Scottish independence: Forced EU exit "unlikely" SCOTLAND is unlikely to be forced out of the EU after independence, a group of leading academics told MSPs today. But SNP's estimate of an 18-month negotiation to join up in time for "independence day" on March 24 2016 is "too ambitious" with a two-year period is more likely. Professor Michael Keating, director of the ESRC Scottish Centre on Constitutional Change played down warnings from Spain last week that Scotland would be kicked out the EU after independence and have to renegotiate its way back in. "No Government has said they would veto Scotland's membership of the EU," he told MSPs on the European and External Affairs committee today. In the last few months we've made a lot of progress on this to the extent to say that there doesn't seem to be an issue in principle and there doesn't seem to be a legal obstacle. But there are huge practical difficulties. It's the details of the negotiations that would be the difficult thing. But Prof Keating, along with legal expert Professor Stephen Tierney and defence expert Dr Colin Fleming told the committee there could be no guarantee that Scotland's EU membership would not be blocked by a member state. Salmond confident on EU MEPs warn on EU talks Scottish independence: Spanish blow to EU vision Scotland would leave EU post-independence, says Hague Hague's EU claims criticised