Idea of an independent Catalonia gets a NATO no-go
Consensus among 28 Atlantic Alliance members required for any new member, spokesman says
The European Union has made it clear on many occasions that if Catalonia, or Scotland, decide to become independent, they will be excluded from the collective and will have to negotiate their re-entry with the 28 member states, all of which have a vote. Now, NATO has said the same will apply.
"For any nation to be incorporated into the alliance the consensus of all the NATO allies will be necessary," a spokesman for the alliance, which also has 28 member nations, said on Monday, adding that it was purely a hypothetical matter. NATO has no hard-and-fast rules over the independence of part of a member state, but can invite a nation to join the treaty.
Scotland's first minister, Alex Salmond, has said that his preference is to remain within both the EU and NATO. Catalonia's stance is the same. However, membership of both organizations requires the unanimous vote of the 28 adherents, meaning that Spain, or any other country, could theoretically block Catalonia's entry into the EU.
