EU warns Catalonia independence means leaving bloc

The EU on Thursday warns that Catalonia would automatically drop out of the bloc and would have to apply for re-admission if it secedes from Spain.

“If part of a member state ceases to be part of that state, because of the territory becoming an independent state, the (EU treaties) would no longer apply to that territory,” European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas says when asked about the possible consequences of a September 27 regional vote in Catalonia.

“A newly independent region by the fact of its independence would become a third country in respect of the EU and may apply to become a member of the Union,” Schinas tells reporters in Brussels.

— AFP