Spain would consider its position on Scotland in the EU if and when bid arises

Spain would consider its position on an independent Scotland joining the European Union if and when such a scenario arose, its foreign minister said.

The position of Spain has long been of interest to Scottish independence campaigners, because regional separatism is a highly sensitive political issue for Madrid and it holds a veto over any future European Union membership bids.

In an interview with The Irish Times and a group of European outlets, Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares Bueno said he preferred not to deal with matters that were a “hypothesis” and that Madrid would consider the issue if and when it arose.

“I don’t like to make political fiction,” he told The Irish Times. “Foreign affairs and international relations, it’s about things that are concrete. And right now Scotland is within the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom made a Brexit.”

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There has long been speculation that Madrid could veto any eventual EU accession bid by an independent Scotland, to avoid encouraging the separatist movement in Catalonia, which also aspires to future membership.

Asked about a united Ireland, Mr Albares said this was also hypothetical, but that the Spanish civil service would nevertheless sketch out contingency plans for any such scenario.

“When that happens, I will answer the question,” he told The Irish Times. “It’s not that I don’t want to answer the question, but I think we have issues that are really, really pressing today and that we have to look at.”

Northern Ireland would be in a different situation to Scotland with regards to EU membership in a unification scenario. In 2017, EU member states agreed that in such a scenario Northern Ireland would be unifying with an existing member state, meaning it would then automatically be in the EU and no accession process would be required for the territory.

Mr Albares spoke in Brussels on a visit to prepare for Spain’s assumption of the rotating EU presidency next year and meet with the European Commission vice president Maroš Šefčovič regarding negotiations with the United Kingdom over the territory of Gibraltar.

Kept separate from the overall post-Brexit negotiations, the status of the British Overseas Territory in relation to the EU and the Single Market has been the subject of nine rounds of negotiations between the UK and EU without an agreement being reached, fuelling fears in Gibraltar of a potential “no deal” scenario.

Mr Albares said he felt there was a “genuine desire” to reach a deal on the UK side and that he hoped it could be reached “as quickly as possible”.

Spain’s EU presidency would advocate reform of the EU energy market, peace in Ukraine, trade deals with Chile and Mexico, and an overhaul of migration rules so the EU as a whole shoulders the responsibility of managing irregular arrivals rather than just frontline member states, Mr Albares said.

This article has been updated and republished.