Scottish referendum: how the rest of the world reacted

The European Commission, Nato and the Spanish government are relieved, but Catalan separatists, seeking independence from Madrid, say they are undeterred.

There were fears in Europe that, without the Scots, David Cameron would find it more difficult to achieve victory in the in/out referendum he has pledged in 2017 if he wins the next election – not to mention concerns over the hoops an independent Scotland could have to jump through to attain EU membership.

The result has eased these concerns, with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso pleased “the unity of the UK” is being maintained.

Yes Scotland campaigned to remove the Trident nuclear deterrent from Faslane – awkward for Nato and the US. On Friday, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Nato’s secretary-general, said: “The United Kingdom is a founding member of Nato, and I am confident that the United Kingdom will continue to play a leading role to keep our alliance strong.”

If Scotland had chosen independence, that would have been a political landslide of the nature of the break-up of the Soviet Empire. European Commissioner Karel De Gucht

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy could not have used more powerful language to describe what he believes would have been the consequences of a yes vote.

‘Grave consequences’

“With their decision, the Scottish have avoided the grave economic, social, institutional and political consequences that would have resulted from its separation from the United Kingdom and Europe,” he said.

“Yesterday they chose between integration and segregation, between isolation and openness, between stability and uncertainty, between security and a real risk, and they have chosen the most favourable option for everyone, for them, for the rest of the British citizens and for Europe.”

Before the vote, Mr Rajoy had spoken out against a yes vote, looking over his shoulder at Catalan separatists planning to hold their own, unofficial referendum on independence in November.

Unlike the UK government, the Spanish have refused to allow an official referendum because they say this would be unconstitutional.

Despite the setback from the Scottish poll, Catalan President Artur Mas said people should still be given a chance to vote on independence.

Fear of separatism is not just a Spanish phenomenon. Flemish nationalists in Belgium were watching Scotland with interest, and the country’s European Commissioner Karel De Gucht said a yes vote would have given succour to other separatist movements in Europe.

“If Scotland had chosen independence, that would have been a political landslide of the nature of the break-up of the Soviet Empire,” he told Belgian Radio One.

“There will be no snowball effect. The choice for an independent Scotland would be the end of Europe as we know it today. Other secessionist movements would then also want to hold referenda.”

‘Political earthquake’

The referendum also dominated morning news bulletins in France and Italy, with Le Figaro calling the process “a lesson in democracy” that could have caused “a political earthquake in Europe”.

The Washington Post said the referendum had been “marked by civility and passion”, adding: “The vote offered residents of this ancient land the chance to create the world’s newest independent nation by breaking up one of its oldest unions.”

Before the vote, the North Korean regime spoke in favour of an independent Scotland. So far, Pyongyang has not commented on the result.