With the study about the impact of a 'hard Brexit' on the Scottish economy yet to be published, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has reportedly insisted on Scotland remaining part of the EU's single market and customs union.

Axar.az reports citing sputniknews.com.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has expressed surprise about the UK's unwillingness to define its relations with the EU a year and a half after the Brexit vote, the BBC reported.

"More than 18 months on from the Brexit vote, it beggars belief that the UK government is not only still unable to say what kind of relationship it wants with the EU, but has also failed to produce any meaningful economic assessment of the different possibilities," Sturgeon said.

She warned of "zero credible evidence" to confirm that Scotland will economically benefit from its leaving the single market.

"Indeed, as our analysis will show — the harder the Brexit the worse will be the outcome," Sturgeon pointed out.

Her remarks came ahead of the publication of the Scottish government's study about Brexit's impact on Scotland's economy. The study, titled "Scotland's Place in Europe: People, Jobs, and Investment" is due to be released on Monday.

While Sturgeon calls for Scotland remaining within the EU's single market and customs union, the UK government blames the Scottish National party for "trying to undermine the result of a democratic referendum," according to the BBC. While the majority of referendum voters in England and Wales voted for the UK to leave the EU, the majority of Scottish and Northern Irish voters were in favor of remaining within Europe.

Under the possible hard Brexit scenario, the UK may leave the EU without striking a trade deal with the bloc, potentially disrupting the economy.

The Brexit talks between the EU and the UK kicked off on June 19 and are due to wrap up by the end of March 2019, when Britain is scheduled to leave.

In December, the sides shifted to the second phase of the talks, which will focus on the transition period in EU-UK ties after Brexit.