AN independent Scotland would meet many of the requirements to join the EU, according to a senior European official.

Though Jacqueline Minor, the head of representation for the European Commission in the UK, warned Scotland would have to join a list of candidate countries, including Turkey Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

But, she said, Scotland, unlike other countries, would already meet much of the criteria of membership, including democracy, rule of law, anti-corruption and protection of minorities. Minor said it seemed unlikely that the UK Government would accept the Scottish Government’s Brexit proposals, where Scotland remains in the single market, even if the rest of the UK leaves. The negotiations will be with the United Kingdom and that means essentially the Westminster Government,” Minor said at the meeting of the Scottish Parliamentary Journalists’ Association event.

“The first question is will the Westminster Government argue in favour of a differentiated arrangement, and it seems to me that at present they are not suggesting that they will. Should they do so, should they change their mind, then the other members states would have to look at that. I have to say that there is no precedent whereby a free trade agreement has distinguished between significant regions of the partner country.”

The SNP’s Alyn Smith called it a “welcome blast of common sense”. “There is no queue. If you qualify, you’re in,” he said.

He also suggested there was a lot of “goodwill” from the other member states directed towards Scotland. “But our immediate process is to work through whatever Brexit is, and get the best deal for Scotland.”

Scottish Tory constitution spokesman Adam Tomkins said Minor’s words should scare off anyone thinking of voting for independence. “This is a senior figure telling the SNP what it needs to hear,” he claimed. “For all its moaning about Brexit, it knows fine well an independent Scotland would not simply step into the European Union. “Not only would it join the back of the queue, but we now learn it may have to adopt the euro and tackle an eye-watering deficit.”

The Scottish Greens’ external affairs spokesman Ross Greer said: “There are five million EU citizens living in Scotland, it’s unthinkable that they will be told to join the back of a mythical queue.

“It shows just how little Labour and Conservative MSPs know about Europe that they think countries queue to join.

“What was made clear by this high-ranking European Commission official was that Scotland already meets much of the requirements needed to continue EU membership as an independent nation.

“Rather than trying to undermine efforts to keep Scotland in the EU, Unionist politicians must begin to recognise the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland who voted overwhelmingly against being dragged along with the angry, isolated Britain planned by Theresa May. They at least deserve a choice between these two futures.”