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MADRID (AP) — Spain's Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis said Scotland will be "at the back of the queue" if it wants to become a member of the European Union if it decides to leave the United Kingdom.
Dastis was responding Monday to the news a day earlier that the Scottish government is planning to hold another referendum on its future in the U.K.
His comments also signal that Madrid will be firm on the issue, as it was in 2014 when Scotland voted to remain in the U.K. — Spain's conservative government doesn't want to encourage a separatist movement in Catalonia.
According to Europa Press, Dastis told reporters in Peru that an independent Scotland "can't just stay in the EU."
Any prospective application to the EU can be vetoed by any member.
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