Scotland like Catalonia or the Basque Country. The referendum on independence promoted by the Scottish nationalist leader Nicola Sturgeon between 2018 and 2019, once the terms of Brexit have been made clear, could bring other European regions to try to become independent from the central state and join the EU as independent nations. “There have always been close links between Scotland and Catalonia, and between Scotland and the Basque Country, and, if the referendum on independence were won by the Scottish National Party, which supports an independent Scotland, other parts of the European Union might be encouraged to do the same” (as Catalonia is doing already), Thomas Swann, associate professor of the Faculty of Politics at Loughborough University, explains to SIR. “Of course, the problem is whether the Spanish central government is willing to let Catalonia organise a referendum, and so far it hasn’t been. Actually, it declared the 2014 referendum illegal. Even with Scotland, Downing Street will have to give the green lights for the referendum to be held”. Constitutionally, “the British government must give the go-ahead to the referendum that Sturgeon would like to hold, and Theresa May said she doesn’t think it is a good idea, but in Scotland people’s support for independence could make it impossible for the British government to say no”. Then, there’s the other obstacle of a region turned into a sovereign state having to apply for accession and start the negotiations all over again.