Indy ref: Europe is an issue that neither side can ignore

The Yes camp insist Scotland will have a place at the European table, while warnings fly from the No campaign.

Expert View: Alyn Smith SNP MEP expulsion threat ludicrous

Scotland has been an integral part of the EU for over 40 years. When we become independent, our position will be stronger.

With 25% of Europe’s offshore wind and tidal energy, we are vital for the EU meeting renewables targets. We have 60% of the EU’s oil production at a time when the EU is looking to increase its energy independence.

We are a net contributor to the EU budget and, most of all, we bring a positive and constructive spirit to the Brussels negotiation table. Scotland is in the mainstream of EU political thinking and will be welcomed as such.

It’s ludicrous to suggest we would be expelled from the EU this defies law, logic, common sense and the realpolitik of our relationship with our European neighbours.

There are zero grounds within the European Treaties for the expulsion of part of its territory or the stripping of the people living within the EU of their citizenship.

The people of Scotland are European citizens and Scots law is fully compliant with the acquis communautaire which lies at the heart of any normal accession process.

The usual requirements for those applying from outside the EU simply do not apply to Scotland.

The benefits to Scotland of independent membership of the EU are enormous. Westminster has failed to represent our interests in European negotiations, such as the sacrifice of the Scottish fishing industry.

Scottish farmers have lost out on a billion euro in additional Common Agricultural Policy funding which would have been ours by right as a Member State.

The UK Government has even opted out of EU funding for food-banks.

An independent Scotland would fight for progressive European policies such as minimum income protection, a living wage for public contracts and gender equality on corporate boards across the EU.

These are just some reasons why becoming an independent country in Europe is the right future for Scotland.

Expert View: Michael Moore European business adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister and former Scottish Secretary Europe at crux of debate

Europe matters to all of us living in Scotland. So the EU needs to be central to the independence debate for three reasons.

Firstly, membership gives us great benefits the ‘common market’ of 500 million people supports thousands of Scottish jobs, the EU influences everyday issues (like holiday flights and mobile phone bills) and by working together Europe can shape the direction of international affairs.

Secondly, as part of the UK we enjoy the advantages of being at the top table as a large member state. We enjoy special arrangements including the EU budget rebate and opt-outs from the Euro and border control arrangements, reflecting our national interests.

The third reason to focus on the EU is because our membership, and the terms of it, would be deeply uncertain after independence.

There is no precedent for this kind of change. But international legal experts and European leaders are clear we would be outside the EU while the rest of the UK would remain inside. And yet, despite lacking international support, the Scottish Government keep saying we would not need to apply for membership. They also claim we would enjoy all the special arrangements the UK has in place.

The aspiration is fantastic (almost literally) and the approach is completely flimsy. We are asked to believe we would take an unprecedented route into the EU, sort out a better deal than the UK and have all of this done, dusted and ratified by 28 countries in world-record time.

Meanwhile a new European Commission would be bedding in, back home we would be negotiating pretty well every other aspect of separation with the rest of the UK, and there would be a UK General Election going on.

On Europe, the Scottish Government invites the most wishful of thinking it’s time to get real.