Scotland’s place in the EU

Abstract

The international political landscape of the XXI century has been shaped by a seismic shift in the way state sovereignty is perceived. The very creation of the European Union is the proof that the traditional model of statehood has now become obsolete. In fact, the emergence of multi-level governance through the process of European integration has redefined the boundaries between the national and supranational dimensions. In this context, Scotland finds itself absorbed by British exceptionalism: being a state-less nation itself, many important decisions that directly affect it in the realm of both domestic and foreign policies are taken in Westminster, a factor that increased the widespread sense of political alienation from the central government. The blurred boundaries between the local, domestic and supranational layers of authority have produced an unexpected – and undesired – turn of events. Scotland has grown into a pro-European nation in the course of the late XX century, gaining significant powers through the devolution process and the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. However, despite its strong political will and the Brexit referendum results – proving the commitment of the Scottish electorate to remaining in the European Union – Scotland was powerless before the irreversible process that undemocratically brought it out of the EU as part of the UK. The divide that had long been existing between Scotland and England grew exponentially, as well as the push for independence, envisioned by the nationalists not in isolation but rather within the EU. The purpose of the present thesis is, therefore, to address the possibility of Scotland’s potential EU membership as an independent country. An analysis of the historical and social context in its European, British and Scottish dimensions as well as the study of Scottish identity politics and of the legal framework for EU accession will be provided in support of this research.