The Scottish Government is unlikely to secure all of its objectives in its negotiations to stay in the European Union in the event of independence, a Labour MEP has said.
No country in the history of negotiations in the EU has succeeded in obtaining 100% of their objectives, according to Catherine Stihler.
The SNP administration may have to abandon Scotland's share of the EU rebate, set up border posts with England and sign up to the controversial European fiscal pact in order to secure independent membership of the EU, she said.
The Scottish Government concedes that Scotland's continuing membership of the EU after independence requires negotiation but insists that this would be done in the 18 months between the referendum and independence day in 2016.
Iceland started its negotiation in 2010 and is still no closer to joining, Ms Stihler warned in an article for the LabourHame website.
SNP ministers say they believe that Scotland's relative wealth, abundant natural resources such as oil and wind and its vast fishing waters will give it a strong hand in membership negotiations.
Ms Stihler said: "The SNP are talking about red lines for any negotiation: keeping the pound, keeping Scotland's share of the rebate, opting out of Schengen (the passport-free travel area), saying no to the fiscal pact, and the list goes on.
"For a party who rejected the Lisbon Treaty over fisheries, what will they do even with the reformed common fisheries policy? No country in the history of negotiations in the EU has succeeded in obtaining 100% of their objectives.
"So with these red lines the SNP will march off to Brussels the day after independence to negotiate. Meanwhile they will also be marching to London the day after independence to negotiate the terms of Scotland's break-up from the United Kingdom too."
Liberal Democrat MEP George Lyon said: "When it comes to the EU, the SNP want us to join the club without setting out how much membership could cost us. The simple fact is that if we were to become independent then the terms of our EU membership would not be decided in Edinburgh. They would largely be dictated by the other member states. Nicola Sturgeon needs to come clean and tell us what she would be willing to see Scotland lose to sweeten the deal for the rest of the EU."
