Scottish independence?
Our letter does not push for Scottish independence, but is also not philosophically opposed to it. Fundamentally, we support Scotland’s right to choose its own future and to do so in a process that is legal, democratic, and well informed.
While some signatories of the letter strongly favour independence, others don’t. Many are undecided. We hope our letter can serve as a platform for people across the political spectrum to express solidarity with Scottish citizens and to support their right to choose.
Why is Scotland’s situation unique in Europe?
Scotland was part of the EU, democratically voted to remain in it, but had to leave when England voted to do so. This is unprecedented and the road ahead is uncertain.
Political scientists and signatories of our letter, Brendan O’Leary and Kalypso Nicolaïdis, outlined paths for Scotland to remain aligned to EU rules post-Brexit to accommodate the democratic wish of Scottish voters. Yet in the Brexit negotiations, the UK government completely ignored these arguments and the position of Scottish democratic institutions.
While the EU recognised the specific circumstances of Northern Ireland thanks to the Republic of Ireland lobbying within the EU, Scotland had no one lobbying for it and therefore, arguably, the EU did not protect the rights of Scottish citizens as well as possible. It is reasonable to ask them for a generous gesture towards Scottish citizens now.
How is Scotland’s situation different from that of other regions/nations seeking independence in Europe?
The UK’s exit from the EU entails a significant constitutional change for all UK nations, including Scotland. This grants Scotland, which rejected this exit decidedly and consistently, a legitimate claim to reassess its own status.
What would be the impact of an independence referendum in Scotland on the rest of the UK and Europe?
As Scotland has voted for a pro-independence coalition in the last election they should have the right to a referendum, and the experience of said referendum could be emancipatory for England, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as it would force a reckoning with every nation and region’s own identity.
Scotland’s desire to rejoin would also drive a narrative across Europe that could powerfully counter populist anti-European sentiment. The process would offer an opportunity to modernise the EU and to embrace culture and history as more central aspects of the European project.
Does supporting Scotland’s right to choose whether to leave the UK to rejoin the EU mean supporting nationalism?
Supporting a choice for Scotland means supporting democracy. We support the right of people, in this case the UK’s nations, to decide their future and support close cooperation between all nations, whatever constitutional future they choose. Support for Scottish independence has grown precisely because many Scottish voters reject the ‘British First’ nationalism that lies behind Brexit.
Our campaign supports inclusive citizenship for everyone in Europe. We support the right of the Scottish people to be able to choose which union to join. We don’t support nationalism but endorse a pro-European patriotism in countries across Europe.
Why are we drawing a comparison with Northern Ireland?
Both Northern Ireland and Scotland voted to remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum. Both countries have devolved administrations and Parliaments and are recognised respectively as a province and nation according to UK law. But while the EU recognised the specific circumstances of Northern Ireland addressing its special status already while negotiating the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, Scotland’s needs were never discussed in the context of the Brexit negotiations.
Is there any precedent of what we call for in European history?
After the fall of the Berlin wall and under similarly unique circumstances, thanks to creative thinking from the then European leaders, citizens of the former GDR were immediately welcomed into the European Community after the reunification of Germany, which came about through dialogue and in solidarity with Europe as a whole.
