MORE than 170 prominent European writers, artists and cultural figures have called on leaders in Brussels and across the continent to say that an independent Scotland can go back into the EU.
The letter, which has been drawn up by the campaign group Europe for Scotland, is addressed to the heads of states and governments of the 27 member states, the presidents of the European Council and Commission, as well as members of the commission and MEPs.
It urges them to make explicit, ahead of any second independence referendum, that the country can rejoin if it becomes independent.
“We are Europeans from across the continent and around the world. Naturally, we disagree about many things. But we all agree on this: We want the people of Scotland to know that Europeans everywhere would welcome them back in the European Union if this is still their democratic wish,” it said.
“When Scots voted to remain in the EU, they did so as part of the United Kingdom. Separating themselves from the UK to become a member state of the EU is a different matter.
“One that demands its own referendum, which the Scottish Parliament and government have formally requested.
“At present, the UK government refuses to permit this. We should not stand idle while this impasse lasts. It is an unprecedented development and demands fresh thinking from the EU. Therefore, we call on you to ensure that the EU clearly signals a path for Scotland to become a member in advance of any independence referendum.”
Scotland voted to Remain in 2016
It added: “The usual process is for the EU to respond to a membership request only when it comes from an independent country. Scotland deserves a different process. While it is legally part of the UK, the Scottish Government cannot negotiate with the EU.
“But the EU can declare that, because Scotland has already long been part of the EU, should it become legally and democratically independent it need not apply as a ‘new’ accession candidate.”
It continues: “Instead, the EU and its member states should make a unilateral and open offer of membership: an exceptional proposal to match Scotland’s exceptional circumstances.”
Signatories come from every single EU member state and all four UK nations. Among them are some of the world's leading philosophers and political thinkers and acclaimed European novelists, actors and musicians.
People who have signed the letter include the Dutch sociologist and globalisation expert Saskia Sassen, the Italian novelist Elena Ferrante, the German Peace Prize winner and cultural historian Jan Assmann, the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek.
Other prominent figures include Belgian political economist Philippe Van Parijs, the Irish writer Colm Toibin and the UK economic historian Adam Tooze.
UK-based writers Philip Pullman, Paul Gilroy, Ian McEwan, British historian David Edgerton and English musician Brian Eno have also signed the letter.
Investigative journalist Roberto Saviano, French political philosopher Etienne Balibar and Norwegian anthropologist Thomas Hylland Eriksen are also among the signatories.
Scotland voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum and support for rejoining the bloc has remained strong.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel