Recommended note to the UK Parliament about the foreign policy implications of Scottish independence (THE WASHINGTON POST 02-11-2012)

We would like to call attention to the sharp contrast between the very reasonable ideas contained in this document ("HC 643 The foreign policy implications of and for a separate Scotland") regarding the process of EU membership for an independent Scotland and the hostility shown by Spain in the parallell scenario of Catalan independence. Excerpts: Arrangements for Scotland’s EU membership would need to be in place simultaneously with independence. Scotland’s 5 million people, having been members of the EU for 40 years, have acquired rights as European citizens. For practical and political reasons they could not be asked to leave the EU and apply for readmission. Negotiations on the terms of membership would take place in the period between the referendum and the planned date of independence. The EU would adopt a simplified procedure for the negotiations, not the traditional procedure followed for the accession of non-member countries