LONDON — April 26, 2014 — Scotland's energy reserves and fishing grounds will make it a crucial member of the European Union (EU) if it votes to leave the United Kingdom in an independence referendum, Scottish leader Alex Salmond will say on Monday.
Salmond wants Scotland to stay in the EU if there is a "Yes" vote on September 18, hoping to agree a "smooth transition" to a renewal of membership before the country declares independence in March 2016.
In February European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said an independent Scotland would have to reapply to the EU as a new state.
Opponents of ending Scotland's 307-year-old tie to England argue that EU entry would be far from guaranteed as all 28 member states would have to approve – and some, fighting their own secessionist movements, might be reluctant to recognize a new state.
Salmond, head of the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP), is expected in a speech in Bruges, Belgium, to say Scotland's natural resources, human talent and financial contributions make it a linchpin of the EU.
He will argue that Scotland is vital for energy security in Europe with 25 percent of its offshore wind and tidal potential, 10 percent of the EU's wave potential, and 60 percent of the EU's oil reserves.
Read the full story from Reuters at the New York Times