‘Damning’ internal analysis by civil servants was released only after a successful appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner
Scotland would face a wait of nearly a decade to rejoin the EU after independence, according to the SNP government’s own officials.
In an internal analysis, civil servants warned that it could take up to eight years for a Scottish state to rejoin the bloc, while even under a “best case” scenario the process would be between three and four years.
Also highlighted were external warnings that Scotland would be forced to join the Euro and the Schengen visa-free travel zone, which would mean passport checks for cross-border travel to England.
They found that well over 30 new public bodies would have to be set up to meet membership requirements, and that a formal application could not even begin until Scotland had already left the UK.