Building a New Scotland: an independent Scotland in the EU

What our proposals would mean for your business

EU membership would provide opportunities for an independent Scotland’s economy to grow. This publication shows how EU membership would help your business by providing:

• access to the world’s largest single market, with reduced barriers to trade, free flows of data and less bureaucracy
• a level playing field so that Scottish businesses can compete, directly from Scotland, on an equal footing with businesses across the EU
• the opportunity to reach more customers by being able to set up branches and offer services in the EU
• access to a larger labour market with no restrictions on employing EU citizens to work in Scotland, sustaining businesses, universities, communities and public services
• mutual recognition of professional qualifications, allowing Scottish professional qualifications to be automatically recognised throughout the EU, and businesses and individuals in Scotland to offer their services throughout the EU within a common set of rules
• access to the benefits of the EU’s network of highly favourable free trade agreements across the world
• representation by the collective weight of the EU on market access issues and food production standards in international negotiations and disputes
• Scotland with the opportunity to influence future EU regulatory requirements and standards in ways that reflect the interests of Scottish businesses
• easier and safer online selling
• more opportunities for training and for collaborative research and development to drive innovation
• access to EU programmes to help enhance competitiveness and sustainability