The Scottish Secretary is "insulting the people of Scotland" and European Union leaders are "scaremongering" by insisting an independent Scotland would be ejected from the EU, External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop has said.

Alistair Carmichael said EU citizenship can be revoked from Scots if they leave the UK, citing Austrian fraudster Janko Rottmann who had his repealed after it was found to have been obtained by deception.

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has said it would be "difficult, if not impossible" for Scotland to join the EU, while European Council chief Herman Van Rompuy said if a "part of a territory becomes a new independent state, EU treaties will no longer apply to that territory".

The EU leaders' position was echoed by EC vice-president Viviane Reding in a recent letter to Holyrood's European and External Relations Committee.

Speaking at the committee today, Ms Hyslop said it was "inappropriate" to compare Scots to a criminal, said the EU leaders "have made political comments for political reasons", and insisted Scotland is "not a territory of Great Britain".

She cited the comments of former European Court judge Sir David Edward, who Ms Reding has described as a "true architect of the EU", that it would be "absurd" to deprive Scots of their EU citizenship.

Committee convener Christina McKelvie wrote to Ms Reding seeking confirmation that member states would decide whether Scotland can continue in the EU through a treaty amendment under article 48 of the Lisbon Treaty.

Ms Hyslop insisted Ms Reding's response, which made no mention of article 48 but outlined the usual EU accession route under article 49, "was not about Scotland in particular".

She also ruled out giving Scots a vote on leaving the EU, stating: "Why on Earth would we have a referendum on something that we don't agree with?"

Unionists have suggested Scotland would have to set up border posts with England, but Labour MSP and Better Together member Alex Rowley conceded that "nobody seriously thinks that would happen".

Ms Hyslop said: "Alistair Carmichael came to this committee and used in evidence of the citizenship argument a case of deception.

"I don't think five million citizens of the EU in Scotland should be considered in any way shape or form in the same area.

"Not only was it inappropriate, it was quite insulting to the people of Scotland that the Secretary of State for Scotland came to this committee and used in evidence a case that was dealt with on the basis of the individual's criminality."

She added: "Those that have sought to portray the route to membership as 'difficult, if not impossible' have been shown to be scaremongering.

"Both Mr Barroso and Mr Rompuy have made political comments for political reasons.

"I don't think it is the role of president of the EC to reflect on the internal workings of any member state."

She continued: "The EC has not taken a view on Scotland because they have not been presented with a view on Scotland.

"The correspondence you have received (from Ms Reding) and the comments have been made in general, not about Scotland in particular and our particular circumstances.

"Therefore I don't think you can read into this assumption of what is required by article 49 to apply to Scotland.

"Her letter talks about 'when part of a territory of a member state ceases to be part of that state'.

"We are not part of the territory - we are actually part of the union that established Great Britain in the first place. That is a different context."

The Scottish Government wants an opt-out of the EU's Schengen passport-free travel area, insisting they "accept the principles of Schengen" but it is "common sense and practical" to maintain a common travel area with the UK and Ireland outside of Schengen.

Mr Rowley agreed with this position, saying: "It would seem mad that we would end up having no border controls with the rest of Europe but having to put border controls up with England, so nobody seriously thinks that would happen."

Conservative MSP Jamie McGrigor asked if Scots would get a referendum on the EU after the Scottish independence vote.

Ms Hyslop said: "We as an SNP Government do not want to have a referendum on the EU.

"We don't think it's required because we believe that Scotland's best interests are served by having continued membership.

"Why on Earth would we have a referendum on something that we don't agree with?"

Mr McGrigor said: "David Cameron obviously believes that giving people a choice is important."