Frequently Asked Questions - How does this predicted timescale compare to the process for previous accession states?

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Scotland will not be an accession state. We will negotiate the transition from being an EU member as part of the UK to becoming an independent member of the EU from within the EU. The predicted timescale compares well with the most similar sets of previous circumstances. For example, the transition to EU membership for East Germany during its reunification with West Germany took 11 months from the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Source: Scotland's Future, Scottish Government, November 2013.