Towards an Independent Wales

With its own Senedd and legislative powers, Wales is already on a journey towards independence. This report charts the next steps.

It recommends that an independent Wales should seek membership of the European Union and suggests a provisional step might be membership of European Free Trade Area. Arguing that independent countries must establish collaborative arrangements with their neighbors, it recommends that Wales explores a confederal relationship with England and Scotland.

It proposes improvements to the operation of the Welsh Government and the civil service, points the way to drawing up a Welsh Constitution, and sets out a framework for a Self-Determination Bill to take the independence process forward. A key recommendation is the establishment of a statutory National Commission, tasked with giving the people of Wales a clear understanding of their political future. Citizens’ Assemblies drawn from across the spectrum of Welsh life would have a vital input. There would then be an exploratory referendum on a range of constitutional options. The result should be used to persuade the UK Government to agree to a further binary referendum. The Welsh people would then make their decision between the status quo and the preferred choice expressed in the first referendum.

Commission biographies are also contained.