On January 1, the post-Brexit transition period expired, meaning EU rules no longer apply in Britain. It is a new chapter for the country’s national history – but not everyone in the UK has given up on EU membership. Despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejecting her independence demands, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants to hold a second referendum in the spring of 2021.
In a recent column for the Irish Times, Ms Sturgeon reiterated that independence is Scotland’s only route to rejoining the EU.
She wrote: “We are now faced with a hard Brexit against our will, at the worst possible time in the middle of a pandemic and economic recession.
“It will mean disruption in the short term, while establishing new long-term barriers.
“Our people will be less safe and their right to work, study and live elsewhere in Europe will be restricted.
“This includes the loss of Erasmus, which saw more than 2,000 Scottish students, staff and learners use the scheme each year.
“It is therefore not surprising that a consistent majority of people in Scotland now say they are in favour of becoming an independent country.
“Scotland, like all nations, is unique.
“The same can be said of our constitutional circumstances.”
In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, though, Economics Professor at Edinburgh Napier University Piotr Jaworski explained why it is very unlikely Brussels will allow Scotland to join its bloc.
He said: “First of all, countries that have splitting tendencies, such as Spain or Belgium, will never agree.
“You then have got countries like Germany and France… and the question is ‘why should they want Scotland in?’
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The annual government expenditure and revenue Scotland report (GERS) found Scotland’s fiscal deficit for 2019-20 was 8.6 percent of GDP, up from 7.4 percent the previous year.
It is not the first time Scotland has been compared to the Hellenic Republic.
In 2016, the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) claimed breaking away, from the UK would turn Scotland into “Greece without the sun”.
In another interview with Express.co.uk, Italian MEP Marco Campomenosi reiterated that the chances of an independent Scotland joining the EU are very low.
However, he revealed how, in order to disrupt internal politics in the UK, Brussels did court Ms Sturgeon at the beginning of the Brexit talks.
He said: “With Scottish independence, Brussels has shown the greatest possible hypocrisy.
“During the withdrawal agreement talks, the former President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker was courting the Scottish nationalists, making them believe they were welcome in the EU.
“It was only done to destabilise the UK Government.
“Brussels could not have had the same attitude towards the Catalans because Spain strongly supports the European Commission.
“The hypocrisy would have been so evident that Brussels had to stop engaging with Sturgeon.”
Mr Campomenosi added: “Anyway, there is no way Spain is going to allow the Scots in if they do go independent.”
