A leading Spanish politician has said that his country would resist attempts by Nicola Sturgeon for Scotland to remain in the EU single market after Brexit.
Esteban Gonzalez Pons is reported to have said that Sturgeon’s proposals for a special deal for Scotland are “impossible” and would be opposed by the Spanish government.
It is not the first time that Spain has indicated that it would reject any application from Scotland to seek special conditions in the EU if and when the UK exits from the Union. The country has also long been trying to contain separatist movements in parts of the country, such as Catalonia and the Basque Country.
Gonzalaz Pons is an MEP who heads the Spanish delegation of MEPs in the European Parliament and also sits on the parliament’s constitutional affairs committee.
He said that he was not speaking on behalf of the Spanish government but that his view represented the position of the governing People’s Party led by PM Mariano Rajoy. In June, Rajoy said that Scotland would have to leave the EU along with the rest of the UK.
The MEP held that the Spanish government would negotiate only with the UK government.
Any special deal for Scotland would have to receive the consent of all the member countries of the EU. This includes applications to be in the European Free Trade Association and the European Economic Area.
Gonzalez Pons said: “Scotland, while it is part of the United Kingdom, has to be the same as the UK.”
“If Spain agrees a special deal for Scotland after Brexit, Spain has to negotiate a special position for Gibraltar and we accept that Gibraltar could be part of the single market. We’re not going to accept Scotland in the single market without the rest of the UK.”
The First Minister of Scotland is expected to make specific proposals early next month for Scotland to stay in the single market when rest of the UK leaves.
