Independent Scotland would be 'legally committed' to joining Euro if applying to join EU
30.10.2022 - 13:45
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
An independent Scotland would be "legally committed" to adopting the Euro if it applied to join the European Union, a Brussels spokeswoman has confirmed.
But that does not mean the country would be forced to use the single currency as a condition of membership, they added.
Nicola Sturgeon announced earlier this month that Scotland would continue to use the pound if a majority voters backed independence in the future. A new currency - a Scottish pound - would later be adopted if strict economic criteria were met, a process which could take years.
Opposition parties and some pro-independence campaigners have criticised the proposals and claimed they were incompatible with Sturgeon's aim of Scotland rejoining the EU. It comes after several unnamed Brussels figures briefed a daily newspaper last week, telling The Times: "No Euro, no membership."
The First Minister has previously pointed to the examples of several EU member states which do not use the single currency. She said: "Many countries in the European Union still use their own currency. Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Sweden, a member state since 1995, still uses its own currency."
But the spokeswoman for economic affairs at the European Commission in Brussels has set out the official position to the Herald on Sunday.
They said: "In principle, all EU member states, except Denmark which has an opt-out clause, are legally committed to join the Euro area once they fulfil the necessary conditions. It is up to individual countries to calibrate their path towards the Euro and no timetable is prescribed."
The Record has asked the SNP for comment.
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