Cultural figures call on EU to set path for Scottish membership

Writers, academics, musicians and actors seek guarantee of EU membership if Scotland votes for independence.

Cultural figures from the European Union and United Kingdom have called for Brussels to set out a path for Scotland to rejoin the bloc, in the event a majority votes for Scottish independence. In an open letter published online on Thursday by the Europe for Scotland group, more than 180 individuals from the UK and all 27 of the EU’s nations urged European officials to “make a unilateral and open offer of membership” in advance of any second independence vote. “We want the people of Scotland to know that Europeans everywhere would welcome them back in the European Union if this is their democratic wish,” the letter, which was also translated into several other European languages, said.